Pomp as Inner Wheel Club honours Atuegwu

Recently in Enugu, Lady Ifeoma Atuegwu, pharmacist and the initiator and founder of the not-for-profit organisation, Bina Foundation, was honoured with the Margarette Golding Award. The award, the highest form of selfless service and personal sacrifice to humanity, is given to persons by the International Inner Wheel Clubs, worldwide.
The certificate of the award was presented to the Bina Foundation boss, by the International President of the club, Mrs. Oluyemisi Alatise. Mrs. Atilase is the first African and Nigeria to emerge as the president of the global initiative since inception.
It was learnt that in February 2017, the National Representative of Inner Wheel Club in Nigeria, Mrs. Uche Agbim, had played host to the president, during the club’s 30th National Rally in Enugu. During the visit, the international president observed first hand, the charity works of Bina Foundation for people with physical challenges and special needs. This inspired the recommendation for this highest honour to the decision-making council. It was after this victorious resolution at the highest level that Lady Atuegwu emerged as the fifth Nigerian to join the list of 200 distinguished personalities worldwide who to bag this meritorious award. The programme was well attended by club members, special guests, family members and well-wishers.
It would be recalled that Inner Wheel Club was an off shoot of Rotary Club which was founded in 1905. For many years, wives of the founders of Rotary were involved in voluntary and humanitarian services organised by their husbands until 1923. That was the year a group of ladies encouraged, by their husbands came to a decision to call a meeting for the purpose of setting up a club of their own. On January 10, 1924, Inner Wheel Club of Manchester, was formed with 23 ladies and Mrs. Margarette Golding, a veteran 1st World War nurse who later became an industrialist, as its first president.
She breathed life into the organisation, nurtured it during its infancy, ironed out its teething troubles, guided it through the formative stages and saw it solidly established. She died in 1939 having seen the 100th Inner Wheel Club formed. Today there are close to 4,000 clubs with 100,000 members from more than 103 countries across the globe.
It was at the 11 convention in May 2000 in Stockholm (Sweden) that a decision was taken to create an award in the name of Margarette Golding for highly commendable personal service through Inner Wheel or in the community. This award has been available since 2001 and over 200 people have now received the MGA throughout the World, with Nigeria having five recipients to date.
This certificate was presented to the initiator of Bina Foundation – an organisation which focuses on people with special need – by the International President of the club, Mrs. OluyemisiAlatise who happens to be the first African and Nigeria to emerge as the president of this global initiative since inception.
In February 2017, the National Representative of the clubs in Nigeria, Mrs. Uche Agbim, played host to the International Inner wheelpresident, during the club’s 30th National Rally in Enugu State. It was during this visit of the international president that the charity works of Bina Foundation towards people with physical challenges and special needs were seen and observed first hand by the president. This inspired the recommendation for this highest honour by the international president at the international decision making council. It was after this victorious resolution at the highest level that Lady Atuegwu emerged as the fifth Nigerian to join the list of 200 distinguished personalities worldwide who have bagged this meritorious award. The programme was well attended by club members, special guests, family members and well-wishers.