By Godwin Chukwumaechi, Port Harcourt
The Chief Executive Officer CEO Housing and Construction Mayor Limited, My-ACE China, has identified education and psychological development as the two most effective ways of the giving charity to the needy.
He made the observation at his honorary award and eventual induction into the Rotary Club family recently in Port Harcourt.
The real estate success strategist also known as Mayor of Housing harped on the two strategies as the most impactful forms of donations.
He told newsmen that strategic donating is what will help people out of poverty, stressing that ineffective philanthropy would rather create highly dependent people who would always come back for help.
China stated that the preliminary philanthropy he was doing was not the effective type, saying; “Charity is an ineffective philanthropy because if you give a man fish, he will come back tomorrow for another fish and you can’t feed him all your life.
“So, charity of donation is actually charity of backing people (carrying people on your back). And the philosophy says you can’t back more than two people, but you can help a limitless number of people. So effective charity which I’ll start doing when I have more time (because we are still at the herculean stage where activities are more than profit), will be real charity which is to make the person you’re helping to be independent of your help subsequently.
“So, the two things I believe that will cause real charity are education and psychological development”, he stated, adding how it would make people develop grit – the emotional intelligence and psychological development.
He observed that following experts recent declaration that emotional intelligence is more important than intelligence quotient, it was important to teach people to have the intelligence quotient and the emotional quotient to build more during hard times.
The Mayor of Housing stated; “It was Frank Lloyd Wright that said the human race builds most notably when adversities were most against us. So adverse times are opportunities to build.
“If you have someone that will inspire you with education of your IQ (intelligence quotient) and your EQ (emotional quotient), then we’ll only do charity of capital.”
He said without EQ and IQ, capital is just a bread. “With EQ and IQ, capital is a seed that will be sown and yield harvest and take more people out of poverty, making them independent of that seed subsequently.
“But when you give people seed, without IQ and EQ, they turn their seed to bread. And when they eat their seed, they’ll come begging tomorrow. So that kind of charity is ineffective and we are just doing it right now because we don’t have the chance and time for effective charity.”
On his induction as member of the Port Harcourt Rotary Club, he said he found he had been a Rotarian at heart with their mantra that says, ‘Service Over Self’.
He said; “Your life is as big or small as your contribution. “So, I believe in a constant unending expansion of life through contribution. So, I want to leave this legacy in this life to have contributed the most to the most people in the most ways. So, when I was called upon to take on honorary membership, initially I came in just to do my contributions and go.
China donated N1-million to support the work of Rotary in PH and promised to support another event where over 100 pregnant women would be assisted with delivery kits.
In her speech, Ibioku Whyte Enia-Harris, who was installed President, Rotary Club of Port Harcourt (2024-2025), said; “Our club has been built on a strong leadership foundation, and I am fortunate to have a membership that is fully committed to the Rotary ideal of ‘Service Above Self’, and continues to go the extra mile in building the club, and carrying out the many worthwhile projects that we undertake for the benefit of our community.”
She pointed out that many people were in need throughout the zone and the world whose only hope will come from Rotary. “Let us all leave here ready to make their lives better in any way that we can. As Rotarians, it will not be good enough to give only what we have left over or what we can spare, but we must truly give of ourselves with new vigor in support of the ideals of Rotary. Let us lead the way as Rotary shares its legacy of ‘Service Above Self’. We will be fortified with the necessary knowledge, skills and tools too.
The event witnessed award also on Dr Tammy Wenike Danagogo, the secretary of the Rivers State Government, who was represented by Mr Ogonda Bright, Special Assistant to the Secretary to the Rivers State Government (SSG) applauded Rotary for great works for humanity.
The SSG is said to be remarkable in giving scholarships to people, support to widows, raising of political leaders, and supports to family members.
Others were His Highness, Sir Henry Micah, and Herbert Unegbu.
