The President of Union of May Borns (UMABO) has challenged people born in other months to also form similar unions in line with their respective months. UMABO is the only union in the world as far as checks by the executive are concerned, to have been formed as a union of people born in a particular month.
Preparations for the formation of UMABO started in 2010 and in 2013, the union inaugurated its constitution and subsequently elected its executive. Since then, UMABO members have been celebrating May 31 as what they refer to as “Our Day.” On this last day of the month, members round up their annual activities with a get-together.
Since the formation of UMABO, members, through their dues and contributions on annually basis, donate assorted baby items including toiletries to new born babies on May 31 at the Maternity Ward of the Upper East Regional Hospital in Bolgatanga. Similar gestures have also been extended to Afrikids Medical Center and Coronation Clinic, all in Bolgatanga.
Another significant activity on the annual colander of UMABO is blood donation which is often done twice in a year – May and September. Again, the Regional Hospital, War Memorial Hospital in Navrongo and Afrikids Medical Center have benefited from voluntary exercise.
This year however, the union has suspended all its activities including general meetings in adherence to a ban on public/social gatherings as directed by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as one of the protocols to curb the spread of the novel Coronavirus that is ravaging the world.
Speaking on Reporters’ Visit, a news and current affairs analysis programme on A1 Radio on Friday May 1, 2020, Mr Asigri recounted how challenging it was at the formative stage of the union.
He said, “Last year after our May celebrations, I had information from one of my relations who happens to attend his church at Sacred Heart Cathedral in Bolgatanga; he told me that after mass one day, a group of people came out on the altar and said they were members born in the month of August and that they were putting themselves together and they had printed some T-shirts, handkerchiefs, scarfs or whatever it is and they wanted members that were born in that month to come out and be identified and given T-shirts and so on. When that my relation said that, I laughed over it and I told him that of course, coming together to form this union [UMABO] was not just done overnight. It was something that we planned and we had the personalities like you, William Jalulah [host of Reporters’ Visit], as one of the planners or founding members and we really put things so much together to form this union and today, the union can boast of its existence running into nine years or even if it is eight years at all, that is superior over which this union has been.”
Mr Asigri, said, “Interestingly, I am told they called for their maiden meeting and the number of people who were there was just those who came to the church and made that announcement.” This, he said ended the plan of those individuals as they could not form their planned union.
“I think that we are the pacesetters, there is no one, and I want to challenge all other members of the various months that if the think they can go beyond us, they should try it and they will fail. Because what we put into it to stand today, I wonder if they will have an idea and of course, it is now a system for us and if anyone is coming, we may have to sell that idea out at a very high cost.” Mr Asigri boasted.
He disclosed that members are currently contributing to acquire some items to support the fight against Coronavirus in the region.
Source:A1Radioonline.com|101.1MHz|Ghana
