In the words of the American rapper, singer, and songwriter, Willie Junior Maxwell II, famously known as Fetty Wap, “My whole thing is loyalty. Loyalty over royalty; word is bond.”
No doubt, one name that typifies this famous quote is Dame Maureen Piribonemi Tamuno. She tells anyone who cares to listen that she is a card-carrying member of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC. But she is not in politics for politics’ sake; she has continued to use the opportunities provided her by the party to make society better.
One thing she has going for her is her loyalty. Although she has been disappointed and betrayed by many in the past, she has remained faithful to whatever she believes in. Today, this respected politician is reaping bountifully for staying true to her ideology, following her recent confirmation by the Senate as one of the non-career ambassadors.
The former member of Rivers State House of Assembly, last week, was among the non-career ambassadors posted to their respective duty posts. Tanumo, who was posted to Jamaica, has featured prominently in several areas of our national life with impressive records.
Often times when her name crops up in public discourse, she is always acknowledged as brilliant, given her intimidating credentials: she holds a degree in Management Studies from the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU) Bauchi, Bauchi State, a postgraduate Diploma (PGD) in Management, Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Marketing and PhD in Strategic Marketing and Consumer Behaviour.
Beyond these enviable academic qualifications, Tamuno, who is currently a member of the board of Nigeria Railway Corporation, has been recognized for her humanitarian efforts through her Lady Maureen Tamuno Foundation, a non-governmental organization for the care of widows, orphans, and the downtrodden in society.
A member of the Junior Chamber International (JCI) Nigeria, Tamumo is also said to have trained over 300 teenagers in various skills and set them up with starter packs via her Pearls Growth Club, an NGO for young persons between the ages of 11 and 17.
Tanumo, who was deputy national coordinator of the Nigerian State and Local Government Trade and Tourism Fair held in Abuja in 2000, has a number of awards in her kitty, including Entrepreneurship Award for the Year 2003, Award of Excellence from the RSUST Alumni Association Tanumo, a Fellow of the Institute of Public Management (FIPM) and Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management (FCIM).
Many years after her tenure as a member of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Tamuno, who was first president, Council of Ladies of Knight of St. Christopher of Okrika Diocese and now a knight of the Blessed Virgin Mary (KBVM), is still being discussed in glowing terms, especially for the fact that she saw to the provision of public facilities such as Civic Arena at Ogu, Wakanma Town Hall, as well as upgrade of Rivers State College of Education to Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Port Harcourt.
