The Nation Newspaper

Tag: ROTARY

  • Rotary donates to Lagos schools

    ROTARY Club of Gbagada South has donated a set of computers, projector and screen to Oworonshoki Primary School Complex.

    The school complex, which includes Mosafejo Primary School, and Local Government Nursery and Primary School, have 4,000 pupils.

    In her welcome address, the Computer Unit’s Head, Ms Udiodung Johnson, thanked the club for the gesture, saying it could not have come at a better time.

    To make the instructional gadgets more effective, she requested for inverters, and a maintenance engineer.

    “The batteries of the existing UPS are dead. We need replacement. We also need OX standing fans for the computers,” she said.

    The club’s President, Babatunde Jeje, said the donation was a continuation of what it did in the past because “what we donated then were not enough.”

    He said the club had earlier donated to the Computer Unit, the Home Economics Laboratory and the Arts and Craft Unit.

    He urged the schools’ heads and pupils to make good use of the materials.

    Rotary’s District Governor, Pat Ikheloa, promised to assist the schools, saying he was glad that they appreciated the items. He advised the pupils to be studious and take computer literacy serious. He said computer was easy to learn and that if they could operate the phone, they could lean it easily.

  • First female president for Ikeja Rotary

    Plans have been concluded for the investiture of the 50th President of Rotary Club of Ikeja, Rotarian Olaitan Ojuroye and the induction of the Board of Directors for the 2016/2017 Rotary Year.

    In a press statement, the Directorate of Public Relations, Rotary Club of Ikeja, District 9110 Nigeria, also announced that the event is important because the new president doubles as both the first female president and the 50th president of the club.

    The event, which will have Sir Festus Oluremi Omotoso, Chairman, Standard Chartered Bank Limited as guest speaker will hold on Sunday by 2: 00 p.m.  at Sheraton Hotels and Towers, Mobolaji-Bank Anthony Way, Ikeja, Lagos.

    Other special guests include Mrs. Olufunke Iyabo Osibodu, Managing Director, Benin Electricity Distribution Plc. as mother of the day and His Royal Majesty (HRM) Oba Adedapo Tejuoso, Karunwi III, Oranmiyan Osile of Oke-Ona, Egba will be the royal father of the day.

    The Chairman, Investiture Planning Committee, Rotarian Goke Olayinka said: “The entire Rotary family is excited about this event. This is because the investiture is remarkable in the history of Rotary Club of Ikeja, District 9110. Rotarian Ojuroye will be our first female president and also the 50th President of the District.

    “We are also happy that touching lives runs in her blood. Her father was one-time president of Rotary Club. Her younger brother was also a past president of the Club.”

    In line with its promise to continually offer humanitarian services and advance goodwill around the world, Rotary Club of Ikeja, District 9110, had donated gift and relief materials worth one million naira to special Nigerians.

    The beneficiaries of the gesture included the Nigerian Air Force Officers Wives’ Association, (NAFOWA), six artisans and one disabled person.

    Expressing gratitude at the maiden visit of the District Governor, Rotarian Pat Ikheloa, to the Rotary Club of Ikeja, the beneficiaries praised the club for its gesture. Some of the items donated to beneficiaries included sewing machines, shoe making/maintenance equipment and grinding machines.

    The beneficiaries included Amaechi John who came to the event on crutches. He got the shoe-making equipment. He  appealed to other special people not to go to the streets begging. Admas Aina received grinding machine, Temitope Akinduyite received vocational materials and equipment on behalf of NAFOWA, among others.

    According to the Acting President of the District, Rotarian Olaitan Ojuroye, the club will continue to execute programmes designed to touch lives positively.

     

  • Support the poor, says Ooni at Rotary induction

    Support the poor, says Ooni at Rotary induction

    He stood tall and calm. He also seemed undaunted by the huge task ahead as he mounted the rostrum of the Shell Hall at MUSON Centre, Onikan Lagos to be decorated with the age-long emblem as the District Governor for the next Rotary Year of District 9110, which oversees Lagos and Ogun states.

    It was Patrick Ikheloa’s day. It is the wish of every Rotarian to get the number one seat in Rotary. To him, it was a realised dream as the fair-complexioned man from Edo State was all smiles during the installation.

    But the event was not just a Rotary affair; it was a gathering of men and women of reputation who are passionate about philanthropy. Among them was the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi.

    There was fun in the hall adorned with yellow and blue decorations. What made the occasion significant was that even club members were treated to a red carpet reception before making for their tables.

    In a report, the outgoing District Governor, Otunba Bola Onabadejo, outlined his achievements during the past year, even as he solicited support for his successor. He urged Rotary members and the public to extend the same hand of fellowship to Ikheloa.

    Expectedly, Oba Ogunwusi entered with a retinue of courtiers who played trumpets, flutes and drums. His shinny cap stood out among them all.

    He spoke on the need to love one another, urging all to extend the same hand of fellowship to the downtrodden and other less-privileged persons.

    The monarch was inducted as a special ambassador.

    A raffle draw was held, where Economy and Business Class tickets to Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, courtesy of Etihad were won.

  • Rotary unveils ‘kick out polio’ advert

    The Rotary Club of Gbagada has unveiled a new advert on kicking out polio from the country. The event held at the Majidun, Ikorodu, Lagos office of the Bus Rapid Transport (BRT), operated by Primero and the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA).

    The advert, which is on one of the BRT buses, has the face of an artiste Funke Akindele as the campaign’s Ambassador. It will be on the bus, which plies the Ikorodu-CMS route, for a month.

    The club’s President Lanre Akintilo said the advert was aimed at creating awareness among the public on the need to kick out polio through constant immunisation. He said Nigeria has one year to go to be declared free of the disease, adding that we should not rest on our oars.

    He solicited understanding and cooperation for the eradication of the disease and advised parents to always bring their children for vaccination.

    Rotary International District 2110 Governor Pat Ikheloa said polio is one disease that Rotary has decided to wipe out. He said the three years given to Nigeria by world health body World Health Organisation (WHO) before it can be declared polio-free ends next year.

    He lamented the effect of the diseases on children, saying every boy is supposed to play football, but that he can’t if he is down with polio.

  • Rotary launches 12,000-page world’s thickest book

    Rotary launches 12,000-page world’s thickest book

    Rotary International District 9125 has launched the world’s thickest book.

    The book, written by 12,000 Nigerians, is based on Rotary’s four-way test. It  has 12,000 pages.

    Ex-President of Rotary District 9125 and initiator of the project Mike Omotosho explained that the essence of the book was to give everybody an equal say where everyone has an opportunity.

    Omotosho added that entries for the book were received from Nigerians of all shades, from Ministers and Senators to prison inmates, primary school pupils, secondary school students, university undergraduates, carpenters on the street,ordinary Nigerian.

    The book which was launched at the Rotary charity cocktail event in Abuja, had as a highlight of the event, the humanitarian reporting awards to six Nigerian journalists who had written distinguishing humanitarian stories.

    In his words, “It is a book written by 12,000 Nigerians based on Rotary’s four way test, what we are trying to do is change the psyche of Nigerians from looking at the problems staring them in the face to beginning to see the positive side of things. What do you want to see? How do you want Nigeria to truly be? So you come up with the dream of the Nigeria that you truly want to see. The idea is to get people dreaming of positive things and hopefully encourage them to wake up from their slumber, roll up their sleeves and begin to work.

    “The book is not about the length or width but about the number of pages it’s 12,000 pages and that makes it the world’s thickest book, not the world’s largest book. We will only be launching it today. We can’t unveil because the Vice President is not here, so hopefully we will be able to take it to him to unveil. The prototype was unveiled by the Honourable Speaker of the house, Yakubu Dogara.

    “The essence of the book is to give everybody an equal say, everyone has an opportunity. We have entries from Ministers, Senators, from even prison inmates, primary school pupils, secondary school students, university undergraduates, carpenters on the street, everybody we want to hear the view of every ordinary Nigerian, one it brings unity of purpose, secondly it puts Nigeria on the international stage for something positive because it is the world record holder for the world thickest book, so that way, things will change.

    “It is all about the four way test that have been around for almost 84 years it is a guiding principal that Rotary and Rotarians use to make themselves better people and by extension the community a better place. It took about six months and a lot of sleepless nights for the book to be ready, we had about 26,000 entries and had to trim it down to the best 12,000, we had different options for submission, online, we went to schools, we went into prisons to get their entries, people’s definitely had mixed feelings about it because we just got 26,000 a community of almost 170 million people which is small number of entries,” he said.

     

  • Rotary lifts woman with micro loans

    THE Rotary Club of Gbagada South, has empowered some women traders in Ifako-Gbagada, with soft loans ranging from N25,000 to N50,000.

    Rotary International District 2110 Governor Pat Ikheloa presented the loans to the women. He was assisted by the club’s President Babatunde Jeje and the Baba-Oloja General of Akerele-Diya Night Market, Most Rev Matthew Akerele.

    Jeje said in all, the loans were worth N600,000. He said the club started the scheme with N150,000 and grew it over the years to N1million, with N600,000 given to Lagos residents and the balance offered to Ososa community traders in Ogun State. The money is disbursed to the traders through the cooperative societies, Jeje said, praising the traders for being truthful to the repayment terms, which he described as excellent.

    Ikheloa said Rotary is known for giving, sharing and assisting people, including traders. While commending the club for ‘’the wonderful project’’, he said: ‘’I hope that you will continue with it’’. He urged the traders to use the loans judiciously to enable them repay.

    Rev Akerele said he was overwhelmed by Rotary’s gesture, noting that the loans scheme started 12 years ago. ‘’Rotary Club of Gbagada South has been good to our market’s association. For over 12 years, you have been helping us,’’ he said. He promised to ginger the recipients to pay back the loans.

    The beneficiaries include Mrs Maria Messioye Arike, Mrs Adenike Oke, Mrs Deborah Fatimah Ajani and Mrs Adunni Badejo.

  • Rotary and rule of law

    Rotary and rule of law

    The yearly ritual during which the District Governor in charge of Lagos and Ogun states is installed turned a feast of some sort last Saturday at MUSON centre. While rotary was the main attraction, it blended with a public lecture bordering on rule of law delivered by the Nigerian Bar Association President, Augustine Alegeh (SAN). As if by a royal decree, the enchanting royal magic of the youthful Oba (Dr.) AdeyeyeEnitanOgunwusi, Ojaja II, the Ooni of Ife, turned what usually is a sombre ceremony into a fecund fiesta of festivals. The new District Governor, Rotarian Patrick IjehonIkheloa, couldn’t have started his tenure, on a brighter note.

    Also, the topic of lecture couldn’t have been better, whether for Rotarians or for our country men. After all, the rotary creed otherwise known as the four-way-test speaks of the rule of law or something even higher: the rule of social justice. Asking four profound questions, the test guides every conduct rigorously. Firstly, it asks: Is it the TRUTH? Secondly: Is it FAIR to all concerned? Thirdly: Will it bring GOODWILL and better FRIENDSHIPS? And fourthly: Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?

    I wish that these four cardinal questions which ape the golden rule can be recited at the national economic council meetings attended by the state governors. It will particularly mock those governors who have not been paying workers their monthly salary even when they engage in clear misapplication of the state funds. The test will also taunt those who go on jamboree while lying to their people that they are chasing the so-called foreign investment. The test will jibe at the governors who award over bloated contracts to steal instead of solving the variety of pressing social issues bordering on life and death of their citizens.

    Perhaps Governor IsiakaAjimobiof Oyo Statecould apply the test to resolve his differences with the state workers and save innocent school children from paying for adult delinquency. Even as the governor is reportedly waiting for his ego to be massaged by asking for an apology, he must pause to ask himself whether he is fair to all concerned. Indeed if the governor wants to squarely face the truth, is he not the one to offer apologies to the distraught workers whose salaries have not been paid, or the state citizens who are exercising their civic right to hold him accountable for all its actions?

    The message of the four-way-testshould also replace the self-worship-messages that we see on bill-boards across states in the country. In some states, governors who owe salaries for several months still find it expedient to spend millions to erect bill boards, announcing the tarring of roads, the renovation of schools and hospitals. In some cases while the billboards are still glossy, the so-called projects are already searing into dilapidation. In many other cases, the costs of launching the commissioning of the poorly executed projects usually outpace the cost of the project itself.

    Many of the debtor statesshamelessly still spend huge sums on the so-called security vote while the basic salaries of their workers are unpaid. Of course, such mean-heartedness is glaringly unfair to all concerned. Even more heartless is the scurrying away of billionsby public officials to buy properties abroad, while unpaid pensioners are dying on the queue awaiting one dubious verification exercise or another. When the states engage in duplicitous verification, after a similar verification the previous year, and give that information out, as the reason for the delay in the payment of pensions, they should ask themselves, is it the truth?

    The four-way-test of rotary should also be hung in the PresidentBuhari’s office as a reminder to the presidency to always weigh its decisions against the immutable principles of truth, fairness, goodwill, friendship and beneficial actions. The presidency should apply the standards encapsulated in the test to resolve the Niger Delta insurgency, the agitation for Biafra, the menace of the Fulani herdsmen, the Boko Haram crises and other mutating agitations, across the country. The test would particularly help the president in exercising his discretionary powers to meet both the letters and the spirit of the 1999 constitution.

    The president should use the four-way-test to test every action of his officials also. When he makes his appointments that clearly favour one part of the country, he must ask himself whether the appointments would bring goodwill and better friendship to a hurting country. Of course, before he tenaciously seeks to Go On With One Nigeria (GOWON), he must pause to ask how it can be beneficial to all concerned. And he needs not be told that to be beneficial to all concerned, Nigeria must be fair to all, while her officials must pursue only the actions that will bring goodwill and better friendship.

    I guess that his enormous experience as a general and former head of state, must have taught him that he cannot effectively deal with several war fronts at a time. Currently many parts of the country are on the boil and unless he wears the four-way-test as his badge of honour, history may actually hold him responsible for the much feared disintegration of Nigeria. I guess the president will appreciate that merely shouting and threatening ONE NIGERIA without commensurate actions and conduct, to make the constituents groups buy into it, would not save the day. To help the president in the difficult task of building a new Nigeria, the four-way-test of what Rotarians, think, say or do, should be made the national creed.

    In case the president, the governors and other leaders are not forward-looking enough, to accept the rotary creed, they can resort to obeying without fear or favour the provisions of the constitution. A recital of the fundamental objectives and directive principles of state policy provided in chapter II of the 1999 constitution at every federal and state executive council meetings will achieve the propositions in the four-way-test. Even with all its imperfections, the 1999 constitution, clearly forbids stealing of public funds, the criminal appropriation of scarce national resources by the legislators, nepotism and tribalism in appointments by the presidency, and similar vices that is threatening our corporate existence.

    Unlike our executive president, the governors and even the legislators, Rotarian Patrick IjehonIkheloa, the new District Governor of District 9110, has only one year to go about doing good principally in Lagos and Ogun states and elsewhere in the world where his hand of fellowship can reach. He has just one year, from July 2016 to June 2017, to build boreholes, renovate schools, donate drugs to hospitals, feed the hungry, teach crafts and vocations to the disadvantaged, and do as much other good, as he and his army of volunteers and supports can muster.

    Among his commanders, will be my local club president, Rotarian Charles IfeanyiMbama, of the Rotary Club of Festac Town, whose own inauguration has been slated for 23rd of this month. While wishing our leaders, both in rotary and elsewhere, the best food forward, they should always remember that, MANKIND IS OUR BUSINESS.

  • Rotary gets female president

    Rotary gets female president

    The Rotary Club of Omole Golden has decorated Rotarian Titilayo Sunmonu as its 13th President for the 2016/2017 Rotary Year. The event took place on Friday at Excellence Hotel, Ogba Lagos.
    Mrs Sunmonu is the first woman President of the club which received its chartered certificate on June 4, 2004. She took over the mantle of leadership from the immediate past President of the club, Mr Idowu Afelogun.
    The handing over ceremony was performed by the club’s council of past presidents led by its Charter President Mr Olutimi Adeleye, Barrister Michael Akamo and Prince Aderemi Ajose, among others.
    At the brief event, the immediate past President Mr Afelogun urged the new President to continue to unite members of the club and to build a synergy in the club.
    He said: “A lot would be achieved if you carry out the affairs of the club without fear or favour, especially if you do not have favourites among the members.”
    In her remarks, Mrs Sunmonu thanked members of the club, particularly all former Presidents for giving her the privilege to lead the club.
    She said as the first woman to occupy the exalted office, she would do everything possible to provide quality leadership for the benefit of all the members and humanity.
    She assured that her tenure would do nothing to undermine the height to which the club has attained in the last 12 years.
    Mrs Sunmonu, who said she is irrevocably committed to serving humanity, urged all members, as well as other philanthropic individuals and organisations to join her in the onerous task of serving to improve the cause of the less privileged.

  • Community hails Rotary for donating 500-capacity hall

    Community hails Rotary for donating 500-capacity hall

    It was all encomiums penultimate week at Isolo-Opin, Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State at the launch of a 500 capacity examination/assembly hall donated to its Senior Secondary School.

    Rotary Club GRA Ilorin donated the hall which was built for N3.5 million.

    Members of the community trooped out to witness the ceremony.

    At the event, the club’s outgoing president and former military administrator of Bauchi and Osun states, Col Theophilus Bamigboye (rtd), painted a sorry picture of the building before the club’s intervention.

    Bamigboye said the club had adopted the community as a global village, adding: “the next project is your health centre. We will rehabilitate it to a world standard for other communities and villages to envy and emulate you.”

    The former military administrator added: “I recall that the first time we came here everywhere was dusty. The ceilings of the hall blown off, walls not plastered and no door and window. Today we are celebrating Rotary and humanity. I therefore urge the students to take good care of the facilities.”

    Asolo of Isolo-Opin Oba Raphael Are went philosophical, saying: “Only God knows why Rotary adopts our community as a global village. But for the club many things would have happened negatively. Today we are celebrating something brought by the Rotary Club GRA Ilorin. Today we are celebrating something brought by the club. This school was then just a block of three classrooms. I m saying this because there is joy in collective efforts

    Now I am proud of inviting people to come to my community’s school. Interestingly, the community has no financial input in all the projects so far executed in the school.”

    Also speaking, Vice President of Isolo-Opin Development Association (IDA), Michael Adewunmi appreciated the humanitarian of Rotary, adding that the club’s intervention, the community secondary school’s laboratory was a right off lacking in facilities and reagents.

    Mr. Adewunmi said that the laboratory had been concluded and furnished with up-to-date equipment.

    Earlier, the school’s principal Ayo abegunde said the club’s intervention in the school was divine and timely.

    Said he: “Were it for the club’s intervention “this place would have been an eyesore; hitherto the laboratory was no laboratory at all. For all this we are grateful and indebted to the club. We pray and hope the plan by the club to build administrative block for the school will be realized very soon.”

    Students of the school entertained the audience with cultural dance supported by the traditional talking drums.

  • Two communities benefit from Rotary projects

    Two communities in Ogun State have benefitted from the Rotary Club of Akute philanthropic gestures.

    In commemoration of its 10th anniversary commissioned a 5000 litre water project in conjunction with Jos Hansen Limited at Zumuratul Islamiyah, Primary School III, Ishashi, Akute.

     The club also performed land breaking ceremony of a block of three classrooms at Zion African Church School, Otun area of Akute.

    The president of the club, Rotarian Olasunkanmi Animashaun thanked Jos Hansen for its support in making the water project a reality. He disclosed that Jos Hansen has promised to sponsor additional two water facilities in Akute community.

    The representative of the District Governor,  Mr.  Segun Ogunye Ogunde, said: “Akute Rotary Club is going to join the league of the clubs that have done big projects.”