The newly inducted president of Rotary Club of Apo, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Rotarian Isaiah Ohaba, on Sunday said that what distinguished Rotarians was their service to humanity.
Ohaba said this at the club’s 2022/23 annual Investiture and Project Fundraising of the 21st president of the club, which was held in Abuja.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Investiture is an avenue for the newly elected president to present his agenda for the Rotarian year.
Ohaba used the opportunity to spell out his seven-project agenda. The projects are water, sanitation and hygiene, which will cost N1,000,000.
The second is maternal and child care, to cost N3,000 000, While the third, which is disease prevention and treatment will cost N1,000,000.
Others are Basic Education and literacy, which will cost N1,000,000, Community economic development to cost N800,000, and Peacebuilding and Conflict prevention N700,000.
While the last on the agenda is supporting the environment, which will cost N500,000.
Ohaba said that he was honoured to serve Rotary Club Apo for the 2022/23 Rotary year.
“One of the things that distinguish Rotary from other social clubs is the project we carry out for humanity.
“You will all agree with me as individuals in all facets of your endeavours you have experienced help or given help at one point or the other.
“That is why Rotary has taken it upon themselves to give something out of nothing. Even when we do not have for ourselves we believe in service above self.
“So in this Rotary year, I have dedicated my time, treasure and talent to serve and I cannot do it alone without the support of all of you in this hall.
“We have given to so many communities and we have an adopted community where we have provided a medical centre, doctors’ quarters generator amongst others that we have carried our in Apo Dutse.
“We have many projects to be carried out this year like the Street2School project, this project will impact immensely on children from poor communities to be enrolled in school,” he said.
The keynote speaker, Prof. Al-Hassan Conteh, the Ambassador of Liberia to Nigeria, Benin and Equatorial Guinea, congratulated the 21st president of Rotary Club Apo, FCT.
Conteh also spoke on why good governance and security were prerequisites for achieving human development in community institutions in Africa.
“For this to happen, democratic governance must be scrupulously implemented by putting people at the centre of community development efforts.
“In this context, the humanitarian service of Rotary International and its subsidiary Rotary clubs around the world has been very significant in providing social and community economic services for people.
“Good governance in the sense is regarded as the prudent exercise of the mandate given to community leaders, I heard the past president articulating all his achievements in that respect.
“The mandate to manage the community’s affairs consists of the mechanism, processes and Institution, which citizens and groups articulate their interest to exercise their rights and obligation to mediate their differences as members of an organisation or club.
“Security on the other hand is freedom from or resilience against potential harm from external forces and the beneficiaries are club members, who are vulnerable to change,” he said.
NAN reports that the objective of Rotary is to encourage and foster the ideal of service as a basis of worthy enterprise and, in particular, to encourage and foster the development of acquaintance as an opportunity for service.
High ethical standards in business and profession, the recognition of the worthiness of all useful occupations and the dignifying of each Rotarian’s occupation as an opportunity to serve society amongst others.
NAN also reports that the high point of the event was the award and recognition of some exceptional people, who had helped the club to meet some of their humanitarian projects.