As part of its community development efforts, Rotary Club of Akowonjo is set to execute multi-million projects in the community, including modern day borehole water facilities and the renovation of dilapidated classroom structures at the State Senior High School Alimosho, in the Alimosho Local Government area of Lagos State, as its priority projects for the Rotary year 2021/2022.
Speaking at the Presidential Handover Ceremony and Awards Night which took place recently at the Lagos Airport Hotel, Ikeja, the new president of Rotary Club of Akowonjo, Rotarian Victor Amaraegbu, said that in continuing with the good work past presidents of the club had done for over 35 five years, especially his predecessor, Rotarian Olamide Abegunde, he would make the club proud by ensuring that all the areas of focus for Rotary are adequately covered with quality projects and programmes within the year.
In his acceptance speech as the new president of the club, Rotarian Victor Amaraegbu said “it was with great delight on behalf of myself and the entire board of directors, that I welcome you all to the new Rotary year full of happiness and success in our personal and professional lives.”
He said having reviewed the Rotary Club of Akowonjo’s performance and achievements in the past six years, they were compelled to set new objectives and priorities for the future of the club.
“To this end, I shall be inaugurating an implementation committee that will be assigned specific roles and tasks to evaluate our goals on a monthly basis in this Rotary year and draw up a five-year roadmap that will see us lead in the district once again.”
Rotarian Amaraegbu reeled out his plan for the Rotary year and areas of intervention of the club, which include “organise skills awareness programmes and partnering with mini companies within Akowonjo and beyond; organise security awareness program tagged ‘security my business’ in the Akowonjo community.
Others are to organise schools’ debate competition among the four interact clubs sponsored by Rotary Club of Akowonjo, with the best school going home with a cup and the best student to be sponsored by the club for WAEC/GCE examinations and organise a special programme with focus on helping the Nigerian girl child”.
He also spoke about plans to visit and donate to Little Saints Orphanage, provide mosquito nets, hand sanitizers, Rotary branded nose masks and other health equipment to Bola Tinubu Health Centre; Polio Awareness Walk, cleaning of markets and drainages within the Akowonjo community, in conjunction with the Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), among others.
The Rotary president admonished club members to re-commit themselves to the values of respect, openness and compassion by coming together as friends, brothers, sisters and putting community first.
In his farewell speech, the immediate past president of the club, Rotarian Olamide Abegunde, gave account of his 12 months stewardship, pointing out the various projects he executed with the support of his board of directors but particularly referenced the renovation and commissioning of a two classroom buildings at State Senior High School Alimosho, in the Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State.
The highpoints of the handover ceremony include the induction of two new Rotarians into the club, awards presentation to supportive members of the public cum Rotarians and fundraising to give good financial muscle to the new president and his board of directors to steer the ship of the club for the next twelve months.