The District Governor of Rotary International for District 9125, Rotn Dr. Goddy Nnadi, yesterday said the organization will do its best to promote peace in the country.
Dr Nnadi said this at the 14th District Conference by Rotary District 9125 and Rotaract District 9125 in Abuja on Friday.
Nnadi, who said they were in the process of building a peace centre in Nigeria described the initiative as very important.
He said land has already been acquired for the project in Plateau State, which would make it the second one in Africa.
He said so far, only Uganda has a peace centre on the continent.
Nnadi said when ready, the centre would carry out training that would engender peace in the country and across the world.
"You know the Rotary has a peace arm. Peace and conflict resolution is a major focus of rotary events. We are going to develop a peace centre where people would be trained. We would train people to make sure we avoid conflicts. Make sure we maintain peace in our neighbourhoods, communities and country," he said.
The DG also said despite the Rotary Foundation not meeting its $1million target, it made progress in the areas of membership and projects that improved the lives of the people. He said $570, 000 was raised by the Foundation.
He said the Conference was to review their efforts in the past one year as well as introduce new resolutions that would help us to improve in the next year.
He said maternal and girl child hygiene and health as well as diversity would be an area of focus for the new administration of the district
He said, "As we gather here at this District Conference, I am reminded of the power of Rotary to bring people together and create positive change. We have so much to celebrate, from the countless service projects and initiatives we have undertaken to the friendships and connections we have formed along the way.
"My visits to clubs were insightful and challenging. With a reduced number of Rotarians in my entourage, we covered all clubs even though some were done in clusters. This helped with curbing costs and yet was effective. In the year, we offset the ground rent for Jos Peace Centre and received the certificate of Occupancy. We paid for the approval of the building plan for the Abuja Rotary Centre and sustained payment of the salaries of security personnel at both Centres.
"Abuja Rotary Centre is habitable and can be used for leased functions having fixed the broken borehole with burglary protections installed on all the windows. Electrical cabling, a 10kva generator, twenty standing fans, public address systems, and furnished executive and secretarial offices were part of the activities completed to make the Rotary Centre functional. We started the building of the permanent gate of the Rotary Center in collaboration with the Synergy Presidents in Abuja. The Centre wears a beautiful look and is ready for further development.
"While working on getting the Centre ready, my team and I worked from my personal office, saving cost on rent. We initiated, produced and sold Synergy pins which yielded about N11 million and expanded the level of foundation giving by Rotarians.
"Despite the poor economic turn in Nigeria, Rotarians pulled their weight and we made five hundred and sixty-thousand-dollar donations to The Rotary Foundation. Our membership stands at four thousand, six hundred and seventy. We hope that there will be some increment to these figures before June 30th.
"I must commend all the clubs who embarked on and completed prodigious projects this year. I have not forgotten the joy on the faces of the communities who benefitted from your magnanimity as we inaugurated the projects, thank you so much.
"News has been reaching me on the impact of this year's RYLA. Many of the beneficiaries have taken their destinies into their hands, adding value to their immediate communities. We all know that whenever value is added, money is exchanged. We had a fantastic turnout for the event, with young leaders from across our district coming together to learn, grow, and connect with one another.
"Over the course of the event, we provided them with a range of dynamic and engaging sessions on topics such as leadership, team-building, communication, and problem-solving. We also had inspiring keynote speakers who shared their personal stories and offered valuable insights into leadership and personal growth.
"Many of them shared with us how the event transformed their thinking and helped them develop new skills and perspectives. They also reported feeling more confident in their abilities as leaders and more motivated to make a difference in their communities.
"Another success was the partnerships we formed with local organizations and businesses to provide resources and support for the event. These partnerships allowed us to offer the young leaders in our district a truly unique and impactful experience that would not have been possible without the generosity and commitment of our partners.
Once again, I applaud the Imagine RYLA team while wishing our youths speed and success.
"As we celebrate our successes, we must also remember that there is still much work to be done. There are still people in our communities who need our help, and there are still challenges facing our world that require our attention and resources. Let us use this conference as an opportunity to learn from each other, to share our experiences and our ideas, and to renew our commitment to Service Above Self. Let us return the lessons and inspiration we gain here to our clubs and communities."
The President of Rotary International, Rtn Jennifer Jones, said they would honour the past and embrace the future by increasing their impact, expanding their reach, enhancing participants engagement as well as increasing their ability to adapt.
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Jones, who was represented by Rtn Ijeoma Pearl Okoro, said all humans are created differently with different talents.
She said there is no better way to appreciate God than to look beyond oneself and serve without counting cost or return.
She said service should be a way of life and Rotary gives the platform to create the necessary changes through Service.
The President urged that there was a need to build fellowships with new friends who share a common passion and engage in inter-country committees, Rotary friendship exchanges, Rotary Fellowships, as well as build life-long Rotary members.
She also urged clubs and districts to engage in projects that focus on women and girls and the numerous challenges that they face.
On Rotary's Diversity , Equity and Inclusion Policy, she said, "Diversity is one of our Core Values and there is no place for Racism, bias, prejudice, discrimination in colour, Religion, gender or abilities. People of diverse faiths, race and political parties meet in Fellowship. We must promote inclusion, dialogue and understanding. Our commitment is embedded in our past and we must cherish it."
District Rotract Representative, DRR Gbolahan Olaeye, urged lauded Rotary for ensuring Rotractors and the Rotract district are well included in rotary activities.
