Rotary International has installed Rotarian Henry Akinyele as the second District Governor of Rotary District 9111 in a ceremony attended by dignitaries and leaders from across Nigeria.
The event, tagged ‘the Royal Installation’, took place on Sunday at the Victoria Garden Event Centre, Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos, according to a statement issued on Tuesday.
Former Governor of Ondo State, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, and First Lady of Kebbi State and Founder of Nasara Foundation, Hajiya Zainab Nasare Nasir Idris, led the list of high-profile guests who came to celebrate the new District Governor.
Other notable attendees included Minister of Interior, Bunmi Tunji-Ojo; Secretary to the Lagos State Government, Barrister Bimbola Salu-Hundeyin; Past District Governor and Doyen of all Rotary Districts in Nigeria, Prince Julius Adelusi-Adeluyi; Chairman of Repton Group, Otunba Kazeem Odeyeyiwa; Managing Director of Oasis Group, Wale Adegbite; media mogul, Prince Bisi Olatilo; and veteran comedian, Ali Baba.
Also present were Kebbi State Commissioner of Education Hajiya Halima Muhammed Bande; Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs Hajiya Aisha Mohammed Maikurata; Principal Personal Secretary to the Kebbi State Governor Alhaji Bashar Umar Attah; and Chief Executive Officer of Nasara Foundation Hajiya Bilkisu Mohammed Nasir.
The colourful ceremony featured cultural performances from the Ondo Kingdom, an auction of a live cow, and musical entertainment by the King of Juju music, King Sunny Ade, who was honoured as a Global End Polio Ambassador. Nigeria’s leading live band, Shuga Band, also performed.
In his inaugural address, Akinyele outlined his vision for the District, including increasing membership and moving away from a club-centric project model to collaborative interventions that directly impact communities.
“Our foremost priority is increasing membership,” he said. “The scale and impact of our projects are directly proportional to the strength of our numbers. We are targeting at least a 30 per cent increase in membership by the end of the Rotary year, from about 2,000 to over 3,000 members.”
He pledged to strengthen the Rotary Foundation by intensifying fundraising efforts to support life-changing community projects and also announced plans to establish a Peace Centre and renovate at least 20 school sickbays across Lagos and Ogun States. Each club will be encouraged to adopt one or more schools, with the District providing partial funding support to ensure lasting impact.
“We are also committed to enhancing Rotary’s visibility through robust public engagement across traditional and social media platforms,” he said.
One of the flagship health projects announced is a free eye screening campaign targeting public school pupils.
“Our goal is to screen at least 10,000 students and provide corrective eyeglasses free of charge to those diagnosed with visual impairments,” he said. “Good vision is critical to a child’s learning and development, and we are determined to help.”
The event also featured the presentation of Humanitarian Service Awards to outstanding individuals, including Hajiya Zainab Nasare Nasir Idris, Bunmi Tunji-Ojo, Prince Bisi Olatilo, Hakeem Oyeneyin, Wale Adegbite, and Dr Tola Awosika, in recognition of their contributions to humanity.
