Nigerians leaders must imbibe the moral code of the Rotary Club in their personal and business relationships, to make Nigeria great, Rotarian Yusuf Alli, announced in Abuja on Saturday.
Alli was speaking shortly after his investiture as the 11th President of the Abuja Maitama District 9125 of the club.
He said that embracing the four-way test of the Rotary Club would mark a turning point in Nigeria’s quest to achieve sustainable development.
According to him, the four-way test asks the questions: Is it the truth? Is it fair to all concerned? Will it build goodwill and better friendships and will it be beneficial to all concerned?
Alli, who is also a media executive, said that if Nigerian leaders embraced the four-way test in their day-day activities, they would turnout a nation that would become a showpiece in the comity of nations.
“Nigerians, especially our leaders, should learn from Rotary International to overcome Nigeria’s problems. We need to respect our diversity, uphold equity and justice and provide opportunities for all.
“Unless all Nigerians have equal access to basic needs, we won’t be able to make it as a nation,” said Alli, who becomes the first male president of the Abuja Maitama District of the club.
He pledged that he would do things differently as president of the district by ensuring that more lives were touched in the district, saying that he would place service above self during his tenure.
The Rotarian said that he would also work assiduously to achieve the set goals of the charity, to provide equal access to the basic needs of life among less-privileged people in the community.
He also appealed to Nigerians having the means to contribute to the Rotary Foundation, to enable the body to improve health, provide quality education, improve the environment and alleviate poverty in Nigeria.
Also speaking, the chairman of the event, Alhaji Kashim Shettima, congratulated Alli for his investiture as the 11th president of the club.
Shettima, a former Governor of Borno, called on the club members to give back to the society and the under-privileged, to make life worth living for everyone.
“We must never give back to society just to please ourselves because this seems to be the mindset of many.
“The society is not the beggar here. Society is the source of the material possessions over which we scrutinize our balance sheets to determine the size of charities to dispense or authorize.’’
Earlier in her speech, the immediate past President of the club, Mrs Victoria Unoarumi, said that during her tenure in the 2021/2022 rotary year, the club achieved much in membership drive and providing impactful projects.
She said that 21 projects were executed, some of them focusing on maternal and child health, disease prevention and treatment, basic education and literacy, among others.
Unoarumi pleaded with the club members to give the new president needed support for him to succeed and move the club higher.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the event also featured the induction of new members as well as presentation of awards to some notable Nigerians, who have distinguished themselves in their various fields of endeavours.
The awardees include: Prof. M.S. Haruna, Sen. Aishatu Ahmed, Wale Babalakin, Aliyu Abdulhameed, Igho Sanomi and Saliu Mustapha.
Others are: Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, Ahmad Ahmad, Inuwa Kashifu, Fabian Nwora and Mukhtar Galadima
