Rotary International District 9127 Governor, Dame Joy Okoro, Rotary Day Celebration (RODAC) 2025/2026 Committee Chairperson, Adama Muhammed and other members of the club at a news conference in Abuja on Wednesday.
By Perpetua Onuegbu
Rotary International on Tuesday commenced activities to mark its 121st anniversary, highlighting over a century of global humanitarian service, community development and youth empowerment.
The News Agency of Nigeria NAN reports that this was announced by Dame Joy Okoro, District Governor of Rotary International District 9127, at a news conference in Abuja.
The event was also used to unveil the Rotary Day Celebration (RODAC) 121st anniversary Torch of Unity.
Okoro traced the organisation’s origin to 1905 in Chicago, United States, when a lawyer, Paul Harris and three friends — Gustavus Loehr, Silvester Schiele and Hiram Shryock — founded the first Rotary Club.
She recalled key moments in the organisation’s evolution, including its transformation into the National Association of Rotary Clubs in 1910 and its rebranding as Rotary International in 1912.
“By 1922, Rotary had expanded beyond North America, establishing clubs in Canada and Cuba, before growing into a global movement.
“Rotary’s commitment to service endured through global challenges, such as the Great Depression and the Second World War, while its humanitarian footprint expanded with its involvement in the establishment of UNICEF in 1945.
“One of Rotary’s most notable achievements remains its PolioPlus initiative, launched in 1985, which has contributed to a 99.9 per cent reduction in polio cases worldwide since 1988, leaving only a few countries with reported cases.
“Today, Rotary International boasts of over 1.4 million members across more than 200 countries, united by core values of service, fellowship, diversity, integrity and leadership,” she said.
Okoro listed the global initiatives of the club to include: Rotary Peace Fellowships, youth exchange programmes and community-driven projects addressing literacy, healthcare delivery, clean water, sanitation and disaster relief.
According to her, Nigeria currently has six Rotary districts, over 500 clubs and more than 9,000 ‘Rotarians’ committed to service.
She also highlighted the organisation’s strong youth engagement framework, noting the presence of more than 3,000 Rotaractors, interactors in secondary schools and Rotary kids in primary schools.
Okoro said that the youth-focused structure was designed to groom young people in the values of service, leadership and compassion, ensuring continuity of Rotary’s humanitarian mission.
“As we mark 121 years, Rotary remains dedicated to making tangible differences in communities, both locally and globally,” she said.
She, however, stated that the club faced a funding challenge occasioned by members not paying their dues, appealing, therefore, to members to pay up their dues to enable the club carry out its projects.
On her part, the Rotary Day Celebration (RODAC) Committee Chairperson for the 2025 and 2026, Adama Muhammed, described the commencement of RODAC as a convergence of legacy, purpose and future direction.
While unveiling the torch, Muhammed said that the moment symbolised ‘everything Rotary has been, what it represents and what it is becoming’, noting that its journey had grown into a global movement committed to service above self.
According to her, the torch embodies Rotary’s humanitarian achievements through service-driven projects carried out by Rotarians and Rotaractors.
NAN reports that the torch is expected to journey across all the states where the club is represented, starting from Jos, Plateau.
The anniversary celebration is expected to feature a series of service projects, public engagements and advocacy activities across Rotary districts within and outside the country. (NAN)
