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Rotary @ 121: Rotary District 9127 Flags Off Anniversary Celebrations, Spotlighting A Century Of Service

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light torch of unity and service in Abuja

By Gloria Ikibah

Rotary International District 9127 Nigeria commenced activities to mark its 121st anniversary, with leaders in Nigeria highlighting the organisation’s long history of service, global impact and growing youth engagement.

The anniversary celebrations was formally flagged off on Tuesday, 14 January 2025, during a press briefing held at the Rotary Centre in Abuja.

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Addressing journalists, the District Governor of Rotary International District 9127, Dame (Dr) Princess Joy Nky Okoro, traced the organisation’s journey from its modest beginnings to its present global footprint.

“Rotary International’s story starts in 1905 in Chicago, USA, with Paul P. Harris, a lawyer, and his friends,” she said.

Okoro who explained that the founders sought to create a space where professionals can meet, build friendships and give back to their communities, added that the name Rotary emerged from the practice of rotating meetings among members’ workplaces.

The District Governor outlined key milestones in Rotary’s evolution, noting that the first Rotary Club was formed on 23 February 1905, before the organisation became the National Association of Rotary Clubs in 1910 and later adopted the name Rotary International in 1912.

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She recalled that by 1922, Rotary had expanded beyond North America, with clubs established in Canada and Cuba, stressing that Rotary continued to grow through challenging periods such as the Great Depression and the Second World War, driven by its commitment to service and fellowship.

According to her, the organisation also played a role in the establishment of UNICEF in 1945.

Highlighting Rotary’s most prominent global initiative, she said, “One of their biggest successes is the effort to wipe out polio worldwide, since the launch of the Rotary Foundation’s Polio Plus programme in 1985, polio cases had been reduced by 99.9 per cent globally, with only a few countries still reporting cases”.

Okoro described Rotary’s present-day reach, stating that the organisation now has over 1.4 million members across more than 200 countries.

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“Rotary International has over 1.4 million members in more than 200 countries, working on projects like polio eradication, promoting peace, and supporting education and healthcare.

“Rotary’s core values are service, fellowship, diversity, integrity, and leadership. Their projects often focus on making a tangible difference in local communities and globally.

“Rotary International’s humanitarian projects and global initiatives are a big part of who we are.

“One of their biggest successes is the effort to wipe out polio worldwide. Since 1988, Rotary’s Polio Plus program has helped reduce polio cases by 99.9% globally, with only a handful of countries still reporting cases”, she said.

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She listed Rotary’s major initiatives to include Rotary Peace Fellowships, youth exchange programmes and community service projects addressing literacy, healthcare, sanitation, clean water and disaster relief.

“Our community service projects are top niche and unique. They’re all about making a difference locally and globally,” she noted.

Focusing on Nigeria, the district governor said the country currently has six Rotary districts, over 500 clubs and more than 9,000 Rotarians drawn from across the country.

She also emphasised that the organisation’s strong youth structure, noting the presence of over 3,000 Rotaractors, as well as Interactors in secondary schools and Rotakids in primary schools.

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“The aim of this structure is to groom them young into learning how to share and serve humanity,” she said.

Okoro decried that the current economic situation is affecting payment of district dues by Rotary Clubs in the district, resulting in deregistering of members  on the Rotary International portal.

Delivering the welcome address, District Chair of the Rotary Day Celebration Committee for the 2025–2026 Rotary Year, Rotarian Mohammed Adama, made a stirring call for unity, continuity and renewed commitment to service, as leaders and members of Rotary International gathered to commemorate 121 years of the organisation’s global impact.

She described the occasion as far more than a ceremonial gathering and said the celebration symbolised Rotary’s enduring mission and evolving future.

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“Today is not an event, but a moment. It is not a gathering, it is a convergence of legacies. And it is not just a joint fellowship, it is a spiritual, symbolic, and strategic alignment of everything Rotary has been, everything Rotary is, and everything Rotary is becoming.

“Today, we are not simply unveiling a torch, we are revealing our collective destiny,” she said.

Reflecting on Rotary’s origins, Adama reminded participants that the organisation began modestly more than a century ago, adding that those early ideals have since grown into a powerful global movement, with District 9127 standing as a testament to that growth.

“When Rotary began 121 years ago, it did not begin with wealth, power, or global influence. It began with four people, who believed that friendship could become service, and service could become transformation,” he said.

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“What began as a circle has become a movement. What began as an idea has become a global force for good. And that, dear Rotarians and partners, is what we are celebrating,” she added.

Central to the ceremony was the symbolic unveiling and lighting of the RODAC torch, which Adama said represented the heart of Rotary’s mission rather than a physical object.

She explained that the torch symbolised real human impact and the significance of the day lay in collective ownership and shared purpose.

“This torch we unveil today is not made of wax, fire, or metal. It is made of commitment. It is fuelled by service. And it is carried by every Rotarian and Rotaractor who has refused to look away from human need.

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“The child who returned to school, the mother who received medical care, the youth who found leadership, and the community that found hope.
“Today is not owned by any club, it is owned by every heart that believes Rotary still matters. Today is not about hierarchy, it is about humanity. Today is not about history alone, it is about the future we are daring to build together,” she said.

The RODAC Chair emphasised intergenerational unity as the foundation of Rotary’s future in the district and urged Rotarians to allow the spirit of the occasion to extend beyond the event itself.

“The future of Rotary in District 9127 will not be built by one generation alone. It will be built by all generations standing together.

“So let this moment echo beyond this hall. Let it echo in our clubs, in our projects, in our communities, and in our commitment,” she said.

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She added that wherever the torch travels, it should affirm one enduring truth: “That Rotary is not growing old. Rotary is growing stronger.”

The RODAC torch will travel round the 16 states in District 9127, in the next 30 days demonsti g a shared commitment to what Rotary means and stands for.

The anniversary celebrations are expected to feature a series of activities showcasing Rotary’s humanitarian work and its continued commitment to service above self.

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ANGER: Three Brothers Face Murder Charge for Beating man to death for dating Their Mom

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Three brothers have appeared before the Mbabane Magistrates Court in Swaziland on a murder charge following the brutal de@th of their mother’s boyfriend.

The accused, Mlondi Mbuli, 25, Sakhelwe Mbuli, 18, and Lindani Mdziniso, 23, all from the Hholoshini area in Eswatini’s Hhohho Region, are alleged to have fatally assaulted Njabulo Ngwenya on June 28, 2026.

According to police, the brothers att@cked Ngwenya with bricks, stones, sticks, open hands, and kicks to different parts of his body. Investigators allege the assa¥lt was motivated by the brothers’ belief that Ngwenya was having a relationship with their biological mother.

Court records state that the incident was reported after Sibongile Motsa, also from Hholoshini, informed police that she discovered her son, Njabulo Ngwenya, lying deed inside her sister’s house at about 1 a.m. on June 28, 2026.

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The matter came before Principal Magistrate Sfiso Vilakati during the trio’s initial court appearance.

The three defendants have been remanded in custody until July 10, 2026, pending committal of the case to the High Court for further proceedings.

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BREAKING : Court orders final forfeiture of ₦150m kinked to Delta HoR member

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A Federal High Court sitting in Maitama, Abuja, has ordered the final forfeiture of ₦150 million linked to serving House of Representatives member, Nicholas Mutu, to the Federal Government.

The ruling was delivered by Justice J.O. Abdulmalik after the court upheld an application filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The court held that the funds should be permanently forfeited after no convincing explanation was provided to show why the money should not be seized by the government.

The forfeiture followed earlier proceedings in which the court granted an interim order against the funds.

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The court also directed that the order be published in a national newspaper to allow interested parties to challenge the application.

However, after the publication and the expiration of the required period, no sufficient cause was shown before the court to stop the permanent forfeiture.

The EFCC told the court that its investigation linked the money to alleged corrupt dealings involving Mutu during his time as chairman of the House Committee on the Niger Delta Development Commission.

According to the anti-graft agency, the lawmaker allegedly received kickbacks running into over ₦400 million from a consultant working with the NDDC.

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The commission argued that part of the funds traced during investigations included the ₦150 million now ordered forfeited.

After reviewing submissions from both parties, Justice Abdulmalik ruled in favour of the EFCC and granted the final forfeiture order.

Mutu, a long-serving federal lawmaker from Delta State, remains a serving member of the House of Representatives.

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Photos: “I Directed Wike To Build Roads Before Asking Nigerians to Move into Renewed Hope Estate, He Has Done It” – Tinubu

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President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Friday, disclosed that he directed the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to provide roads and other engineering infrastructure to the 3,112-unit Renewed Hope City in Karsana before residents could occupy the estate, and the minister wasted no time in carrying out the directive.

The President, represented by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, made the disclosure while commissioning the 10.5-kilometre Access Roads to the Renewed Hope Cities and Estates in Karsana West District, Abuja.

 

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He said the completion of the road network fulfilled the directive he gave during the groundbreaking of the housing project, stressing that no housing estate could function without access roads and supporting infrastructure.

“When I performed the groundbreaking for the 3,112-unit Renewed Hope City here in Karsana, I gave one clear directive: provide the roads, provide the engineering infrastructure, and unlock this district for development. Housing without access is a blueprint without a building.

“For too long, Abuja’s story was ‘awarded and abandoned contracts’. Today, we are ending that story with roads that open, not ones that stall,” he said.

Tinubu said he specifically instructed Wike to immediately open up the district because “civil servants, families and investors cannot live in houses they cannot reach.”

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“I gave that assignment to a Minister who treats deadlines as duties. I told the Honourable Minister of the FCT, Barrister Nyesom Wike, CON, that civil servants, families and investors cannot live in houses they cannot reach. ‘Open Karsana, and open it now.’ He took that brief, set the pace and delivered.

“When urgency meets quality, results follow. That is what you are standing on today.”

The President said the newly completed Arterial Roads N11, N16, N40 and Special Important Local Street 03 have linked Karsana West to the Outer Northern Expressway, making thousands of affordable housing units accessible, livable and secure.

He praised Wike for what he described as the visible transformation of the Federal Capital Territory, saying the minister had turned stalled projects into completed infrastructure.

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“You took stalled corridors and made them active corridors. You brought the same urgency to Karsana that you brought to other districts and the area councils. You measure contractors by output, not promises. Minister, you have earned my trust and you have my commendation,” Tinubu added.

He also commended Minister of State for the FCT, Mariya Mahmoud, engineers and officials of the FCT Administration for ensuring the project was completed on schedule and according to specification.

The President further praised Lubrik Construction Company for delivering the project after it was awarded the contract in February 2025, assuring contractors that his administration would continue to honour prompt payment for jobs delivered on time and to specification.

Earlier, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Barr. Nyesom Wike recalled that Karsana was inaccessible when Tinubu performed the groundbreaking for the Renewed Hope Estate in 2024.

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“For those of us who were here that day, I was imagining how anybody would come and live in this area because there was no road,” he said.

The minister disclosed that developers had expressed fears that their investments would become worthless without access roads, but he assured them the government would intervene.

“I told them, ‘It is Renewed Hope. Go home and sleep. We must construct the road in this Karsana district.’ Today, it is a different story.”

Wike said the project became possible because the Federal Government ensured prompt payment while the contractor fulfilled its obligation by delivering within schedule.

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He also announced that the FCT Administration would next Wednesday, July 8, flag off the construction of Kaba- Kagini – Zaudna road following recent request by residents over its deplorable condition.

In her remarks, FCT Minister of State, Mariya Mahmoud, described the project as another milestone in the implementation of President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, saying the roads would boost economic activities, improve connectivity and expand access to affordable housing across the territory.

While celebrating the successful completion of the access roads, Mahmoud called on residents and stakeholders to take collective ownership of public infrastructure by protecting and preserving it for the benefit of present and future generations.

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