From Paul Osuyi, Asaba
To promote world peace and reduce incidents of global conflicts, Rotary International has advocated the need for mutual respect and the need to listen to one another.
According to the humanitarian global club, mutual respect would promote a benign environment enabling conviviality and discouraging resentments and other related vices threatening peaceful co-existence.
Peace and conflict resolution/prevention is one of the seven focal areas of Rotary International. Others include disease prevention and treatment, water and sanitation, maternal and child health, primary education and literacy, and economic and community development
The newly installed Governor of District 9141 (comprising Edo, Delta, Rivers and Bayelsa states), Michael Emeke Utebor, stated this in Asaba before his installation ceremony.
Utebor condemned the proclivity of wealthy individuals to stash away stupendous riches for their children in contrast to the current lack and penury being experienced by individuals and communities around the world.
He said time would render such acquisitions obsolete and worthless to the intended beneficiaries, stressing that privileged individuals should instead invest their resources in bettering humanity through the humanitarian club.
The seventh governor of the district for the Rotary year 2023/24, said his vision included improving the membership strength of the district to enable the organization further realize its mandate in helping indigent communities.
While charging rotarians to create hope in the world as reflected in the theme for the year ‘Create Hope In The World’ he called on good-spirited individuals and corporate organizations to join forces with Rotary International to render help and improve the lives of vulnerable persons and communities.
“In this Rotary Year, we intend to grow our membership. Seven years ago, when we re-districted 9141, our membership was 1,449 rotarians. Today, we have 3,768 rotarians. When we started, we had just 51 clubs in the four states of the district but today, we have 137 clubs. I intend to reach out to more communities.
‘”Some of us have so many cars parked in our houses that you do not have use for, but let me tell you something you do not know. The cars you are stashing away today are not for your children. If you did not continue to live in your grandfather’s mansion in the village, know that your children will not live in your mansion in Lagos or Abuja,” he said.
While giving the history of the organization and that of District 9141, he said that projects and interventions by the club are executed after a needs assessment to ensure that such gestures were helpful to their intended beneficiaries.