Dear Fellow Rotarians,
How time flies. !
Another Rotary year is here ,
Whatever that has a beginning must have an end . It was just like yesterday when we gathered to usher in the first female District Governor Rotarian Omotunde Lawson FCAI , and imagined the Rotary of our dreams with all its iconic firsts , from the realms of our imagination , to reality .
Congratulations to her ! Congratulations to all Rotarians .
However , it is truly an honour and a privilege to address you my fellow Rotarians today as your District Governor , I welcome you all to a brand new Rotary year, where our goal is to restore hope in the world and to help our communities heal from the many destructive conflicts that have not helped us to achieve the lasting change we desire .
I am humbled by the great and onerous responsibility you have bestowed on me to serve you and lead our district as 43rd district Governor, to develop our district's potentials and achieve our collective dream of creating hope in the world. I accept it with a heart full of love and commitment for our dear district. I regard it as the highest honour to lead our dear district at this time in a journey giving birth to two new districts, 9111 and 9112. I pledge to use all my strength and ability to live up to your expectation of me, as your District Governor.
The beginning of the Rotary year is full of both challenges and opportunities. It is an exciting time when new energy, ideas and connections are brought into our leadership teams and when we thank those who have led our Clubs and District with such enthusiasm over the past year. Because leadership changes every year in Rotary, one of our challenges is continuity to ensure we achieve our long term goals. This means not just doing those things we have always done, but ensuring the new initiatives, ideas and aspirations of your Club are worked through to completion. Many initiatives take much longer than one year and one leadership team to achieve, whether it is re-energizing your Club, increasing membership or developing a new community project.
Our Rotary International President R. Gordon R Mclnally, has provided us with this year’s theme “Create Hope in the World”. He called for our members to capture the world’s attention and lead the way towards possibilities far beyond our current expectations. He urged our members to promote peace in troubled nations, help those affected by conflict and maintain the momentum of initiatives begun by our Past District leaders.
This year, the RI President emphasises that we prioritise projects to support mental health. He told a heart touching personal story and what it’s like to see someone suffer in silence. We should therefore foster more personal connections, the value of discussing emotional and mental well-being, and the lifesaving impact of preventive care and treatment.
The spirit of connection and purpose should inspire every Rotary member. When club leaders focus on offering an excellent club experience, we retain more members and attract more prospective members. We must make our clubs as welcoming and as engaging as we can.
We have started the year by communing with God and handing over our District and its activities to his able care and under his watch to direct us in all our ways and activities. Now it's time for us to brave the challenges and brace the tape. YES WE CAN !
We have 3 major Priorities for this Rotary year;
1. To raise the bar in our donations to the Rotary Foundation.
2. To grow our membership, retain existing members and develop new clubs to increase our horizon considering an imminent districting by July 2024.
3. To create adequate Awareness and publicity for Rotary by building and improving on our publicity handles and network in promoting all our services and projects in our 7 areas of Focus.
While we await the letter of approval for our districting from Rotary International this July, it is an obvious fact that I am going to be the last Governor for District 9110 , therefore , lets come together and build on our existing legacies, and lay good foundations to enable a smooth transition for D9111 and D9112.
The year started with a new government in Nigeria with all the transformation agenda for a better country and some of these changes no doubt will affect our official exchange rate for our contributions to the Foundation and our yearly dues to Rotary international . We are Rotarians, we are selfless givers, we give and serve without counting cost or returns, the hand of the Giver is always on top and GIVERS never Lack. Therefore I call on all notable Rotarians, do not be deterred and do not despair , let's come together determined to do Rotary business with more dedication and commitment to serve as we look forward to a better Nigeria.
The Clock has started to tick, every second and every minute counts, time and tide waits for no one, so let's hit the ground running.
May I also use this opportunity to invite all Rotarians to my installation ceremony coming up on the 15th of July at the Grand ballroom of the Oriental Hotel, Lekki, Lagos State. Please come and rejoice with me as I announce a PROMO for the last available 21 tables at 60,000 per person and N600, 000 .00 per table. Grab this opportunity , on a first come first pay basis. The 2023 planning committee has put a lot of effort and promised it will be an installation with a difference. DON'T MISS IT.
Once again, congratulations for a new year.
Distinguished Rotarians , please join hands with me as we make history together to CREATE HOPE IN THE WORLD
Rotarian Ifeyinwa Rita Ejezie
District Governor 2023-2024
District Governor 2023-2024