As I look forward to an exciting month, I am not indifferent to the multiple challenges Rotarians are facing in our district and the country in general.
The recent ENDSARS Protest has brought additional setback to our goals this Rotary year. Need I mention that we are still covering our faces with masks in protection against Covid-19 that has ravaged the entire world and changed our lives to a new normal. But as people of action I can see how our Rotarians are quickly re-strategising and turning what would have been a major disaster to an advantage of sort. Where there is despair Rotarians can only see opportunities to make people happy. For this singular act may I toast to better opportunities this new month.
The month of November is a bumper month for us with series of opportunities to express our ability to give to people of the worldand celebrate the month dedicated to our beloved Rotary Foundation. More avenues to contribute to the Rotary Foundation are opening and people have started tapping into them. The Major Donor Avenue for instance where only Five Thousand Dollars($5,000) is all you require to be recognized as a Major Donor. It can not come better in recent time. Please reach the DRFC, PDG Kola Sodipo for this rare opportunity or just call me now and let us discuss it.
This month also will witness my installation as the 40th District Governor of our noble District 9110 Nigeria. I want to specially invite Rotarians and our friends to be in attendance on 28thNovember and support in making the day as grand as can be. Thedetails are on the back page of this publication. This event will mark the first time we Rotarians in our district will be converging in large number. The event will grant us the opportunity to bond again after many months of being locked down at home and maintaining social distance. As I look forward to the day, I want to assure you that the committee are busy seeking better ways to make you comfortable all through the event while observing strict safety measures.
The construction of our Prostate Cancer Building at the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital we initially planned tocommence in October will commence this month of November. This is a construction of valued at about N82M. If only we can get Eighty Two clubs to give One Million Naira only! Two clubs, Rotary Club of Maryland and Rotary Club of Agege both havegiven One Million Naira each and they planned to give more as the construction progresses. Rotary Club of Shomolu has also pledged Ten Thousand vibrated Blocks of the about Thirty-Five Thousand blocks required. Likewise, Rotary Club of Ota has donated Two Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira.
The list of individual donors is building up and I ask all our Rotarians to join in this act of donation in support of the construction of our Prostate Cancer Centre. The sum of Eighty Two Million Naira may be huge but we strongly believe that our Rotarians and friends are ready to make it possible.There is no form of support that is not possible, we will not make light the support of Rotarians that contributes as little as one piece of vibrated block. Please do come to our aid that we may concludethe construction within the time frame allocated, April, 2021. This is the main project for the Rotary year.
Our Foundation goal for the Rotary year remain One Million Dollars. I still believe that out of our Three Thousand Three Hundred Rotarians, if only One Thousand of us can contribute only One Thousand Dollars each, our One Million Dollars goal will be achieved in the twinkle of the eye. This is still possible as we can identify the One Thousand Rotarians in our clubs.
The year 2020 might have come with its multiple challenges but as champions we should not allow it to weigh us down, rather we should be the dependable members of the society to provide hope for the hopeless.
Bola Oyebade
Governor
District 9110 Nigeria