Rotary Targets Greater Community Impact, Membership Growth

Newly chartered Rotary Club of Abuja Delight has pledged to deepen humanitarian interventions, expand its membership and establish a strong culture of service as it commenced its first full year of leadership.
The commitment was made at the club’s investiture and fundraising dinner held in Abuja on Sunday, where Justina Evidence Ndubisi was installed as the club’s charter president for the 2026/2027 Rotary year.

At the event, the district governor of Rotary International District 9127, Sikiru Adetona Owonikoko, described the birth of the new club as a welcome development.

He said increased membership and the formation of new clubs remained critical to Rotary’s ability to serve communities.

Owonikoko said he was “highly happy and honoured” to inaugurate and witness the emergence of the new club, stressing that more Rotarians and clubs would strengthen the organisation’s capacity to undertake impactful projects.

According to him, the new leadership must prioritise membership growth, impactful community service and unity among members.

“The president and I are starting together, and we all know that one thing is one. We need to increase our membership. Secondly, we need to be more impactful in the community service projects we are going to do, and then I pray that the club grows stronger and stronger in unity,” he said.

The district governor said the essence of Rotary remained service to humanity, urging members to remain committed to the organisation’s ideals.

In her acceptance speech, Ndubisi said her emergence as charter president represented both an elevation and a major call to responsibility, describing her Rotary experience as one that had strengthened her leadership capacity and ability to relate with people.

She said she joined Rotary in 2023, motivated largely by her desire to undertake humanitarian work, give to others and put smiles on people’s faces.

“I have a heart to give. I have to do humanitarian work. I have to reach out to people. I think that was one of the motivations I had, reaching out to people, putting smiles on people’s faces, not leaving people the way you met them. You are leaving people better,” she said.

Ndubisi said her administration would focus on creating lasting impact and laying a solid foundation that would not be forgotten by future generations of Rotarians.

She urged members to approach service with sincerity, humility and dedication, saying, “Whatever you are doing, do it with all your heart. When you want to serve, serve with humanity. Don’t serve because you want to show off.”

Ndubisi said the establishment of Rotary Club of Abuja Delight was a reminder that what appeared to be coincidence could sometimes be part of a larger plan.

“From a little girl who watched her father serve in Rotary in Port Harcourt, to a student at UNIJOS who kept postponing joining Rotaract, to a Rotarian in Abuja, and now to the privilege of becoming a Charter President, I can only say, God has been faithful,” she said.

Ndubisi disclosed that the club had achieved significant milestones within a short period, including its chartering in February 2026, community projects and a Rotary Citation.

She said the club’s agenda for the new Rotary year would focus on community development, health and education, fellowship and growth, and youth empowerment.

She disclosed that the club had adopted Guita Village as a community and had already conducted a needs assessment and commenced interventions, with plans for a bigger project in the community.

She also announced a partnership with SilverCross Hospitals to support pregnant women who had been scheduled for surgeries but could not afford the cost.

The charter president said the club would also engage young people through Interact and Rotaract, while promoting leadership, integrity and service.

“Our club was founded on a simple but powerful conviction: delight in service, strength in unity and doing good together,” she said, pledging to lead with integrity, humility, transparency, accountability and inclusiveness.

Ndubisi, who pledged to create a legacy for future generations of the club, said, “We have started well. We have achieved much. But we are only getting started. The journey ahead is greater. The responsibility is bigger. And the impact must be stronger.”

The club convener and adviser, Rotarian Lovina Okorn-Ntui, said the establishment of the club had been a long-standing dream dating back to her early years in Rotary.

She explained that after joining Rotary in 2017 and serving as president in 2020/2021, she had wanted to expand the organisation by helping to establish another club, but the plan could not materialise at the time because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to her, the dream was revived when she was appointed Chair of Membership and New Club Development, giving her another opportunity to charter a new club.

She said Rotary Club of Abuja Delight was chartered in February 2026 with 17 members, adding that the club had already demonstrated strong prospects for growth.

Okorn-Ntui said the club had set membership, foundation and projects as its major priorities.

She disclosed that the club had achieved a membership target of 10 active members by August 30 and that none of its members was recorded as a non-giver on the Rotary portal.

“We stand here tall today that by our membership strength and the quality of members we have, Rotary Club of Abuja Delight is a club to watch out for,” she said.

She added that the club had undertaken projects including market cleaning and medical outreach, while a five-in-one project had been carried out in its adopted community, Guita.

The chairman of Installation and Fundraising Dinner Committee, Rotarian Onyinyechi Matilda Ogbueze, said the event was not merely an installation ceremony but also a platform to raise funds for the club’s humanitarian projects.

Ogbueze said the club was determined to combine service with fellowship, networking and friendship, stressing that members should develop a strong bond among themselves while impacting society.

She described the club as a family-oriented organisation and encouraged people seeking meaningful friendships and opportunities to serve in Abuja to join the club.

The chairman of the occasion, Dr Boyede Lawrence, in his opening speech, said the event represented more than the recognition of individuals, describing it as a celebration of service and humanity.

Lawrence said the Rotary motto, “Service Above Self,” remained a powerful reminder that true significance was measured by the lives improved through one’s actions.

According to him, society is filled with people and communities requiring interventions, and the responsibility of privileged individuals is to become part of the solution.

He therefore urged guests to support the club’s fundraising efforts, stressing that contributions could come through financial donations, equipment, professional expertise, partnerships, mentorship and other forms of support.

“You do not have to change the whole world to make a difference; sometimes you only need to change one person’s world,” he said.

Lawrence challenged members and guests not to allow the occasion to end with photographs, applause, dinner and awards, but to ensure that the gathering translated into tangible interventions.

“If one child receives an education because of what happens here tonight, this gathering has been worthwhile. If one struggling family receives hope, it has been worthwhile. If one young entrepreneur receives an opportunity, it has been worthwhile,” he said.

He congratulated the new leadership and urged them to lead courageously, transparently and compassionately, expressing hope that the 2026/2027 Rotary year would be remembered for the number of lives transformed rather than merely the number of activities undertaken.

The event also featured the recognition of deserving individuals and fundraising for the club’s planned projects, with members and guests reaffirming their commitment to service and community development.