New Rotaractors Must Lead Through Service – Rotary President

The Rotary Club of Abuja Capital Territory has welcomed 23 newly chartered members of the Rotaract E-Club of Abuja Capital Territory, urging them to embrace humanitarian service, personal development and responsible leadership.

The club’s president, Rotarian Maurine Eziokwu, gave the charge during a fellowship in Abuja organised to formally welcome and pin the new Rotaractors into the Rotary family.

Maurine, who also serves as the club’s impact president and director of social for all presidents, said the event was organised to celebrate the young Rotaractors following their participation and outstanding performances at the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA).

She noted that several of the new members distinguished themselves during the RYLA activities, with some receiving awards in recognition of their talents and contributions.

“It was a thing of joy, and also to pin them and welcome them into the Rotary family properly,” she said.
According to her, the newly chartered Rotaract club has 23 members, although some could not attend the fellowship because of academic commitments.

She explained that about four of the members are nursing students undergoing clinical training, with representatives attending the event on their behalf and receiving their pins.

Maurine said the induction went beyond the ceremonial pinning, describing it as the beginning of a continuous journey of learning, leadership development and service.

“Leadership is not just a one-time preparation. When you prepare, you keep preparing. When you learn, you learn, relearn, and you keep on learning,” she said.

She charged the new Rotaractors to embrace Rotary’s philosophy of “Service Above Self” and take seriously the responsibility of communicating the organisation’s humanitarian activities to the wider public.

According to her, service to humanity should be approached with sincerity and compassion because the ultimate objective is to improve lives and strengthen communities.

“When you serve, we are a humanitarian organisation, and when you serve society, you serve God,” she said.

Maurine also highlighted the opportunities that membership of Rotary and Rotaract provides for leadership development, personal growth, networking and the building of meaningful relationships.

Maurine urged the new members to view community service not only as an avenue to impact society but also as a platform for preparing themselves for future leadership.

“From serving, they are preparing for leadership. They are not just leading. They impact themselves. They are not just impacting themselves. They go round and make friendships, and they make meaningful and impactful friendships and businesses,” she said.
Speaking on Rotary’s humanitarian interventions, Maurine said non-governmental organisations had an important role to play in addressing social challenges, noting that government alone could not meet every need in society.