Tinubu seeks stronger partnership with Rotary

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has commended Rotary International for its decades-long contribution to the eradication of wild poliovirus in Nigeria and across Africa, saying millions of children on the continent are alive and healthy because the organisation remained committed to the campaign despite numerous challenges.

The President also called for stronger collaboration between the Federal Government and Rotary International in critical areas of national development, including healthcare, education, maternal and child health, and youth empowerment.

He made the call yesterday in Abuja at a presidential inaugural dinner organised in honour of the newly inaugurated President of Rotary International, Rotarian Olayinka Hakeem Babalola.

Represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Sen. George Akume, the President described Rotary’s role in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative as one of the most remarkable examples of global cooperation in public health.

“Rotary’s leadership in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative remains one of the finest examples of international cooperation in public health. Nigeria understands what it means for a nation once burdened by the wild polio virus to stand free of it through persistence, partnership, science and sacrifice, and we say thank you.”

Reflecting on the organisation’s decades of commitment to ending the disease, Tinubu added: “Africa and Nigeria, in particular, remember the Rotarians who stood firm when the task was difficult and the road was long. Millions of African children can live, walk and dream today because people of goodwill refused to surrender.”

The President said the government was ready to expand its partnership with Rotary to improve the well-being of Nigerians through sustainable community-based interventions.

“I therefore use this occasion to invite Rotary in Nigeria and the global Rotary family under President Babalola’s leadership to deepen partnership with the Federal Government in key human development sectors.”

He identified primary healthcare, maternal and child healthcare, basic education, literacy, youth skills acquisition and enterprise development as priority areas where collaboration could deliver meaningful results.

“If we align Rotary’s culture of community service with the Federal Government’s policy direction under Renewed Hope, we can create results that are measurable, local and lasting. We can deliver hope not as a slogan, but as a lived reality.”

In his remarks, Rotary International President, Olayinka Hakeem Babalola, said the organisation was building on its successful polio eradication campaign by expanding interventions to tackle maternal mortality and other major public health challenges in Nigeria.

He said Rotary’s impact should be measured by the lives it changes rather than the programmes it organises.

“Rotary’s greatest achievements are not measured by the meetings we hold or the plans we make, but by the lives we transform and the hope we create.”

Babalola noted that Nigerian Rotarians had played a pivotal role in the continent’s journey towards a polio-free future.

“Nowhere is that impact more evident than here in Nigeria. For decades, Nigerian Rotarians have stood shoulder to shoulder with communities, governments, and global partners in one of humanity’s greatest public health campaigns—the fight against polio. Through persistence, sacrifice, advocacy and countless hours of volunteer service, Rotary has helped bring Nigeria and the African continent to the threshold of a polio-free future. Yet, until polio is eradicated everywhere, our vigilance must continue, because every child, everywhere, deserves the chance to live free from this devastating disease.”

He said Rotary was also implementing the Together for Healthy Families programme, one of The Rotary Foundation’s Programmes of Scale, to reduce maternal and newborn deaths in Abuja, Nasarawa, Gombe and Ekiti states.

According to him, the initiative strengthens health systems, trains healthcare workers and equips families and communities with knowledge to make informed health decisions.

“The outcomes have been nothing short of impressive. Through this programme, Rotary is demonstrating that healthy mothers and healthy children are the foundation of strong and prosperous communities.”

Babalola further disclosed that Rotary had launched the Healthy Communities Challenge, targeting malaria, diarrhoeal diseases and pneumonia through pilot interventions in Kebbi and Akwa Ibom states.

“By focusing on prevention, education, and community engagement, Rotary is helping to build healthier and more resilient communities across Nigeria. These three initiatives tell a powerful story. They show Rotary at its best—solving problems, building partnerships, and creating sustainable change. They remind us that our work does not end with a single project or a single year. We are in the business of building a better future.”

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo also congratulated Babalola on his emergence as Rotary International President, describing it as a significant achievement for Nigeria and the African continent.

Obasanjo, who spoke virtually, said the world needed organisations that remained committed to truth, fairness and service, adding that Rotary had continued to provide moral leadership at a time of growing global divisions.

“In a world of misinformation, Rotary must be the voice of truth. In a world of inequality, Rotary must be the voice of fairness. In a world of division, Rotary must build bridges.”

He urged Babalola to provide ethical leadership and ensure that Rotary continued to prioritise integrity, service and lasting impact in communities around the world.

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