Rotarian cleans up Maryland to Ikeja, celebrates 117 anniversary

A Rotarian and President of Rotary Club of Maryland, Bamidele Onalaja has appealed to Nigerians to make cleanliness a priority so as to live a healthy life.Onalaja spoke at the Computer Village in Ikeja, Lagos when he led Rotarians and Rotaractors from seven different Rotary and Rotaract clubs on a clean-up exercise from Maryland roundabout through Mobolaji Bank-Anthony way to the Computer Village in Ikeja as part of activities marking this year’s ‘Rotary Day of Service’ in commemoration of its 117 years anniversary.Participating clubs at the event which commenced at about 7.30am at the Maryland roundabout and ended at the Computer Village at about 12noon are Rotary Clubs of Maryland, Ikeja GRA, Mende Midtown, Magboro Newtown and New Lagos as well as Rotaract Clubs of Maryland and Ikeja GRA.Onalaja described the exercise which held simultaneously all over the world, all over the world, as an attempt to clean up the environment which is a major focus of Rotary International. Rtn Olawuyi Abinibi President, Rotary Club of Ikeja GRA, said the clean-up programme is in furtherance of Rotary’s main objective which is service to humanity and that indiscriminate dumping refuse is not only illegal but dangerous to human health.In his own remarks, Rtn. Raheem Adebisi, President Of the Rotary Club of Mende Midtown noted that Rotary as a humanitarian service organisation prioritises service above self and that is why members trooped out en-masse to solve other peoples’ problems by making the environment clean. The President-elect of Rotary Club of New Lagos, Olumide Lawal noted that the group has done over 12 kilometres of waste cleaning, with over a hundred bags of waste generated through the efforts of about 80 Rotarians that participated in the programme. Rotary International is the world’s largest and most renowned non-governmental organisation honoured with a seat in the General Assembly of the United Nations in recognition of the efforts of its membership to foster goodwill and peace across national boundaries and provide educational and humanitarian aid.