Osinbajo backs Rotary’s bid to establish Fire Station in Abuja community

Former Nigerian Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has endorsed the Rotary Club of Abuja Metro's initiative to establish a community volunteer fire station in the Kafe District. The project, intended to serve Kafe, Life Camp, Gwarinpa, and nearby communities, was hailed as a prime example of "Rotary in action."

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First, we celebrate leadership, through the investiture of a new President of one of Rotary’s most vibrant clubs. Second, we celebrate ideas, through the launch of Blueprints for Progress, a book whose foreword Professor Osinbajo had the privilege of writing because he believes deeply in the author’s commitment to nation-building and practical leadership. Third, we celebrate service, by recognising distinguished Nigerians whose lives remind us that the greatest legacy is not what we accumulate but what we contribute.

Osinbajo, who served as the chairman for the occasion, was represented by Adeola Rahman Ipaye, former Deputy Chief of Staff to the President. The event also marked the investiture of Rotarian Engr. Michael O. Oluwagbemi as the 17th President of the Rotary Club of Abuja Metro and the launch of Oluwagbemi's book, "Blueprints for Progress." Special Guest of Honour, Minister of Steel Development Prince Shuaib Audu, was also in attendance.

Ipaye highlighted the evening's celebration of three noble ideals: leadership, through the new president's investiture; ideas, via the book launch, for which Osinbajo wrote the foreword recognizing the author's commitment to nation-building; and service, by honoring distinguished Nigerians. He emphasized Rotary's long-standing global impact on community development, including building schools, improving healthcare, and promoting peace.

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Tonight, Rotary Club of Abuja Metro renews that commitment through an ambitious programme of community service, led by a flagship project to establish a Community Volunteer Fire Station to serve Kafe, Life Camp and surrounding communities, alongside several initiatives in health, education, peacebuilding and economic empowerment. These projects represent Rotary in action.

Oluwagbemi's acceptance speech noted the convergence of four significant occasions: his investiture, the book launch, the presentation of Presidential Honors to ten individuals and families, and the induction of new Rotarians. He reiterated Rotary's founding principle from 1905: professionals uniting to improve their communities, a movement that has since grown to over 1.2 million members worldwide.

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Rotary was founded by Paul Harris over 120 years ago on the idea that professionals should come together not merely to pursue success, but to use their success to improve their communities, growing from four friends in Chicago in 1905 to a global movement of more than 1.2 million people.