“As one got deeper in Rotary and found a connection to one’s faith the passion increased”, announced RotarianMax Amuchie who just concluded his tenure as President of Rotary Club Abuja CBD.
Having ended open defecation at a public school in Gidan Gimba a rural community in Nasarawa State close to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as he rounded off his tenure, Amuchie was full of gratitude to God and to those who supported him in accomplishing the project.
Making the statement on the occasion of his handover, Max Amuchie noted that passing the baton is an annual ritual in Rotary that started in 1905.
Speaking on what inspired him to continue service to humanity after joining Rotary, Rotarian Max said:
“As a Catholic, I came to Rotary and I saw that the objectives of Rotary are in sinc with what we call Corporal work of mercy in Catholic Church. In corporal work of mercy in the Catholic Church, we talk about giving shelter to who needs it, visiting the sick, burying the dead, feeding the hungry and so on. Just as there are seven areas of focus in Rotary, there are also seven acts of charity in the Catholic Church. When I saw that there was a nexus between Rotary and my faith, I got more encouraged. So when I have a missionary disposition to Rotary it should be understood in the context of my background and for me that has also defined my engagement with our adopted community, Gidan Gimba.”
“The first time I went to Gidan Gimba was during the presidency of Rotn Martins Odeh when I joined the club. We went to Gidan Gima and I took part in administering the polio vaccine on the children. That was my first time and for me who is not a medical person I said oh so even as a non-medical person I have this opportunity to administer this oral polio vaccine to a child? It is an experience that was overwhelming. And I said any day I got the opportunity of being president I will do something in that community. So when the opportunity came for me to be president, I met PAG Evelyn Onyilo and I said I will like to put a health clinic in Gidan Gimba and I ask her what is next in our strategic project.
So I told her when I take over I will tell the Board this is what I have in mind. So when my predecessor, Rotn Anne Uche Obi was about to conclude her tenure and we went on a visit to Gidan Gimba and we now asked the people in the community and they said they already have a clinic that their greatest need was to have additional classrooms in their primary school. In a school that runs classes from primary 1 to primary 6, only one block of two classrooms was standing. So we felt there was an urgent need for intervention. That is the reason why we went to Gidan Gimba. For me it was a missionary disposition that I have. Fortunately, we got the classroom up to lintel level but we have completed the three toilets – one for the boys, one for the girls and the third one for the teachers.
“When we went to commission the toilet, the reporter that spoke with the headteacher told me when we were going home that the headteacher of the school, a lady, told her that anytime they went to the bush to ease themselves, the villagers would be laughing at them and that they always felt embarrassed. I was touched. When I heard that I told myself that we made the right decision. Just by our intervention, we have ended open defecation in that primary school in Nasarawa State. It is something that gives me joy. It is not that I did it alone, it was a collective responsibility and I really appreciate everyone who assisted to make it a reality.”
Ending his speech with a quote by Eleanor Roosevelt, Amuchie said: “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams”. Rotary is an organisation that believes in the beauty of its dreams. It just doesn’t dream, it goes further to actualise those dreams, reason why for instance polio has almost become history in the world.
“In the Rotary Club of Abuja CBD we believe in the beauty of our dreams. We dreamt that we would end open defecation in Central Primary School, Gidan Gimba and we made it happen. Our dream equally finds expression in the fact that in 2022-2023 we Imagined a World filled with possibilities and in 2023-2024 we are Creating Hope in the World.
“There is no person whom the cap fits better to take us to that world we envision than President Aisha Ali, a tested hand. She has served our club in various capacities and knows her way around the District. I have no doubt that we are leaving our club in safe hands.”
The high point of the occasion is the handing over to Aisha Ali as the seventh President of the Rotary Club of Abuja CBD.
In her remarks after taking over the mantle of leadership, Rotarian Aisha said that her sentiment has been taken away. According to her, as the 7th President of the Rotary Club of Abuja CBD, it’s a safe landing for her and that she is lucky. She said she is counting on all the past presidents of the Club to take up their first responsibility as a Rotarian to take the Rotary Club of Abuja CBD to greater heights.
