- ‘Our principle of service above self will rebuild the world’
If all mankind can act like Rotarians and put service above self, this world would be a better place to live in as it would flourish in peace, love and harmony. This is the submission of the outgoing President of Rotary Club, Akure, Rotarian Rachel Damilola Akintunde-Abioye,(rtp,mnitp,PHF), who spoke of how the Club has helped her to live her passion of giving, helping and serving humanity, particularly needy human beings, selflessly and how it has been executing numerous projects impacting the society. Among other issues she touched, the woman who would round up her one year tenure on Tuesday and hand over the baton to the incoming President, Rotarian Lekan Oni, reeled out the achievements recorded during her tenure, stressing that “putting service above self is the best.” She spoke in an interview last Tuesday with Banji Ayoola of The Radiance. Enjoy.
Who is Rachel Akintunde-Abioye?
Thank you very much. Rachel Damilola Akintunde-Abioye is a Rotarian and presently the President of Rotary Club of Akure, though outgoing. I am a town planner by profession, a civil servant working with the Ondo State Civil Service, precisely with the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development as an urban planner.
What of your background, schooling?
I graduated from the prestigious Obafemi Awolowo University popularly known as OAU, Ile Ife. I studied Urban and Regional Planning. I also proceeded in the ladder of my educational career to the prestigious Erasmus University, Rotterdam in the Netherlands to study Urban Management and Development, where I bagged Masters of Science in Urban Management and Development. I specialised in Urban Environment and Climate Change.
And your civil service career…
After graduating. and working with the private firm for about six years, I joined the Ondo State Civil Service. I joined as a Town Planning Officer. Presently I am a Chief Town Planning Officer with the Ondo State Civil Service, Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development.
How about you as a family person?
As a family person, I am married to Tunde Abioye and we are blessed. Thank you.
What was your growing up like?
I grew up in a family of six, Christians. I happened to be the only girl or only lady or only woman in the family. I grew up to be like a Tomboy. I think it was growing up among boys that propelled me when I got to the university to study a course whereby you hardly find female studying. Then I was into so many activities. One of the masculine activities is the Man O War. And presently I am a statesman. The Tomboy in me still there made me to do things like that.
What drew you to Rotary?
I was introduced to the ideal world of Rotary right from a tender age; and that was when I was in the secondary school while I was in Morocco Comprehensive High School, Igbobi, Yaba, Lagos. That was when I was introduced to the Interact Club. That is another arm of Rotary. We have the Interact; we have the Rotaract and we have the Rotary Club. The Interact is for kids, the students in secondary school, while the Rotaract is for the university students. So when you graduate, you graduate into Rotary. So I started as an Interactor while I was in the secondary school and when I got to the university, Obafemi Awolowo University, I joined the Rotaract. I was even the Welfare Officer while I was there.
After graduating, I came back to Ondo State to join the Ondo State Civil Service. That was when I met one of our Permanent Secretaries then, Dr Deji Akinwalere, who happened to be the President of Rotary Club of Akure at that point in time. He introduced me into the Rotary Club. I said “Yes, fine; that’s my family.” So I joined. He was my mentor and I am so happy he mentored me well. I became a member of Rotary Club of Akure in 2011. Since that time, I have been a Rotarian and here I am as the President, Rotary Club of Akure.
How has your life been in Rotary?
Actually right from childhood, right from when I was introduced into the ideal world of service to humanity, I have this passion to serve, to help people, to give because these are the qualities of a good Rotarian. They put service above self. That is Rotary for you. They go out of their way, sacrifice their time, their family and resources to help people; people they don’t even know, people they have never met, people that would never say ‘thank you’ to you. You can never meet them. That is Rotary for you. That is what we do in Rotary. I have been able to get used to these at a tender age. I see it as a kind of joy to serve. So it has been part of me from a tender age and to God be the Glory, I don’t think I would relent in my efforts as a Rotarian. I won’t, because it gives me joy serving humanity. It has been joy helping people. It gives me joy seeing people smile; seeing people achieve so many things made possible through someone else, who you may not even know. That is a bit of my life in Rotary.
As the President of Rotary Club Akure, what projects were executed during your tenure?
Let me start by saying that this Rotary Year, with the theme “Rotary Opens Opportunity,” has been “a wonderful year.” What I meant is that you know what happened, the pandemic all over. It really hit hard on the economy and restricted us a bit in how to execute some projects, even our meeting times. When we started, we were having virtual meetings. Then members couldn’t attend, more especially the aged ones. They couldn’t attend because of the COVID restrictions. It also hit into the economy. We started with financial constraints.
I would also mention this that the Club lost the then incoming President suddenly. It was so saddening. We weren’t expecting such a thing to happen. We were expecting him to come on line, Rotarian Tayo Olaifa. So my coming as the President was so sudden because I wasn’t prepared for it at that time. In Rotary, year in, year out, you would know the incoming President, the Vice President, and the Secretary. It’s well organised. It was so sudden and the Club agreed that yes, you are capable; and I was nominated to be the President for this current year, so that the Club shouldn’t go into extinction because of the tragedy that hit us.
That was how I started with the mantle of leadership and it was tough. It was something you don’t prepare for very well because if you want to become the President you would have known a year before you start preparing. So it was tough at the beginning; but I want to thank God. I want to thank members of Rotary Club of Akure. I want to thank my past Presidents, the elders, past District Governors, past District Secretaries, past Presidents more especially my mentor, past President Deji Akinwalere; PDS Omotoyinbo; PAG Lanre Balogun. They stood by me. All the members of Rotary Club Akure, we did and achieved so many things together. Though we had issues with finances, yet we were still able to achieve so many things.
One of the projects we had after my investiture on September 19 was that we celebrated the 40th anniversary of Rotary Club of Akure. The PDS who was the Chairman 40th Anniversary, donated a project to the Club in form of an album where photographs of all the past Presidents were displayed. If you go to the Rotary Club of Akure today, you would be amazed to see the different pictures and different projects we’ve embarked on since the inception of the Club 40 years ago.
I happened to be the 40th President. We had investiture and we were able to raise some funds. From the funds we raised, we donated library furniture to Rotary Club pet project which is a school at Imafo community in Akure North Local Government Area. There was this school that was built during the tenure of past President Deji Akinwalere. It was a secondary school donated to that community. I had to do a little project there too by donating library furniture and books. Rotarians get friends who donated books to the library too. In addition to that, past President Deji Akinwalere also donated a sum of N300, 000 to complete an uncompleted classroom, fix the doors and windows, for plastering and flooring just to support this Rotary Year. In addition to that, there was prize giving ceremony for the best student in the senior classes.
These projects were tailored towards the Education and Literacy Month because in Rotary, we have seven areas of focus. Before, they were six; then this year, we had another one, Rotary Supports the Environment. We have Basic Education and Literacy; Disease and Prevention; Maternal and Healthcare; Peace and Justice; Peace and Conflict; and Water and Sanitation Months.
In each area of focus in each month, we try to execute the projects. For the month of September, we had the Basic Education Literacy Month, and that was when we donated library furniture, books, and then held prize giving to the students in SSS classes; and the support from past President Deji Akinwalere to fix four windows, two doors, and for plastering and flooring of a classroom.
For supporting the environment, we were able to plant trees. As environmentalists specialising in climate change, we know the importance of planting trees in the environment. Also for the Disease and Prevention treatment, we have our members who are medical practitioners who gave seminars on Health talks. Then they conducted free medical check-ups. They conducted blood tests for sugar level, BP and other ones. That was for the Disease and Treatment Month. Also we celebrated keeping polio at bay. In Africa we have recorded zero. We celebrated that and we sensitise people in the public. This one is a joint project with all the Rotary Clubs in Ondo State. We had a joint project in Akure. We sensitised, we gave polio vaccines to children and sensitised the public on the need to keep this polio at zero. We had that during that month.
We also had the foundation month whereby we donated to the Rotary Foundation. This Rotary Foundation is where Rotary International gets the funds to support different programmes all over the world, including kicking out polio, giving grants to the less privileged, and giving grants to people in disaster areas. So every Tuesday when we Rotarians meet in our fellowship, we contribute to the Rotary Foundation which we send our contribution to RI. This money is used judiciously.
And like I was saying the other time, these are the kinds of sacrifice you make and service you give. Money is being utilised for someone else that would not even have the opportunity to come and say “Thank you” to you. That is Rotary for you. To me I believe that is a blessed way of impacting lives; and I am sure that God will be happy with that kind of thing. You don’t have to be a hypocrite giving things to someone expecting them to come back and say “Thank you.” No. We give to people that we don’t even know, that we’ve never met, that we can never even meet.
Apart from that, during the Maternal and Child Healthcare Month, we donated hospital materials to two health centres in Akure North Local Government, the Eleyowo Health Centre and the Imafo Health Centre. We donated sanitary materials, bed-sheets, all other hospital materials and also a surprise package, Mama Kits, for the lucky mothers and children. We didn’t tell the medical practitioners over there that we would be giving a surprise gift. We planned it that we would present any woman that gave birth at that time of our visit a gift. Fortunately we were able to present gifts to two women who put to bed at the two maternity centres. Both mothers and children received the surprise package from us.
We also had other activities like the purchase of some things in the Club House just to make it a befitting place; like solar lamps so that the place could be illumined when we were there and the generator was not working.
There were many achievements. We were able to celebrate Rotarians every month. We celebrated our birthdays. We socialised. Rotary Club of Akure is full of sociable socialites. We travelled all over to celebrate. We had the Discon, District Conference last month in Ilorin. We also went for the Investiture of the District Governor, DG Jumoke Bamigboye, also in Ilorin. She happened to be the first female District Governor in District 9125. We have Districts in Nigeria. Rotary Club of Akure is under District 9125; and the outgoing DG is DG Jumoke Bamigboye.
It has been an interesting year. We also had an intra membership training programme which was organised by the three Rotary Clubs in Akure. Rotary Club of Akure gave birth to some other clubs. We have Akure Metro and Akure City. The three clubs organised a training for members in Ondo State and also for guests too to train them on what Rotary is all about. During the Rotary year, we had so many activities. We celebrated our Rotary Ann. In Rotary, we call the wives of Rotarians Rotary Ann, while a female Rotarian husband is called Rotary Parthner. But for a male Rotarian, the wife is called Rotary Ann. We celebrated the birthdays. We celebrated one of our Rotarians, a past President who is also the Chairman Rotary Foundation. She is a General, Rotary Foundation, PP Adesola Alabi, who retired from the Civil Service in May.
Also, to God be the Glory, during this Rotary Year, I was able to bag two awards, one from the Junior Chambers International Akure and the Ondo State Heroine Award by Visage Women Foundation. It all happened during this Rotary Year.
I just want to give God the Glory. I want to thank Him for what we were able to achieve. They were tangible things; though we were restricted from being able to do much because of what happened globally, the pandemic; which really hit the economy so hard. But we thank God; everything went well.
One other thing that I am so happy to let you know is that in the past, the Club had been having issues with payments of dues at the District level. But I am happy to tell you that this Rotary Year, we were able to clear all debts. Presently Rotary Club of Akure does not owe the RI, the District or anybody. We were able to manage the little resources we had and we are good to go. This administration is good to hand over to the incoming President, Rotarian Lekan Oni.
It was quite an impressive achievement list despite the pandemic. What advice do you have for the incoming President?
To the incoming President, Rotarian Lekan Oni, I am sure we are handing over to a safe hand. He was once a Rotaractor and now a Rotarian and I am very sure the Club is in a safe hand. This administration has taken the Club to a great height. I am sure he would take it to greater heights. So we are looking forward to the next Rotary Year whereby Rotarian Lekan is a change maker. Next year’s Rotary theme is “Serve to change lives.” He is a change maker President; and I am sure he is going to change lives. This Rotary Year, we are trail blazers. We explored new novel things during this Year. We are trail blazers. We saw opportunities that were opened and we keyed into them and we were able to achieve some things. So Rotarian Lekan the change maker in the next Rotary Year which would be starting July 1st next month, is going to take Rotary Club of Akure to greater heights. I am so sure of that. I am so confident.
Is there a way the objective of Rotary, Service above Self, could be applied to help mankind generally today, to help countries of the world?
May be you intend to talk about the Four Way Test of Rotary: Is it the truth? Is it fair to all concerned? Will it bring goodwill and better friendship? Will it be beneficial to all concerned? Yes! These four principles, these four questions, if each and every one of us can have a look at them and relate them to what I am doing probably at home – the community, the society, the state, life on earth would be better. The state starts from home, from the family. If we are able to answer the question “is what I am doing the truth?” everything would work out fine. Will what I am doing be beneficial to all concerned? Is it okay? Take for instance in my place of work, I need to attend to some things in time and I am not doing that, it won’t be beneficial to all concerned. It won’t be beneficial to the state government if I am lacking in my office. It won’t be beneficial to people coming for services in this office.
So if we are able to apply these four principles in our day to day activities in our offices and homes, we would all be happy. They are principles of things we think, say or do. If we are able to stay put by these four principles, I am sure that this world would be a better place. But for us to be able to do that is the problem. Can we tell the truth; can we do things that would be beneficial to all concerned; can we do things that would be good, beneficial, that would bring goodwill? That is just it. I believe in these four principles, in the Four Way Test. And that is what has been helping me in my place of work.
Could you speak about the programme of the ceremonies of your planned handing over cum investiture of the incoming President?
The hand-over ceremony would be coming up on Tuesday June 29th 2021. That is next week. It’s going to be an exciting moment whereby you would see what we’ve achieved, the projects and activities we’ve done. It would be a kind of relaying our stewardship for this Rotary Year; and then handing over officially to the incoming President. It is going to be a ceremony to which I would love to invite friends of Rotary to come and see. All other Rotarians are also welcome to come and see what we’ve done in the past 2020/21 in retrospect, where we are and where we are going to. The ceremonies would hold at four for 4.30pm. Venue is Rotary House, Parliament Road, adjacent Shoprite, Akure.
Do you have further comments?
I want to thank God Almighty for a successful year; to thank all members of Rotary Club of Akure; my professional body the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners, Ondo State chapter; and my colleagues in my office who have stood by me.
I thank my husband. He really supported me. Most times I was on the move on Rotary projects. There was a time he asked me for something and he said: “You’ve forgotten when you were running after Jumoke. How would you remember?” Jumoke is the District Governor. My husband is a Rotary Parthner indeed. He supported me right from inception not minding that it was an impromptu thing. He really supported me and made a lot of sacrifices. The family really made a lot of sacrifices just for me to have a successful tenure.
I would also like to thank my elders in Rotary Club of Akure; past District Governor Yemi Olajide for his prayers; past Presidents Bose Adedipe and Adesola Alabi; past District Secretary and my Board members. They really stood by me. I thank my mentor, past President Deji Akinwalere; my Investiture Chairman, past President Deji Fasuyi; the AGs in Akure, AG Kelvin, AG Atunramu. They stood by me. So many times I disturbed them at night trying to put things together; “Sir, how do I do this, Sir what do we do; we need to do this and that; please we need your support; we are going to this or that place.” They really supported me. They stood by me. All the members of Rotary Club of Akure stood by me and supported me.
I want to implore our friends and guests who don’t know what Rotary is. Rotary is a service Club, a non-governmental organisation that puts service above self. Like I told you, I sacrificed the time to be with my family just for me to serve humanity. That is Rotary for you. You use your job, resources and time to serve. I told you, at night I would call “Sir, help me read through this speech.” You put service above self. If we can do that, I think the world will be a better place rather than all this selfish interest of me and my family, putting everything in my pocket.
In our offices if we stand by the Four Way Test: Is what you are doing the truth, are you doing the right thing, are you attending to your files accordingly, what about your relationship with people, others in your place of work, even in your home? So I would love people to taste what Rotary is; and I am very sure that you would be a better person.
I have so much enjoyed Rotary. I have so much been blessed through Rotary. There are so many things I have gained. Rotary is a big family that even if you go outside the country, and fellow Rotarians see this Rotary pin on my chest overseas or anywhere, you will be welcomed as if they have known you from Adams. That is Rotary for you. Wherever we are, we are one big family. I want to implore everyone to join Rotary and taste what Rotary is. If we can act like Rotarians, put service above self, this world is going to be a better place. I love to say: Rotary, putting service above self is the best.
Thank you, Madam.
Thank you.
Profile
Rotarian Rachel Damilola Akintunde-Abioye is a professional Urban and Regional Planner, who specialises in Urban Environment and Climate Change with about 12 years of experience in Development Control, Monitoring and Enforcement of Planning standards in cities, Land Use Planning, Planning Research and Statistics and Urban Management Development.
She had worked with various private urban planning firms, for about six years, where she was involved in the design of Master Plans for various cities, Development Guides and Layouts. One of the designs of Master Plans she was involved in was the Greater Jos Master Plan in Plateau State, Nigeria and the design of Development Guide for the College of Medicine, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Asubiaro Campus, Osogbo.
In 2010, she joined the Ondo State Civil Service as an Urban Planning Officer. She is now a Chief Urban Planning Officer in the Department of Planning Research and Statistics at the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, Oyemekun Road, Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria.
Her love for research made her to apply within the civil service to the Ondo State/UN-Habitat Urban Observatory Unit, where she was involved in data collection, data processing and report writing.
A 2011 Registered Town Planner with the Town Planners Registration Council of Nigeria, Rachel had held the post of Area Town Planning Officer in different Local Government Areas in Ondo State.
She became a Member of the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners in 2010. Her quest for more knowledge in the profession won her fellowship to the prestigious Institute of Housing and Urban Studies, HIS, Erasmus University, Rotterdam, Netherlands, where she had her M.Sc in Urban Management and Development, specialising in Urban Environment and Climate Change.
She studied Urban and Regional Planning at the prestigious Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Osun State, for her Bachelors of Science Degree. During her undergraduate and post graduate days, she was an award recipient of the Carnegie Incorporation of the United States of America for three sessions. Also, she received the Netherlands Fellowship Programme.
She had conducted research on Empirical Analysis of Urban Flooding in Developing Countries, Evaluation of Gender Influence on Solid Waste Management, Effect of Oil Spillage in Coastal Areas, and Case study of ‘Takwa Bay Island’ Lagos State.
Rachel had held so many leadership posts including:
- Secretary, Ethics and Disciplinary Committee, Nigerian Institute of Town Planners, Ondo State Chapter;
- Secretary, Welfare Committee Nigerian Institute of Town Planners, Ondo State Chapter;
- Secretary, Electoral Committee, Nigerian Institute of Town Planners, Ondo State Chapter;
- Vice President, National Association of Ondo State Students, OAU;
- Class Representative, during her undergraduate study;
- Welfare Secretary, Rotaract Club, OAU;
- Secretary, FOTO Club OAU;
- Watch Training Officer, Man ‘O War OAU Unit; and
- Senior Prefect Girl, of her Alma Mater, St. Ambrose’s Grammar School, Ondo.
She is presently the Treasurer, Nigerian Institute of Town Planners, Ondo State Chapter, a member of Rotary Club International, where she is the Club President, Rotary Club of Akure Rotary International 2020/2021.
Rachel is happily married to Mr. ‘Tunde Abioye.
