Mimiko’s appearance adds glamour to Rotary club investiture

The immediate past Governor of Ondo State, Dr Olusegun Mimiko caught the entire members of Rotary International, Ondo City District 9125 unawares at the investiture of the 34th President of the club, Elder Johnson Akinniyi on November 18, 2017 when he joined the crème-de-la-cream of Ondo community to felicitate with the neew president, adding glamour to the event.

His appearance in his simple black attire caught all including the new president unawares and added to the excitement of the high profile event as everyone rose in accord to honour the first civilian governor to have successfully completed two terms in office in the history of the state.

President Akinniyi was more excited and he could not hide this. “I think I must give it to His Excellency for making it here after much I had got to know of his tight schedule today. It is not that I was not expecting him again but I was being realistic and considerate of his status. But seeing him is not only a surprise, it is also a demonstration of his leadership quality as one who is ready to honour his people regardless of party affiliation. We are glad he made it,” he said.

Dr Mimiko also reciprocated his hosts’ words of appreciation by revealing to the audience how Elder Akinniyi had stood by him during his race to become the governor of the state; he acknowledged Akinniyi’s contribution to his campaign effort.

“Unfortunately, I did not get to know until much later. But because he did it for the sake of his faith in me and the development of the state, I felt honouring him today on his day is not too much. And I am happy that despite the different outings I had today, I am able to attend this event,” he said.

The Chairman of the occasion, Mr Pius Ayodele also extolled the strong points of the new president, describing him as a round peg in a round hole given his antecedent within and beyond the Rotary International. Ayodele, thus, challenged other members to emulate Akinniyi to expand the membership scope of the club.

Aside the various forms of entertainment, another highlight of the event was the distribution of helmets as part of the new president’s vision of impacting the society.

Akinniyi decried the spate of auto-accidents, especially those that involved commercial motorcycle, which according to him, have no safety aid like vehicles, pointing out that safety of life is a course he would pursue during his tenure with a view to reducing effect of accident on victims.

“It is not about distribution and collection alone. We are going to ensure the beneficiaries use the helmets. It is by so doing we are fulfilled. In this country, there are laws but implementation and compliance are always the problem. But in our little way, we are going to do our best to ensure the okada operators wear the helmet,” he assured.

His other plans for the Rotary Year include Peace and Conflict Resolution, Disease Prevention and Treatment, Water and Sanitation: Maternal and Child Health,Basic Education and Literacy, Distribution of educational materials to secondary school students, economic and community development and tree planting in selected secondary schools within Ondo City.

Since the mantle of leadership fell on him in July, it was gathered that Akinniyi did not leave members in doubt about his resolve to make a difference in the history of the club.