Omon-Julius Onabu
The new Governor of Rotary Club District 9141, Andy Eyone Uwejeyan, has stated that his administration plans to spend more than N500 million to establish the Asaba Rotary Centre and Asaba Dialysis Centre both in the Delta State capital, during the Rotary year 2021 to 2022.
In addition, the organisation will begin a new lead-by-example environmental sanitation campaign aimed at changing the poor waste disposal habit of the residents of Asaba and environs as well as embark on special projects targeting secondary school girls who have reached the puberty stage.
Uwejeyan, who was installed as the governor of Rotary District 9141, at a ceremony in Asaba last Saturday, told journalists that the proposed Rotary Centre in Asaba would gulp over N300 million while more than N200 million would be used in building the Dialysis Centre to complement the state government healthcare system.
He described as “disgusting and unacceptable” a situation where those who ought to know better because of their level of education and exposure would carelessly throw away used cans, plastic bottles or wrappers of food and drinks unmindful of whether it is in public places, streets, drainages or rivers.
He, however, said working assiduously to ensure adoption of a better culture of environmental cleanliness in Delta State through proper waste disposal would form the core of the organisation’s activities in his area of jurisdiction during the year, as Rotarians would be physically present to carry out the campaign.
While justifying the focus of the group on activities that would benefit the girl-child more, he disclosed that under a pilot scheme to commence soon, a total of 500 girls spread across public and private secondary schools, particularly in remote and difficult-to-reach parts of the state, would be given free sanitary napkins or pads.
Similarly, at least 2,000 adolescent female students would be trained in the making of reusable sanitary pads with local fabrics, he said, noting that prevalent poverty has made the common monthly experience of adolescent school girls a serious issue in many Nigerian communities.
On the prevalence of cult-related violence in the state, Uwejeyan said: “It is a societal problem, but most youths are lured into these secret cults out of ignorance and because of what they are promised to benefit from membership of such groups.”
