Rotary International president Arezzo harps on peace

He said: “And the third law was peace. And I think that peace is our, probably our unique and main, goal. Because everything we do has a purpose. And peace is, of course, not the absence of war. Peace means you can live without war in your country, but if you don’t have a job to maintain your family, you will not be peaceful.

‘’But, to have a job means that you need two things: to be healthy and to have instruction. So, it is so important to work to obtain peace, it is so important to work on the health and on schools, on the teachers, on education, class education and other kinds of schools. But, it is impossible to speak for schools without water, without clean water, without facilities, without... They cannot attend the school without the kid walking. And it is not to live in peace, even if you have a job, even if you are healthy, but you don’t have a good environment around you.

“So everything, every project that we do for clean water, for education, for the school, for the environment, for community development, Every project is a step towards peace. So, peace is what we do every day, it’s what we do better, and peace is not only the dissenters, that is so important. Peace is also the youth exchange, peace is also to work on the food, to work in the facilities, to provide free work.’’

The President expressed satisfaction that their 40-year battle against polio would soon end, adding that in two years, it would have been over. He said only Afghanistan and Pakistan were left with some pockets of polio. He however listed the challenges of cultural beliefs, inability to reach some places and funds as impediments to their campaign against the disease.

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At the town hall meeting that followed later, he charged Rotarians to dream big. ‘’I have a lot of dreams. That you can do it. You are not alone. If you have a dream, join us,’’ he added. He also said Rotarians could create peace through unity.

Rotary International President-Elect, Yinka Babalola, expressed joy at Arezzo’s visit, saying it was ‘’significant’’.

He said it had a personal touch, especially as the august visitor would be handing over to him in July and the fact that Nigeria is the number one Rotary country in Africa. He said Arezzo’s message was food for thought for him, and that he had a lot to gain from it by way of agenda setting.

The Rotary District 911 Governor, Prince Henry Akinyele and his District 9112 counterpart Lanre Adedoyin, who expressed similar opinions, were also overwhelmed with joy by Arezzo’s visit.