Rotarian Chigbo Franklin Obah has been handed the mantle of leadership at the Rotary Club of Ago Palace Way, Lagos, succeeding the Rotarian Patrick Onyeka Okongwu.

Speaking during the exchange of baton, Obah said it is a real honour for him to take on the role of club’s president.

He pledged to strengthen the club, boosting its impact in line with this year’s Rotary International theme, ‘Create Lasting Impact.’

“The theme could not have come at a better time for us. It feels less like a slogan to me and more like a charge, one that speaks to the very heart of why this club exists. We have always been people that believe service is not just something we do once in a while, but something woven into who we are.

“As we begin this new term, I want to focus on a few things that matter to me deeply: strengthening the bonds of fellowship among members, because a club is only as strong as the relationships that hold it together; building projects that can sustain themselves long after we have moved on, because real impact should outlive the moment it was created in; and growing the impact we have in our own community, among the people who need us most. None of this can be carried by one person. It is something that can only be achieved through the collective effort of every club member,” he said.

Obah said the club would embark on service projects that reflect the seven foundational areas of Rotary, with emphasis on maternal and child health, “because no mother should face childbirth without support and no child should be denied the chance to thrive.

“Economic and community empowerment, because dignity is built through opportunity, not charity alone; environmental sustainability and sanitation, because the communities we serve deserve to inherit something better than what was left to them; and peace-building, because lasting impact cannot be built on unresolved conflict.”

He called for full support, urging members to work towards raising the club’s visibility within the district “by showing up, fully and consistently, at district engagements.

Also speaking, a past president of the club, Rotarian Kelvin Amah urged members to impact positively on the club’s future.

“What counts most for us is not the number of years that we have accumulated as a club but rather the number of impactful years that is ahead of us. Thank goodness the theme of this Rotary year is impact positively; that is why our president goes by the appellation of impact president. We hope that he is going to bring the needed impact for our club to move it to the next level,” he said.