The newly-elected president of Royalty Club of Egbaland (RCE), Chief Babatunde Alimi, has affirmed the association’s commitment to positively impacting the lives of Nigerians.

After his inauguration as RCE president recently, Alimi disclosed that the association has contributed to alleviating the sufferings of Egba indigenes and other Nigerians in medical care, and putting Nigeria on the map at world-class squash tournaments.

According to him, RCE would continue to add value to people’s lives, most especially Egba indigenes, with him at the helms of affair. “Over the years, we have organized free medical outreaches for people and given them free drugs and referrals to secondary and tertiary health facilities, to restore their health. We have also done free surgeries and contributed to the growth of squash in Nigeria through youth involvement,” he said.

Alimi stated that RCE was founded 19 years ago to foster social, economic, cultural and sporting development in Nigeria, and promote squash in Egbaland, in tandem with the interest of the Alake and Paramount Ruler of Egbaland, His Royal Majesty, Oba Michael Adedotun Gbadebo, Okukenu IV.

“It regularly organises Ake Palace Squash Clinic for the youths. It launched the Youth Squash Academy, in conjunction with Ogun State Squash Association and the Nigerian Squash Federation at OOPL Squash Complex, Abeokuta. The academy is focused on training young squash players, with priority for Under-19 players. It is a productive pipeline for squash players in Egbaland, Ogun State and Nigeria. Many of our young players have come out as winners in squash tournaments in the country,” he said.

Alimi took over the mantle of leadership of RCE from Tunde Aregbesola. He has 30 years experience as a sales and marketing professional in oil and gas, Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG), and telecommunications. He has undergone training in specialised brand building and leadership development programmes, including Advanced Management Development Programme (AMDP), at Lagos Business School of Pan-Atlantic University. He is a member of the National Institute of Marketing Nigeria (MNIMN), and Fellow of the Institute of Credit Administration (FICA). His vast experience includes working in many markets in Africa and United Kingdom as Guinness Nigeria and Diageo Africa personnel. He gained recognition as one of the Top 40 Talents in Diageo across African markets. He currently works with Globacom Limited in retail sales department as a Senior Manager, with responsibilities for new subscribers acquisition and driving consumption for Glo products and services in Lagos Cluster.

As a highly revered traditional title holder, Alimi is the Oluomo of Ijaiye-Kunrunmi in Abeokuta, and member of Lagos Country Club, Ikeja, and Optimist Club of Agege.

Formerly known as Ake Royalty Boys, RCE is made up of notable figures in Egbaland. It organised the South West Junior Boys and Girls Squash Competition to commemorate the 20 years coronation anniversary of Oba Gbadebo in November, last year.