The District Governor of Rotary International District 9111, Rotarian Henry Akinyele, has said that Rotary is now a technologically driven humanitarian organisation.

Speaking during the installation ceremony of Rotarian Henry Enyinna as the 44th President of Rotary Club of Festac Town, Lagos, Akinyele noted that Rotary used to be very conservative but with technology, the club has become more flexible.

“That is why Rotary has introduced an E-club for people to join Rotary from any part of the world. At the beginning you had a certain percentage of attendance you must meet before you are recognised as a good Rotarian. But over time Rotary has introduced E-club to say wherever you are, even at work, anywhere you can connect with your club.”

Stressing that that technology has been infused into Rotary activities, he said people living abroad can now make their contributions to assist the club.

He added: “I want to congratulate the president of the club on his investiture and by extension the entire members of the club. And I want to encourage them to support the president to achieve his projects for the year.

“I want to reassure the president that he has the support of the district governor for the projects he would do for the year. I wish him the very best.

“Our focus remains on membership drive, raising funds into the Rotary Foundation, and of course commissioning impactful projects in all our localities where Rotary are dominant and even beyond.” He disclosed that the star project of the district is building a Rotary Peace Centre at Olabisi Onabanjo University.

In his remarks, Enyinna said: “This Rotary year, we are called to “Unite for Good” – a powerful theme that speaks to the urgency of collaboration in solving the pressing problems of our time. In Festac Town and beyond, the needs are real – in education, health, water, economic empowerment, peace-building, and the environment. We cannot do it alone.

“That is why our theme for this investiture is ‘Leveraging Technology to Improve Efficiency within the Rotary Organisation.’ As we unite for good, we must also embrace innovation — to work smarter, reach farther, and deliver impact more effectively.”

He said that this year, the club has outlined bold, ambitious projects across Rotary’s seven areas of focus, with a combined estimated cost exceeding ₦50 million naira.

“These are not just figures — they represent real lives that will be touched. We will organise a ‘Youth Peace and Leadership Summit,’ using digital platforms to bring together young people from schools and religious institutions across Festac.

“We will construct a solar-powered borehole in a public school with smart water-monitoring sensors to ensure sustainability. Alongside this, we’ll build modern, gender-friendly toilets with hygiene education programmes delivered via mobile apps.

“Through a Mobile Maternal Health Initiative, pregnant women will receive prenatal reminders via SMS and access to telehealth support.

“Education is our most powerful tool for change. We will adopt two schools and provide e-libraries, tablets for students, scholarships, classroom renovation, and launch a digital learning platform to improve literacy and STEM education.

“We aim to empower 100 women and youth with vocational training in digital skills, fashion, agriculture, and crafts. Participants will also receive seed funding via a Rotary Grant Scheme and support through a business mentorship app.”

The guest speaker at the event, Sir Lawrence Amadi, who was made an honorary member of Rotary Club of Festac Town, also urged Rotary to take advantage of technology to drive the organisation.

“There is no vulcanizer, mechanic that does not have a Moneypoint account, Opay and the likes. I am saying this story because these guys are driving the traffic for disruption in financial services in general. What does that mean for us? It means we have to also ask ourselves how we can plug in and stay relevant.”

The Chairman of the event, Theodore Amagwu, said that anybody that wants to go far has to get digitalised.
“So what I promised the president for the projects he has listed is to give you the IT consulting free,” he noted.