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Charter President, Sen. KOLAWOLE BAJOMO
Senator Felix Kolawole Bajomo is a distinguished Nigerian. He is a former Senator of the Federal Republic and the Charter President of the Rotary Club of Ikoyi. He, along with some other distinguished Nigerians, came together 40 years ago and began what is now known as the Rotary Club of Ikoyi, one of the Rotary Club of Nigeria’s most prestigious ‘babies.’ An elated and proud Senator Bajomo was at the Rotary club of Ikoyi’s 40th Anniversary and Gala nite held not long ago and the exquisite Golden Gate restaurant in Ikoyi, Lagos. He shared with City People’s Senior Editor, WALE LAWAL )08037209290) how he, as the Charter President, and a few others, started the Rotary Club of Ikoyi 40 years ago. Here are excerpts of the interview.
We are indeed honoured to be speaking with you, sir. Can we have your full name again, sir?
My full name, Felix Kolawole Bajomo.
You’re welcome, sir. The president told me you happen to be Rotary Club of Ikoyi’s Charter President…do tell us about your role, your responsibilities…
My role and responsibility? I presently don’t have any role anymore as far as this club is concerned. But by the grace of Almighty God, I happen to be the person who chartered this club. And as a result of that, I became the Chartered President. That was way back in 1984, 40 years ago.
Oh, that’s brilliant, sir. Share with us memories of those days and how Rotary club of Ikoyi has evolved in to what it is today, how do you feel about this?
Wonderful experience. Rotary is still living up to its name in terms of providing privileges, opportunities for humanity in general. And the spread of Rotary has been quite phenomenal as far as Nigeria is concerned. And it’s part of the reason why clubs continue to become chartered over time. Nigeria started with one district, but now we can boast of more than four, five districts, many more. I stand to be corrected as far as that is concerned.
I belong to the Rotary Club of Lagos, and I had the mandate to charter a new club in Ikoyi. As at that time, there was no other club in the entire Ikoyi district except the Rotary Club of Lagos, which was the first Rotary Club in Lagos that was existing and meeting then in Ikoyi. So I had the mandate to set up a new club, which was the Rotary Club of Ikoyi in 1984.
Fantastic. Now, when you look back and see how it has evolved, you look at what is happening today, what feeling does that bring to you?
Feeling of joy, feeling of satisfaction, and feeling of hope and inspiration that good life is still possible, even in the face of present seemingly tough economic challenges in the country. Rotary is a brand name, and it has given Nigeria a beautiful brand name because Rotary stands for love, stands for humanity, stands for progress, stands for good fortunes. And that is what Rotary has been, providing complimentary support for government’s intentions in terms of enablement and making life easy for the generality of the public. And Rotary can pride itself as being the front runner as far as providing benefits and opportunities for downtrodden and all that you can think of in a society. That’s what Rotary is all about.
Looking back, 40 years is a long time. I can recall other people who were members with me. It wasn’t me that made this club. there were other people who were very, very instrumental in making this club what it has become today. I can recall the likes of people like George Okonkwo, who was a former managing director of Savannah Bank. John Oyegun, who was a former governor of Edo State.
There was a former Superintendent Secretary, Dr. Suleiman of Accenture, who is now the chairman of Cornerstone, and quite a few others. Even those who came immediately after the charter, like Daniel Cooper, for instance, like Abel Sonaya, like General Ajao. Just remembered a few. And there are quite a few more that I cannot recall immediately. But if you recall the life of those kind of people, you will know that they were part of what had been good for this country.
Finally, sir, your words of advice to the younger ones who have taken over the baton of leadership from you, how impressed are you with the energy, the dynamism that they have brought to the Rotary club?
If I’m not impressed, I wouldn’t have been here. This club has really lived up to more than expectations. In less than 20 years, they have produced a district governor, and I can still believe that many more will still come. It’s one of the strongest clubs in District 911 today. I am proud to have been a charter president of this club. Thank you.
