Membership Drive — August: Month of Membership 2025/2026

By Prince Adeyemi Aseperi-Shonibare
Charter President, Rotary Club of Ikeja Alausa

“Friendship was the foundation rock on which Rotary was built and tolerance is the element which holds it together.” — Paul Harris, Founder of Rotary

This August, Rotary clubs worldwide celebrate Membership Month — a time to reflect on why we joined, how we serve, and who we will invite next. Membership is the heartbeat of Rotary. Without new minds, fresh energy, and diverse perspectives, even the most vibrant club risks losing momentum. If you have yet to invite a friend, colleague, or family member to join, you may be withholding one of life’s greatest gifts: the opportunity to serve humanity through fellowship.

Rotary is not just a meeting. It is a movement, a mindset, and a lifestyle of purpose — a passport to significance and a front-row seat to impact humanity.
We are 1.4 million members in more than 200 countries and territories, united by a single motto: Service Above Self. Membership begins with one simple act — an invitation.

“The true measure of a Rotarian’s leadership is not in holding a title, but in multiplying our tribe” “When everyone bring one, and you’ve changed a life. Bring many, and you’ve changed the world.”

Rotary’s 7 Areas of Focus: A Magnetic Invitation

The most compelling way to introduce someone to Rotary is through action. The 7 Areas of Focus are powerful entry points for potential members:

1. Peacebuilding and Conflict Prevention – Promoting dialogue, resolving disputes, and fostering understanding.
2. Disease Prevention and Treatment – Fighting polio, tackling malaria, and expanding access to healthcare.
3. Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene – Providing clean water and proper sanitation for healthier communities.
4. Maternal and Child Health – Reducing mortality and empowering mothers through quality care.
5. Basic Education and Literacy – Combating illiteracy and fostering lifelong learning.
6. Community Economic Development – Creating jobs, supporting entrepreneurship, and reducing poverty.
7. Supporting the Environment – Protecting ecosystems, promoting sustainability, and addressing climate change.

When people see Rotary in action — planting trees, building schools, equipping hospitals, or supporting mental health — they see a cause worth joining.

Meetings That Inspire

Rotary meetings should be engaging, uplifting, and relevant. Keep them concise and full of energy. Vary formats with outdoor fellowships, club visits, service days, and inspiring guest speakers. Hybrid meetings are vital in today’s busy world — reliable internet, quality audio-visual tools, and inclusivity ensure every member stays connected, even when attending from office or outside the country.

Caring for Our Own

A strong club does not only serve the community; it also cares for its members. Reach out to those who miss meetings. Make every member feel valued. Rotary is a family — and families look out for one another.

Why Members Leave — And Why They Stay

Members leave when they feel disengaged, meetings lack energy, onboarding is weak, culture is unwelcoming, or flexibility is absent.
Members stay when they find meaningful service, global fellowship, personal growth, flexible structures, and a shared purpose.

Inviting People Into Rotary

Lead by example. Share Rotary stories. Use social media. Invite community leaders. Showcase our projects in maternal health, peacebuilding, and the environment. Host open events. Involve families. Show them a project in action. And never underestimate the power of asking: “Would you like to join Rotary?”

The Benefits of Rotary

Rotary membership opens doors to global friendship, leadership growth, professional networks, international experiences, purposeful living, recognition, and the joy of leaving a legacy. As RI Past President Barry Rassin said: “Rotary is a gift. You don’t keep a gift this good to yourself.”

This Rotary year, let us shine our light brighter, welcome more members, and extend the most valuable gift — the invitation to a life of service and fellowship.

Be the reason someone says, “Joining Rotary changed my life.”

Come and join Rotary with me. See what we do, feel the fellowship, share in the service, and be part of a story bigger than yourself. Let every Rotarian bring at least one new member. My personal goal this year is to bring ten. It is possible, it is necessary, and it is how we keep the Rotary light shining.

Fellow Nigerians, and friends of Nigeria abroad,

They said the APC was not popular with the people. They said its strength was only in government houses, not in the marketplace, not in the villages, not in the hearts of men and women who rise each day to labor under the hot sun. Yet the people have now spoken, and their voice is louder than the rumors of social media, stronger than the whispers of drawing rooms.

In the bye-elections of this past weekend, sixteen seats were set before the people. Out of these, the APC took eleven, stretching across Kano, Kaduna, Jigawa, Taraba, Ogun, Kogi, Edo, Adamawa, and Niger. One more stands in contest, and there too the APC leads.

APGA secured two seats in Anambra. The PDP held one in Oyo. The NNPP claimed one in Kano. But the others—ADC, SDP, Labour—were nowhere to be found. Not a single seat fell their way.

So I ask: how do you define popularity? By the clamor on Facebook? By the trend on Instagram? By the fury of TikTok or the storms of X? No. Popularity in a democracy is measured by ballots cast, by hands inked, by real people walking to the polls to say with their vote: this is who we trust.

In America, they speak of midterm elections, a verdict passed halfway through a presidency. There, such elections measure the strength of the president and the staying power of his party. Nigeria has no midterm Congress. But these bye-elections, spread across thirteen states and five geopolitical zones, are our closest equivalent. And their meaning cannot be ignored.

Many thought the ADC, older in years than the APC, would rise with its new converts and prove itself a rival. Many thought the PDP would mount a strong wave. But the verdict of the ballot tells a different story. The PDP lives, but it fights to hold ground. The ADC, SDP, and Labour remain shadows, not yet substance. The NNPP, for all its color, remains a Kano river, not a national sea.

The APC, under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has not only stood but has been endorsed. For all the cries, for all the bitter words against his reforms, the people have answered with their votes: they are willing to endure the hard medicine if it promises a better tomorrow.

What then is the road ahead? It is clear. The APC stands as the party to beat in 2027. The opposition must gather itself, must bind its wounds, must cease from fighting in fragments if it wishes to rise as a true alternative.

But for now, let it be recorded in the annals of our young democracy: that on the 16th of August, 2025, the Nigerian people spoke with ballots, not hashtags; with votes, not noise; with courage, not despair. And their verdict was plain.

The APC is not a party of rumor, but a party of the people.

The Lagos State Government, in its continued effort to promote cultural heritage and deepen tourism footprints, has concluded plans to host the Lagos Cultural Weekend.

A three-day cultural extravaganza, scheduled to take place across multiple strategic locations, including the J. Randle Centre for Yoruba Culture and History, Freedom Park, National Theatre, Badagry Heritage Museum, Lekki Arts and Crafts Market, and Tafawa Balewa Square, from November 14th to November 16th, 2025.

This weekend-long celebration will spotlight the richness of Nigeria’s traditions through curated events that blend history, culture, and local artistry.

Speaking on the initiative, Special Adviser to the Governor on Tourism, Arts, and Culture, Mr. Idris Aregbe, noted that the event is a key part of a broader framework of the Lagos Cultural Mission.

“We aim to use the Lagos Cultural Weekend as a true reflection of Lagos culture, a herescope for tourists and visitors from across the globe to witness just how rich our culture is.

“The three days will be a cultural baptism, a deep, meaningful introduction to who we are. As a government, we now understand prioritising cultural representation as a driver for economic growth.

”On the initiative’s impact, the Special Adviser explained that it goes beyond showcasing culture, but investing in cultural artisans, talented enthusiasts, and key stakeholders to foster real engagement and growth.“Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s administration values collaboration and inclusiveness, which is why we want to work closely with Lagosians who truly understand our culture to help us achieve these goals.

“From the historians, to creatives, curators, artisans, culinary experts, performers, fashion designers, community leaders, and traditional institutions, we need them to join us in making a lasting impact.“So that, in the end, our guests and friends from many nations will carry home an authentic story of Lagos and enriched cultural literacy,” Mr. Aregbe said.

Attendees will enjoy array of activities, including live music performances, DIY sessions, contemporary art exhibitions, traditional dance showcases, fashion shows, culinary tastings, and craft demonstrations.

Also lined up are symposiums and cultural lectures designed for tourists and enthusiasts who wish to dive deeper into the Lagos cultural identity.

The weekend will be animated by diverse local performance groups representing the rich ethnic landscape of Lagos, with a special emphasis on language, literature, and indigenous storytelling.

Lagos Cultural Weekend 2025 reaffirms the state’s commitment to building a thriving creative economy while celebrating the depth of Nigerian traditions.

Through strategic partnerships, corporate sponsorships, and community engagement, this initiative will set a new benchmark for inclusive cultural programming in Lagos and Africa at large.

Lagos Cultural Mission….Preserving Our Heritage, Advancing The Future