‘Why We Prioritise Polio Eradication at Rotary’

Twenty-two years after he joined the Rotary Club of Surulere South, Lanre Adedoyin picked the crown of District 9112 as its Governor for2025-2026. In this interview with Joseph Eshanokpe, the lawyer who hails from Kwara State, shares his story, plans and why Rotary international proritises poli eradication.

You are District governor of Rotary International District 9112, covering parts of Lagos and Ogun states, tell us of your trajectory

To start with, I’m a legal practitioner. I’ve been in active legal practice for about 33 years. I joined Rotary Club of Surulere South on August 21, 2003. Before then, I had been engaged in Rotary activities – for eight years precisely. I was a Group Study Exchange team member at Rotary International District 6250, Wisconsin, United States, from April to May 2002 – that’s about 23 years ago. Shortly after, I joined the Rotary Club of Surulere South, where I have remained an active member.

What inspired you to join Rotary?

My passion for service and belief that when you do good, it comes with a lot of blessings. I was moved by what I saw when I took part in the Group Study Exchange (GSE) in Wisconsin. I was received warmly by Rotarians and non-Rotarians in that country. I felt that if people who never knew me were that kind and welcoming, nothing stopped me from reciprocating the same gesture to others. In general, right from my younger days, I’ve always had compassion for people. I like to help and lift people up; so I have always practised the ideals of Rotary even before I joined.

As District Governor, which of the seven focus areas of Rotary are you prioritising?

To start with, none of the seven focus areas of Rotary is less important than the other. However, our focus is on Maternal and Child Health, as well as Basic Education and Literacy. We are not executing budgets in the other five areas. The Rotary Club is the centrepiece of Rotary activities, not the district. Our role is to ensure that we have effective and vibrant clubs that can carry out successful and impactful service projects in our communities.

We have to make our clubs strong and virile so that the impact of their projects and activities are felt in their communities. Of course, the district executes service projects, too. For example, a vocational training centre was inaugurated by my predecessor in Odomola, Epe, Lagos State, on June 30, 2025. We are trying to make it functional by equipping it. We bring in people who will learn various skills. Our goal is to ensure that our youths are occupied with something tangible and meaningful because, as it is often said, an idle mind is the devil’s workshop.

We have another vocational training centre in Ikorodu, Lagos State, inaugurated in 2018. We also have the Prostate Cancer Centre in Sagamu, and the Eye Centre in Ota – both facilities are in Ogun State. It’s my duty to ensure that these projects are up to date and functional, so that when we tell our stories, people will be able to say; truly we have made an impact. Rotary clubs are also encouraged to embark on service projects that project the image of Rotary positively. In other words, our projects should be impactful, sustainable and productive; they should be of benefit to the communities that we serve.

There is a feeling that Rotary gives more attention to Polio.

There is no area of focus that is not important but we have to prioritise. Before we embark on any project, we conduct what we call a needs assessment. We give to the communities what they need, not what we want to give them. If a community says what they need is a hospital, which we have to equip, that’s what we give to them. If another community says: medical equipment, books or stationery; that is what they will get. Polio remains Rotary International’s most important external priority. Nigeria got out of the woods in August 2020. We were certified wild-polio free by the World Health Organisation. However, there are some cases of vaccine-derived polio, but rest assured that efforts are ongoing to tackle them and strengthen surveillance in our fight against polio.

Afghanistan and Pakistan are still polio endemic countries. Any threat to one is a threat to all. If polio is in one country or the other, it affects others. So, until we exterminate polio from the surface of the earth, Rotary International is unlikely to embark on another project like that.

Our other areas of focus are: peace building and conflict prevention/resolution, disease prevention and treatment, community economic development, water sanitation and hygiene and protecting the environment.

Despite these achievements, Rotary remains unknown to a large chunk of the public; what’s your strategy for membership drive?

Membership drives are an all-year-round affair for us. Although August is usually celebrated as the membership and new club development month by Rotary International, we bring in new members all the time. Through quality, impactful, efficient and productive service projects, more people will join us. However, we still need to improve on our public image methods because people generally have a wrong notion or idea of what Rotary is. The best ambassadors of the organisation are the Rotarians.

Is Rotary only for the elites?

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Rotary is not an elitist organisation. People have that perception because they have not moved close to us to see what we do in the real sense of the word. Of course, for a credible organisation like ours, we have important people who have attained the highest distinction in their professions; we have national awardees, people who have attended the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), ministers, commissioners, governors, ambassadors, editors, reputable businessmen, and so on – movers and shakers of society. If you look at it from that angle, you may tend to think that we are elitist, but our organisation is open to all. The key word is that you must have a good job, be of good character and have integrity.