Bayelsa Govt Pledges Stronger Media Partnership to Amplify Rotary’s Impact
By Desire Oruwari & Michael Lakpah
The Bayelsa State Government has restated its commitment to partnering with the Media to project the humanitarian interventions of Rotary International across communities in the state.
The Commissioner for Information, Orientation and Strategy, Hon. Mrs. Ebiowou Koku-Obiyai, stated this on Tuesday in Yenagoa at the Rotary Media Chat, themed: “Telling the Rotary Story: Building Media Partnerships for Community Impact.”
Mrs. Koku-Obiyai, who was represented by Rotarian Sheriff Hussain, described Rotary’s partnership with the media as being as important as the survival of the organisation itself.
According to her, Rotary has, for years, delivered quiet but far-reaching interventions in health, education, water and sanitation, yet the human stories behind these projects remain largely untold.
“The media should tell the story of Rotary because it is the story of us. This Ministry will tell the story of what Rotary is doing in Bayelsa,” she said.
The Commissioner described the media chat, the first of its kind in Bayelsa, as a shift from routine installation ceremonies to deliberate engagement among government, the people, Rotary and the media.
She noted that documenting impact is key to inspiring more service and attracting more people to humanitarian work.
Corroborating her position, Past District Governor, Rotarian Mightyman Aye-Dikuro, said Rotary’s challenge has not been a lack of projects but a lack of storytelling.
“Rotary has been doing a lot of work quietly in communities, in education, health, water, sanitation and youth empowerment. But these stories are not being told,” PDG Dikuro said.
He urged journalists to go beyond reporting donations and focus on the human angle — the child who can now learn and the mother who can now access healthcare.
Rotarian Dikuro disclosed that Rotary International, founded in 1905, funds its humanitarian interventions through The Rotary Foundation, which was established in 1917. He listed current interventions to include a $30,000 flood relief package and a disaster relief grant for victims of gas spillage in Bile Community, Rivers State.
He also announced the Rotary Youth Leadership Academy for young people aged 15–25, scheduled for October 23–25, 2026 in the state which is open to the general public with training in artificial intelligence, entrepreneurship and other skills.
In his remarks, District 9141 Governor, Rotarian Anthony Chibueze Olikagu, said Bayelsa, with 183 Rotarians across 11 clubs, has produced two of the 10 District Governors in the BRED District, which covers Bayelsa, Rivers, Edo and Delta states.
Olikagu said the District is focused on creating lasting impact and cannot do it alone.
“The media is a strategic partner. With population explosions, the challenges of society multiply. That calls for more hands on deck to serve humanity through Rotary,” he said, urging media practitioners to join Rotary and “write your name in gold by touching lives.”
He concluded by stressing the importance of media partnership in amplifying Rotary’s humanitarian work.
Earlier, in her welcome address, the District Membership Chair for 2026–2027, Enyia Nkeiru Florence, said an impact that is not communicated remains unknown beyond its direct beneficiaries, hence the need for timely, factual and human-centred reporting of Rotary projects.
Other Rotarians, including the Presidents of Rotary Club of Yenagoa Sunshine, Rotarian Onyaye Edgar Kunle-Olowu; Rotary Club of Oxbow Lake, Rotarian Ndokita Rume; and Rotary Club of Yenagoa City Centre, Rotarian Harry Porbeni, highlighted ongoing projects in the state.
The projects include the provision of water at Bayelsa Medical University; the donation of a children’s playroom and phototherapy lights to the paediatric ward at the Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital (NDUTH), Okolobiri; the beautification of the paediatric ward at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Yenagoa; and the planned renovation of Edepie Community Primary Healthcare Centre.
The event, hosted by the Rotary Club of Yenagoa Sunshine in collaboration with Rotary Club of Oxbow Lake, Rotary Club of Yenagoa City Centre and Rotaract Club of Yenagoa Prestige, all in Bayelsa State, ended with a renewed commitment to sustained collaboration among the state government, Rotary and the media to amplify stories of community impact.
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