how much I care about and think of you this very

joyous time of the year. We wish you and your

family a very happy and healthy holiday season!

God bless you all!

Other News from the District Rotaract

Representative

December is Family month and I propose that

we do things that address family. At zone/club

level you should/could hold an event this month

that demonstrate our commitment to families in

Rotaract.

Thank you again to District Newsletter Editorials

for your diligent efforts in putting together this

newsletter each month so that all of you can

enjoy the news of the District.

MAY ROTARACTORS CELEBRATE

CHRISTMAS AND WELCOME THE NEW

YEAR IN THE SPIRIT AND ACTION OF

SERVICE ABOVE SELF. AND MAKE PEACE

THROUGH OUR SERVICE

Yours in service,

Rtr. SHITTU, D. Abdulwasi’u

District Rotaract Representative

2012/2013 Rotary Year

08091185017,

shittu87@gmail.com

Pointers:

News Letter

Dear family members,

As we ushered in the traditional start of the holiday

season by celebrating all the wonderful blessings in

our lives, we roll into December and Family Month,

a time when we pay special attention to our Family

DRR’s Message

DRR’s

District 9125, Nigeria

Issue No. 6, December 2012

I had more time to spend with each and every one of you. Please know

of Rotary, both our individual families and our Rotary "families" worldwide -

Rotaractors, Interactors, Rotarians etc. We have given thanks, not only for our

family and friends, but for the opportunity to serve in an organization that, for

over 107 years, has done so much to touch those less fortunate at home and

abroad by providing: clean water and sanitation, food for the hungry, medical

care for the sick and poor, vaccine to eradicate polio, education and job training

to combat illiteracy, and so much more.

Your generosity and support have reached, and will continue to reach, so many

individuals whose lives are blessed by what you do to make a difference. But if

we focused all our attention on nothing but that life-saving and life-altering

work, then that work would eventually come to an end. Rotary/Rotaract would

die out in a generation if we did not also pay attention to the health of our own

clubs and members. Since almost everything we do as we make "Peace through

Service," and since almost all of our strength is derived from our family, we

must make sure that we also continue to take care of the immediate families of

our local Rotaractors.

As we gather in our respective family (zones) or other settings for the various

holiday celebrations, let us remember that the holidays are more than fried rice

and chickens. Let us also remember, particularly in these trying time, that some

of the greatest gifts in our lives are those that don't cost a thing, like spending

time with family and friends, and participating in family traditions. We have

many personal gifts to give - our time, knowledge and experience are just as

important as the monetary gifts. Our families can benefit every bit as much from

those gifts as those in need throughout our communities, so give generously to

your families during this holiday season!

I want to take this opportunity to let each of you know how thankful I am to all

the Rotaractors in our beloved District for all your service and support for the

six months journey so far! I consider you all "spirit friends", and I wish that

Pictures Article

Info-bytes

Our lord! Suffer not our heart to deviate after

that which You have guided us to and bestow on

us from Your presence mercy. Surely, it is You

Who are the bestower!

1

DRR'S MESSAGE: DECEMBER 2012

TIME FOR FAMILY!

An eye for an eye will only make the whole world blind

Based on the directive of the DRR, the

closing date of the submission of

articles and entries for the district

magazine has been extended to the

second week of December, fellow

Rotaractors, please let us maximize his

opportunity.

RATES OF PUBLICATIONS IN

THE DISTRICT MAGAZINE

ADVERTS

Back page N 50,000

Inner back page N 40,000

Inner pages N 30,000

Half page N 15,000

Who is who in Rotaract D9125 N1,000

Shout out and goodwill messages box

N 1,000

Reports, articles, information etc Free

NB:

Only clubs in good standing will be

allowed to submit reports

Reports should be submitted with

photographs

Who is who: Brief profile of

Rotaractors: Name, call name, club,

designation, classification, phone

number, email address and a

photograph

Shout out and goodwill messages

shall be a 3 x 3 box message

All articles, info, messages, reports

and other entries should be sent to

either: tundenmerry@yahoo.com or

fikayobenson01@yahoo.com

Rtr. Tunde Oluwasimirin

District Editor.

Call for

Advert

Despite a $60 million (N9.6 billion) commitment from President Goodluck Jonathan for polio eradication

efforts in 2012 and 2013, and the setting up of a Presidential Task Force on Polio Eradication in March

2012, Nigeria is the only country in the world that recorded an upsurge in polio cases from 62 cases in

2011 to 97 in 2012.

THE world yesterday on the occasion of the World Polio Day, celebrated a 63 per cent decline in the

number of new cases of the Wild Polio Virus (WPV), from 467 at this time last year to 171 this year.

Polio cases have decreased by over 99 per cent since 1988, from an estimated 350,000 cases in more

than 125 endemic countries then, to 650 reported cases in 2011. In 2012, only parts of three countries in

the world remain endemic for the disease – the smallest geographic area in history – and case numbers of

WPV Type 3 (WPV3) are down to lowest-ever levels.

However, the situation in Nigeria is different. Nigeria is the only country out of the three remaining polio

endemic countries to record increase in cases with 36 per cent, that is from 62 cases this time last year to

97 cases today.

Afghanistan and Pakistan are the two other countries alongside Nigeria that have remained endemic to

polio, and have not been able to stop the transmission of the virus.

According to the latest edition of Weekly Polio Update published by the Global Polio Eradication Initiative

(GPEI), Afghanistan recorded 37.5 per cent case-decline, from 40 cases in 2011 to 25 in 2012; and

Pakistan, a 62.7 per cent decline, from 118 cases in 2011 to 44 cases today.

The GPEI noted: “The four new Type 1 WPV (WPV1) were recorded last week in Kaduna, Kano, Katsina,

and Sokoto states.

“The most recent case was the one from Kaduna State, with onset of paralysis on September 22, bringing

the total number of cases for 2012 to 97. A second-round immunisation campaign, in response to the

recent Taraba WPV3 case, is ongoing.”

But the Executive Director, National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr. Ado Gana

Mohammed, told The Guardian that despite the security challenges the country has made progress in

improving population immunity and the quality of the immunisation campaigns.

Defending Nigeria despite the upsurge,

Mohammed said: “I will say that Nigeria is committed to the global eradication efforts and we have shown

that. What we are seeing is a continued transmission from last year. We found out that over the years a lot

of children have not been vaccinated. Last year a lot of children were not immunised.”

But the NPHCDA has been conducting immunisation campaigns? “What we noticed is the quality of the

vaccinators reaching the children were very poor. Routine immunisation was not functioning and there was

security challenges which made it impossible to reach a lot of areas. What we are doing is to reposition

ourselves in such a way that we can overcome these challenges,” he said.

Mohammed added: “The population immunity is on the increase as well as the quality of the campaigns.

The population immunity is now between 60 and 70 per cent and we have reached 80 per cent

immunisation coverage, which was confirmed by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

“Last week, Mr. President had a meeting with governors of the polio endemic states. We have reviewed

our micro-plan. We discovered that there were 287 settlements that were not on the polio eradication map.

In addition we have increased our surveillance. The surveillance this year has been excellent, that is why

we cannot miss any new case.”

He promised: “We are working very hard. We will be able to stop the transmission of the polio virus by the

end of next year.”

According to the WHO Fact Sheet, polio (poliomyelitis) mainly affects children under five years of age.

Polio is a highly infectious disease caused by a virus. It invades the nervous system and can cause total

paralysis in a matter of hours. The virus enters the body through the mouth and multiplies in the intestine.

Initial symptoms are fever, fatigue, headache, vomiting, stiffness in the neck and pain in the limbs.

One in 200 infections leads to irreversible paralysis. Among those paralysed, five per cent to 10 per cent

die when their breathing muscles become immobilized.

Polio As It Stands In Nigeria as at World Polio Day 2012 as Reported by Nigerian Guardian

2

Continue from page 5

Don’t gain the world & lose your soul, wisdom is better than silver or gold

District 9125, Nigeria

, he went to a bookshop and out of his

savings, he bought a copy of the

Nigerian constitution to find out what is

the portion of youths in the national cake

and discovered that the only place where

youth was mentioned in the 400page

book is the stage he just left; NYSC,

what a pathetic Nigeria that has no plan

for the youths of her land and want to

grow.

It is more heart breaking when they say

the youths of today are the leaders of

tomorrow when the said leaders of the

yester years think of nothing than to be

recycling themselves in the corridor of

power and before they become feeble,

bring in their children into the system to

replace them, hmmm! No wonder the

wealth they gathered are most times

being scattered by the frustrated youths.

Though, the energetic guy had luck ran

his way one day and got a good job from

a multinational company and now

soothing away the pains of the old,

feeble, weak and grey parents he left in

the village. No effort is wasted especially

when invested on education.

Finally, I take the second stanza of the

National anthem:

Oh God of creation

Direct our noble course,

Guide our leaders right

Help our youths the truth to know

In love and honesty to grow

And live in just and truth

Great lofty height attain,

To build a nation where peace and justice

shall reign.

Written by

Icon Tunde Oluwasimirin

Born mostly without a silver spoon, grow through the thicks and thins of life, fed with the

unimaginable and drank from the same river where his clothes are washed, loaded with

different mentalities that has no correlations, living so disturbed but with the hope of a

bright future. Launched into the journey; started a primary school with no uniform, trekking

a 5km distance on daily basis in pursuance of the dream bare footed, attended classes with

empty stomach and sometimes if lucky, eat the remnant of the previous night, came back to

resume on the chores for the day leaving no time to rest, sleep so late after a long wait for

the dinner, yet on a tattered mat passing the night with irregular dreams and at times,

nightmares, woke up the following morning to continue the cycle, hmmm, the Nigerian

child.

Growing in this nature, got admitted into the secondary school and started seeing hope and

the reality of the dreams getting closer even amidst the harsh realities of the present

situation, stayed at home most times for school fees as he had to pay for himself, feed

himself, buy books and so many other things, most times give to the struggling parents

from the meager he could realise from the ups and downs, through the pains and smiles, he

graduated from the secondary school making his first attempt of his final examination but

gone are those days in the land that such brilliant effort like his will earn you automatic

scholarship to study in the tertiary institution, now the whistle for the kickoff of the

problem has just been blown.

Travelled to the town to source for a means to make ends meet, after several years of

preparing for the tertiary institution funding, he gained admission into one of the prestigious

universities in the country to study a course of choice for four years but plus X (4yrs + X),

the X been Nigerian factors of ASUU strike, NLC down tool, internal problems among

others. Struggling with the purchase of handout after paying the throat cutting tuition fee

imposed by leaders who started with the Awolowo free education and ended with the

scholarship scheme of the state now became a tuition fee sucking demon, this coupled with

the problem he’s facing with a lecturer who wants the back of the only girl he has loved on

his (lecturer) bed or else, toying with his graduation, battling with this and still thinking of

the way forward when the news of the new policy of no class without laptops came and he

completely became devastated. Like the Yoruba adage; “elede a de Oyo, ariwo e lapo”,

“the pig will get to Oyo town its the noise that will be much” , after struggling and battling

and battling with the university headaches for years, here comes the convocation day,

forced himself to dine and wine with the people – mates, friends, colleagues etc, the NYSC

posting list is pasted just shortly after and the boy is posted to Maiduguri, having just two

days to report in camp when he got the letter a day before the first day, needed to put some

things in place and had to travel another 21 hours with a challenging transport fare after the

subsidy on PMS was removed by the so called leaders, going through the pains and

surviving on the monthly 19,700 + 3,000 of the state government for the state government,

he went for the POP, looking closer than ever to the fulfillment of dreams , got back home,

rested a bit and went to book with a vendor for daily reading of newspapers for job

advertisement, funny enough, he sees vacancies every day, but Nigerian companies will

always demand for 5 years post NYSC experience, and for the young man who just passed

out of the scheme could not meet the said requirements, after a while 3

Info bytes:

The DRR official visitation to zone L and

K comes up during the zonal Family of

Rotary for the two zones on the 6th

and

13th respectively:

YOU ARE ALL INVITED

Whenever you are confronted with an opponent. Conquer him with love

District 9125, Nigeria

The pencil maker took the pencil aside

just before putting the pencil into the box,

he said: there are five (5) things you need

to know before I send you to the world,

he told the pencil, always remember them

and you will become the best of pencil

you can be.

Everything you do will always leave a

MARK

You can always CORRECT the

MISTAKES you have made

The most important part of you will

always be what is INSIDE OF YOU

In life, you will undergo PAINFUL

SHARPENING which will make you

a BETTER PENCIL

To be the best pencil you can be, you

must allow yourself to be HELD and

GUIDED by the hands that hold you.

WE ARE NOTHING BUT PENCILS IN

THE HAND OF THE CREATOR

Written by

Merry Olu Escort.

defense. Guide them far enough down the

wrong path, envelop them in enough

smoke, and by the time they realize your

intentions, it will be too late.

LAW 3

NEVER PUT TOO MUCH TRUST IN

FRIENDS, LEARN HOW TO USE

ENEMIES

Be wary of friends they will betray you

more quickly, for they are easily aroused to

envy. They also become spoiled and

tyrannical. But hire a former enemy and he

will be more loyal than a friend, because

he has more to prove. In fact, you have

more to fear from friends than from

enemies. If you have no enemies, find a

way to make them.

LAW 4

ALWAYS SAY LESS THAN

NECESSARY

When you are trying to impress people

with words, the more you say, the more

common you appear, and the less in

control. Even if you are saying something

banal, it will seem original if you make it

vague, open-ended, and sphinxlike.

Powerful people impress and intimidate by

saying less. The more you say, the more

likely you are to say something foolish.

LAW 5

SO MUCH DEPENDS ON

REPUTATIONGUARD IT WITH

YOUR LIFE

Reputation is the cornerstone of power.

Through reputation alone you can

intimidate and win; once it slips, however,

you are vulnerable, and will be attacked on

all sides. Make your reputation

unassailable. Always be alert to potential

attacks and thwart them before they

happen. Meanwhile, learn to destroy your

enemies by opening holes in their own

reputations. Then stand aside and let public

opinion hang them.

LAW 6

COURT ATTENTION AT ALL COST

Everything is judged by its appearance;

what is an unseen count for nothing.

Never let yourself get lost in the crowd,

then, or buried in oblivion. Stand out. Be

conspicuous, at all cost. Make yourself a

magnet of attention by appearing larger,

more colorful, and more mysterious than

the bland and timid masses.

LAW 7

GET OTHERS TO DO THE WORK

FOR YOU, BUT ALWAYS TAKE THE

CREDIT

Use the wisdom, knowledge, and legwork

of other people to further your own cause.

Not only will such assistance save you

valuable time and energy, it will give you

a godlike aura of efficiency and speed. In

the end your helpers will be forgotten and

you will be remembered. Never do

yourself what others can do for you.

LAW 8

MAKE OTHER PEOPLE COME TO

YOUUSE BAIT IF NECESSARY

When you force the other person to act,

you are the one in control. It is always

better to make your opponent

come to you, abandoning his own plans in

the process. Lure him with fabulous gains

then attack. You hold the cards.

LAW 9

WIN THROUGH YOUR ACTIONS,

NEVER THROUGH ARGUMENT

Any momentary triumph you think you

have gained through argument is really a

Pyrrhic

LAW 10

INFECTION: AVOID THE UNHAPPY

AND UNLUCKY

You can die from someone else's misery

emotional states are as infectious as

diseases. You may feel you are helping the

drowning man but you are only

precipitating your own disaster. The

unfortunate sometimes draw misfortune on

themselves; they will also draw it on you.

Associate with the happy and fortunate

instead.

Tunde Oluwasinmirin Fikayo Benson Jide Ajao Rtn Kola Oderinu Dr Buchi Akpeh

District Editor Deputy District Editor Media Consultant Chief Correspondent Chief Correspondent (Internal Affairs) (External Affairs)

Akintayo Orimadegun Balogun Ajibola Ayoola adedolapo Senior Correspondent Zone L Senior Correspondent Zone K Correspondent J

LAW 1

NEVER OUTSHINE THE MASTER

Always make those above you feel

comfortably superior. In your desire to

please or impress them, do not go too far

in displaying your talents or you might

accomplish the opposite inspire fear and

insecurity. Make your masters appear

more brilliant than they are and you will

attain the heights of power.

LAW 2

CONCEAL YOUR INTENTIONS

Keep people off-balance and in the dark

by never revealing the purpose behind

your actions. If they have no clue what

you are up to, they cannot prepare a

4 Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without

District 9125, Nigeria

Although we may be born with certain wrong

inclination, violent behavior is usually learned.

The same is true of peacefulness. The question is

who can teach us the ways of true peace? Surely,

the most authoritative person would be our

Creator, whose wisdom is unsurpassed. Consider

the following five points.

DO NOT BECOME ENVIOUS OF THE

MAN OF VIOLENCE.

CHOOSE YOUR ASSOCIATES WISELY.

CULTIVATE TRUE LOVE FOR

OTHERS.

TRUST GOD TO DEAL WITH THE

WICKED.

LOOK TO GOD'S KINGDOM TO BRING

TRUE PEACE TO THE EARTH.

These point teachings have help millions of

people - including some with a violent

disposition-to become lovers of peace. Consider

the point and let SERVE THROUGH PEACE.

Rtr. Oladimeji Jubril A.

(RAC. Ikirun C.B)

Blessed with the best human and natural

resources

Had her glorious days and time of

celebrations

With outstanding achievements in various

fields

Education, sports, culture, tourism, even

governance, 13 years of uninterrupted

democratic rule,

Though all these are not without the

turbulence of time test,

The pre-colonial days slave trade

The cultural killing of twin children

The independence chaos,

The post-independence military coup

d’état at various times,

The 3 years civil war that took the country

through a memorial,

The post electoral violence of 1983 that

saw the nation through the return to

military rule

The era that involved the days of the

master dribbler; Nigerian Maradona

The dictatorship years of Gen. Sanni

Abacha,

The June 12, 1993 annulment that ended

with assassination of innocent souls,

The beginning of the murder of social

justice in the land,

The return to democracy and the

beginning of another era

The electoral frauds and corruption that

nearly became a legal business,

The kidnapping that arose from the

militant of the south,

The present day insurgency of the Boko

Haram sect that has claimed so many

lives,

But the good news of the story is that the

beautiful ones are born,

Even though the ugly ones refuse to die but

then...

Amidst all odds, the country still exist as

one, then I think I’m justified for calling

the nation the giant of Africa.

God Bless Nigeria and God bless us all.

The most populous black nation,

Never an understatement to be called the

giant of Africa,

Or how else do you describe a country

like Nigeria,

When a universal maxim says that:

“the success of a man is not quantified

by the level of his wealth but by the

number of problems he overcame in the

course of succeeding”

Then you will agree with me that a

country with

One Federal Capital Territory and the

fastest growing city in the continent,

36 States across the 6 geo political zones,

Over 250 ethnic nationalities and tribes

divided to 774 local governments

Covering over 900, 000 square kilometer

in land mass

With over 150 million people

representing more than half of the total

population of West Africa

Became a sovereign entity 52 years ago

The GPEI was launched in 1988 when the 41st

World Health Assembly (WHA) adopted a

resolution for the worldwide eradication of polio.

It is spearheaded by national governments,

WHO, Rotary International, the United States

Centres for Disease Control and Prevention

(CDC), United Nations Children‟s Fund

(UNICEF), and supported by key partners

including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

This followed the certification of the eradication

of smallpox in 1980, progress during the 1980s

towards elimination of the poliovirus in the

Americas, and Rotary International‟s

commitment to raise funds to protect all children

from the disease.

In 1994, the WHO Region of the Americas was

certified polio-free, followed by the WHO

Western Pacific Region in 2000 and the WHO

European Region in June 2002. Of the three

types of WPV1, 2, and 3, WPV2 transmission

has been successfully stopped (since 1999).

According to the WHO, more than 10 million

people are today walking, who would otherwise

have been paralysed. About 1.5 million

childhood deaths have been prevented, through

the systematic administration of Vitamin A during

polio immunisation activities.

Polio eradication partners around the world are

marking the first WPD since India was removed

from the list of countries with active transmission

of WPV.

A statement from the GPEI on the WPD states:

“This development opened up a historic

opportunity to complete polio eradication in the

remaining endemic countries, powered by the

WHA declaration of an „emergency for global

public health‟ and implemented through national

emergency programmes run by the governments

of Afghanistan, Nigeria and Pakistan.

“In all but three countries of the world,

governments supported by the GPEI have

stopped transmission of this crippling virus. This

year, fewer children (171) have been paralyzed

by polio, in fewer parts of the world than ever

before.

“Since the launch of the GPEI‟s Emergency

Action Plan in May 2010, India – long thought to

be the hardest place from which to eradicate

polio – has stopped polio transmission. Polio

now survives among the most marginalised

communities of just three countries: Afghanistan,

Nigeria and Pakistan.

THE LAND

CALLED

NIGERIA

5

To be Continue d

Continued from page 2

There is no ‘way to peace,’ there is only ‘peace’

District 9125, Nigeria

6 How can we play war and not peace?

District 9125, Nigeria