…As Rotary partners Rivers varsity
The Rotary District 9141, comprising 154 clubs in Rivers, Bayelsa, Delta and Edo states, have entered a collaborative initiative with the Rivers State University (RSU) to deliver Special Needs education to thousands of students living with disability in the South South of Nigeria.
Anthony Osarehn Woghiren, Governor of District 9141, in a press briefing in Port Harcourt on Wednesday July 24, 2025, said the initiative is part of projects lined up for the Rotary Year 2025 to 2026, with the theme: ‘Unite for Good.’
Woghiren, who was speaking in a run-up to his installation as the 9th Governor of the district, scheduled for Saturday July 26, 2025, said Rotary is an organisation committed to the development of persons living in the society and the society as a whole.
The pursuit of development for the good has seen the club, especially in the four states of Rivers, Bayelsa, Edo and Delta, intervene in the areas of maternal health, peace building, mangroves restoration, water projects, creating value and building awareness among youths, and many others.
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“This year, we are focusing on membership, creating 30 new club charters, water projects in communities and the nook and crannies of the four states under our purview, strengthening youth development and ensuring we give our very best to everything we do, Promax,” he said.
Woghiren said that the education initiative for special needs students in the region will initially focus on the establishment of a department of academic study at the Rivers State University, devoted solely to their needs and peculiarities.
Already, Vice chancellor of the university, Prof Isaac Zeb-Obipi and his team have bought into the initiative and have began preparation for its actualization, Wogherien said, while calling on well-meaning individuals in the society to support the bid for accessible and conducive education for special needs students in the region.
The special needs education will also include the setting up of a special centre for the West African Examination Council (WAEC) dedicated solely to students with such needs.
Ibim Semenitari, former President of Rotary Club of Port Harcourt Cosmopolitan and former Rivers State Commissioner of Information, said Rotary District 9141 “has been creating lasting change in these four states, from saving mothers and children to ensuring that we preserve the environment, we are involved in certain parts of the district to ensuring that there is peace building and conflict prevention.”
She added that the Rotary District had done a lot of work in the last three years, providing food, medical treatment and clothing and this year the district is taking it another notch in these four states.
“The 154 clubs are ensuring that we protect people, we’re ensuring that we deliver health care in communities, economic development and empowerment. So in all of these areas, we’re also making sure that no matter what happens there’s a basic education,” Semenitari said.
