Olusegun Osunkeye receives Rotary International’s top honour for decades of humanitarian service and polio eradication efforts
Rotary International has honoured Nigerian philanthropist and corporate statesman Olusegun Osunkeye with its highest individual recognition, the “Service Above Self” award, for his longstanding contributions to polio eradication and humanitarian service.
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The award was presented during the Rotary District 9111 Conference held on Saturday in Abeokuta.
Osunkeye received the honour in recognition of more than 50 years of service and his status as the highest single individual donor to Rotary District 9111’s polio eradication initiatives in Nigeria.
The Osunkeye polio eradication award also reflects Rotary International’s global campaign against poliomyelitis through the Polioplus programme launched in 1985 in partnership with the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and other stakeholders under the Global Polio Eradication Initiative.
According to the organisers, global vaccination and surveillance efforts have reduced polio cases by more than 99.9 per cent, while Africa was officially certified free of wild poliovirus in 2020.
The statement noted that Nigerian Rotarians had played a frontline role in the continent’s success against the disease.
Osunkeye’s contributions were said to have supported immunisation campaigns, health outreach programmes and healthcare infrastructure projects under District 9111, helping to protect millions of Nigerian children from the debilitating disease.
Representing Rotary International President Francesco Arezzo, Past District Governor Francisco Ssemwanga of Uganda urged African Rotarians to strengthen their influence globally while ensuring transparency and accountability in humanitarian projects.
“African Rotarians must continue to push their weight amongst the global community of Rotarians,” Ssemwanga said.
District Governor Henry Akinyele, who formally presented the award, praised Osunkeye’s enduring commitment to service and humanitarian development.
“Chief Osunkeye’s remarkable strides in service to humanity are legacies worth celebrating,” Akinyele said.
In his acceptance speech, Osunkeye described the recognition as a collective achievement shared with those who had supported his humanitarian journey over the decades.
“I accept this award, not as a personal achievement but as a recognition of the efforts of those who have journeyed with me,” he said.
He added that service to humanity had become a vital responsibility in confronting modern global challenges.
Osunkeye, a former Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Nestlé Nigeria Plc and past President of the Rotary Club of Ikeja, also holds the national honours of CON and OFR.
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The “Service Above Self” distinction is reserved for a select number of individuals globally each year as Rotary intensifies efforts to eliminate polio worldwide.
Victory Emmanuel is a journalist and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering news, business, and public affairs.
