UK Eke: Inspiring Rotary Club of Banana Island for community impact

By : Guardian Nigeria

Date: 10 January 2026 3:11am WAT

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Eke with some of the students

Eke with some of the students

For Elder Urum Kalu (UK) Eke, life is not complete without community service. He is the Executive Chairman of Fairchild Group and was Group Managing Director, FBN Holdings Plc up till 2021 when he retired. Now, he is expected to be as busy as a bee. Family matters are also ever there.

Yet, he finds a passion in being an active patron of the Boys’ Brigade just as he has been President of its (Brigade) Lagos State Council. More importantly, he is inspiring great strides at the Rotary Club of Banana Island, Lagos, where he is the Charter President. The club got chartered in June 2025. Within the six months of its noble adventures, it has touched the hearts of mankind in schools, hospitals, markets and more. Eke and his fellow Rotarians are glad that, within a short time, the Rotary Club of Banana Island has made significant contributions to their community.

“What makes us tick?” they ask concerning their mandate. “Our vibe. Our vibe is youthful even though some of us are well over 50 years, fun and vibrant, while we remain dogged about achieving our goals and impacting our space.”

Among other activities, the charter recently donated medical equipment to the General Hospital, Lagos to strengthen the Ophthalmology Department.

Besides,  at the General Hospital in Onikan,  the Rotary Club of Banana Island donated a Unit Automated Immuno-Assay Analyser  and three Units Vital Signs Monitor with stand. This is as the club donated nutritional supplements to pre-term and underweight neonatals, plus items of clothing to babies born by indigent mothers at the hospital.

In its basic education and literacy outreach, the club organised an essay competition at Kuramo Schools on Victoria Island.  Also, it donated White boards to Kuramo Senior Secondary and signage to Kuramo Junior Secondary School . The students were inspired seeing Eke grab the marker and turn the biggest executive teacher they had ever encountered. On a similar note, the charter donated N250,000 to Banana Island International School.

The Rotary Club of Banana Island has, however, straddled other sectors too. For instance, it presented a N2m micro-credit to 20 traders of Oluwaseun Market Association.  This is in collaboration with FCMB.

On what the community should expect from the charter in 2026, its mantra says much: “Youthful. Vibrant. More than all, dogged. We are visionary. We achieve our goals. We impact our space! Wear your badge proudly as we march on, taking more bold steps. At Rotary Club of Banana Island, our heartbeat is service!”

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