1st July marks the beginning of a new Rotary year. Each year, the Rotary International President sets a presidential message to guide and inspire clubs around the world. For 2026–27, the message is Create Lasting Impact.
Rotary International President Olayinka Hakeem “Yinka” Babalola reminds us that “change is only the beginning. Impact is what endures,” and calls on us, as people of action, to work together to create meaningful, lasting change. We are being encouraged as clubs to build on the momentum of last year’s message, Unite for Good, which focused on strengthening our connections with one another and with our communities. By extending those connections and inspiring collective action, Rotary can create sustainable difference locally, nationally, and internationally.
President Babalola, pictured above, is a member of the Rotary Club of Trans Amadi in Nigeria, he announced “Create Lasting Impact” at the 2025 International Assembly.
His professional affiliations include the Nigerian Society of Engineers, the Institute of Safety Professionals, and the Association of Change Management Practitioners. He is also a member of the Jericho Business Club, an organisation in his home city that provides input to governments on economic and social policy.
Babalola began his Rotary journey in 1988 as a Rotaractor and joined the Rotary Club of Trans Amadi six years later.
His Rotary leadership roles include serving as district governor in 2011–12, Rotary International vice president in 2019–20, and a member of the RI Board from 2018–20. He has also contributed to RI committees, including the End Polio Now Countdown to History Campaign Committee and the Nigeria National PolioPlus Committee. A strong supporter of The Rotary Foundation, he is an Arch Klumph Society member and has established a named endowment. He is also a trustee of ShelterBox UK and a director of the Safe Blood Africa project. His honours include the Africa Centennial Heroes Award, the Regional Service Award for a Polio-Free World, the RI Service Above Self Award, and The Rotary Foundation Citation for Meritorious Service.
An engineer by training, Babalola received a university degree in engineering in 1988 and has worked for 25 years in the oil and gas industry, including senior roles with Shell PLC and projects across four continents. He is the founder of Riviera Services Ltd., an oil and gas infrastructure delivery company, and Lead and Change Consulting, an executive coaching and organisational performance advisory group.
Babalola and his wife, Preba, live in Port Harcourt, Nigeria.