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Lukman Olabiyi
Members of Lions Club have renewed their commitment to serving humanity, especially putting smiles on the faces of the downtrodden.
This pledge was re-echoed at the 14th Multiple District 404 National Convention of the club held in Abeokuta, Ogun State.
The theme of the five-day event was ‘Service: Gateway to Fulfilment. The club, at the event, admonished everyone to cultivate the spirit of giving to the less privileged. The club believes that doing so will go help reduce the poverty and hunger in the country.
The event was also a boost to the economy of the state, as many businesses men and women smiled to the banks during the period. Hoteliers, transporters, artisans, food vendors, restaurants, nightclubs and workers at tourist sites were some of the beneficiaries.
The number of participants in the community from all over the country for the convention was over 7000.
At a press conference to herald the event, the club’s Multiple Council chairperson, Lami Ahmed, said Lions Club had received a grant of 300, 000 dollars as part of its core mandates to increase the capacity of diabetes screening centre in the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH).
She said the financial intervention would help the club in sensitisation, mobilization and improving health facilities at the benefiting centres.
Ahmed further explained that another intervention was on-going at a teaching hospital in Osogbo, Osun State, tagged ‘sight first.’ That, he noted, focuses on vision screening. She stated that another target was Ado-Ekiti where it planned to address diabetes.
She informed that the club had started fundraising for its own eye care centre in Abuja, adding that the club had been taking beneficiaries to Kenya for surgeries because of its closeness to the Lions Eye Hospital.
She said the club was also planning to partner with schools to focus on right and positive attitude in young children, through the “Lion Quest.”
“We engage in sensitisation, mobilisation and improving health facilities where the real intervention will take place.
“Just this year alone, we have received grant which is going to be used to increase the capacity of the Diabetes Screening Centre in LUTH. And that is over $300,000 for that project.
“Talking about vision, every year, we take children who have cornea issues to do cornea transplant. Over the past five years that we have started in Nigeria, we have done intervention for over 40 Nigerians who were permanently blind because we received donations from US and India. We were able to use the cornea and they can now see.
“It is also on record that the first Nigerian who donated cornea at the point of death is a Lion member. Every year, we do eye screening and distribution of free glasses in thousands,” she disclosed.
The chairman and co-chairman of Local Organising Committee (LOC), Juliet Opaleye and Are Owolabi revealed that the convention was unique because it featured seminars, tours, cultural nights and colourful parade, among others.
Governor of District D404B1, Lekan Babalola said over 10, 000 persons have benefited from diabetes screenings, 38 cataract surgeries, and 150 free eyeglasses among other interventions of the four districts.
Babalola and other governors of District D404 A1, Monday John Onyeme, District D404 A2, Ansa Otoabasi and District D404 B2, Dupe Dada, were unanimous in appealing to well-meaning Nigerians and organisations to cultivate the spirit of giving in order reduce the level of poverty in Nigeria.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who was the special guest speaker at the occasion, called on Nigerians to serve and protect human dignity for the development of the nation. He challen ged leaders at all levels to do more in ensuring better quality service delivery.
“As citizens of this nation, we are called to serve. We are called to protect and assist people, advocate for human rights and ensure that the dignity of every man and woman is protected.
“We all have responsibilities when it comes to rendering service to those who need it. We should all be part of the solution to the challenge facing us,” he stated.
A participant and incoming president, Eko Centennial Lions Club, Jamiu Adetubo, said that the alarming rate of poverty in Nigeria, particularly the orphans and those that are suffering from one form of perpetual health deformity or the other, calls for passionate concern by the relevant government authorities, corporate organisations and well meaning individuals.
Another participant and vice chairman, Multiple District 404, Prince Adewale Saheed Michael, said affecting the lives of the less-privileged children and youths positively would give them a better opportunity to harness their potential.
