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By Bianca Iboma-Emefu
Lion Olabisi Bakare-Biobaku was recently installed as the third president of Maryland Royal Lions Club, District 404B-2. She is taking up the mantle for the 2022/2023 Lions service year.
Biobaku said that the club is committed to the core services areas of the International Lions Club, such as vision, diabetes, paedretic cancer, hunger and environment, and have earmarked key projects to be achieved during her administration as president.
Dignitaries from all walks of life witnessed the double celebration of her investiture and fund-raising ceremony in Lagos.
The club also used the ceremony to solicit for financial donations from attendees to help finance its activities for the year.
Biobaku said: “Maryland Royal Lions Club consists of a group of people with like minds and passion for the underprivileged. They came together to share their vision of how to help the less privilege in the society. The watchword of the club is love, friendship and togetherness just as members of Lions Club International, which is the largest international charity and philanthropic organization in the world today.
“We are committed to humanitarian services and would remain the topmost volunteer group in the world.”
Biobaku said that their desire as a club is to serve humanity and see mankind thrive that is why they have identified some of the needs in the society and they are making positive impact.
“The world is in need and that is why the Lions Club International is here, to make positive changes,” she said. She pledged her total support for the growth and development of the club.
The District Governor on his part, Olalekan Owolabi, charged the newly installed president of Maryland Royal Lions Club to build on the successes of her successors over the years.
He charged Biobaku and members of the executive team to work as a team to further the interest of the club, which he said is to render service to the needy and underprivileged in our society.
Owolabi stressed the need for the members of the club to double their efforts to increase the membership of the club, adding that with more members, there will be more resources and people to achieve the goals and objectives of the club.
He also lauded the club for impacting their community and encourage them to do more in order to transform the society.
The immediate past president Abiola Bababunmi, thanked the club for the privilege she had to serve and promised to continue working with the new president on projects that will touch the lives of the needy.
Bababunmi said the club under her leadership served in all the core areas of service, mandated by the international body of Lions Club as she reeled out the activities she embarked on the last service year.
“In the area of environment, we evacuated drainage and donated implements to local government environmentalist (drain dock) to ease the flow of drainage in Maryland neighborhoods to avert erosion/flood
Also, under the youth empowerment initiative, the club empowered youths in small scale businesses at Onigbongbo and environs.
Another area of focus was the campaign against child cancer they carried out. The club was able to sensitize and educate students of Bello Memorial School, where they distributed flyers and some materials to aid the detect warning signs and symptoms of paediatric cancer. Some of this materials were given to the student to take home and give their parents. Exercise and text books were equally donated to the school.
She added that a reading competition was organized for the students and the three winners were rewarded with a certificate.
“The club equally carried out a sensitization exercise on how to care for the eyes and prevent damages by identifying warning signs. The flyers were equally distributed in Onigbongbo and Mende to educate the community on early signs and for proper medical services. We also keyed into the district program held at Onigbongbo local government area.
In addition to the exercise, a lecture was organised for women in Onigbongbo community on the signs, symptoms of diabetes and the type of diets to manage it.
“Also, we distributed food stuff to about 300 people at the community play ground, and equally extended the charitable deeds to the oba and his chiefs in the area.
“Other activities and community engagement we had included the International Women’s Day celebration with a lecture delivered by the club secretary, ‘Blocking bias/violence against the girl child.
“Moreso, to promote a healthy environment,we encouraged the planting of trees.The club planted flowers and trees at National College, Gbagada and donated cleaning materials to the school.
“For the core project, we were able to renovate 16 units toilets and painting of a block of class rooms, two storey building and the unveiling of a block dedicated to Maryland Royal Lions Club by the school authorities.”
Meanwhile,the club’s legacy project was inaugurated by the immediate past district governor, Kayode Osinuga.
