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By Bianca Iboma-Emefu
The newly elected Council Chairperson, Lions Clubs International, Multiple District 404, Nigeria, Princess Obo Edet, has announced that the club is prepared to build an Eye Care Centre at the Federal Capital Territory,(FCT), Abuja which value is in millions.
Speaking at a press confer-ence in La-gos, Edet stated her tenure is billed to offer humanitarian service towards sight preservation, diabetes prevention, pediatric cancer, feeding the hungry, and environmental protection and management which is in line with the International Associ-ation of Lions Clubs’ focus.
She said: “The core project for the Lions year is the building of an eye cen-tre at a piece of land the club had acquired some years ago; they have to construct the project. This centre, which is envisaged to be a one-stop centre for eye treatment and management within the Abuja axis, powers would be funded by Lions Clubs International Founda-tion (75%) and our District and partners (25%) and will ease the suffering endured by eye patients within that axis,who have to travel a long distance to the nearest eye centres in Abuja to get treatment.”
Edet emphasized that humanity needs people to render selfless service to survive at the press briefing tagged: ‘Our global causes.’
”I am happy that what stands Lions clubs out are our service projects. We are established to give back to the society, considering that the world needs people who give selfless services.
”My predecessors have done a whole lot, which I plan to consolidate on, by also ensuring that our service project impact on humanity.
”For instance, Lions clubs have built diabetic centers, eye centers, dialysis center and accident emergency centers. Other projects are setting up scholarships to the needy, as well as the renovation of various primary health centres across states in Nigeria,” Edet added.
The past council chairperson, Lion Lami Ahmed, said that Lions are very involved in community service and they extend their mission of service every day in local communities, in all corners of the globe.
Ahmed added that the scholarship awarded by them is mostly for indigent students who truly have the need. “The criteria for selection is being poor; it is for those who can’t afford it.
She stressed that the needs are great and their services are broad, including sight, health, youth, elderly, the environment and disaster relief, but “we would keep on affecting lives to make our society a better place.”
Past council chairperson, Lion Anthony Okpere, im-plored members of the public to join the Lions movement. He noted that the service the club aspires to attain is to reach where there would be a Lion to meet every need in the world. He noted that the Lions Movement focuses more on the eye, especially those with cataract and other eye illnesses.One eye screening for cataract cost about N20,000. Our project are very impactful and cost-demanding. “In number, the figure maybe few but the effect and weight of treatment should be considered.”
Okpere said: “We have a popular slogan that says ‘when there is a need, there is a Lion.’ In service to humanity, the harvest is plenty but the labourers are few. We need more people to join the Lions Movement so we can serve more people in need. In this 2022/2023 Lions year, we plan to take the International Association of Lions Club to the hinterland so our activ-ities will be known to more Nigerians and we will also en-courage fellow citizens to join us so we will have many more people become available for humanitarian service.”
The occasion was graced by some past and present officials of the club, the new council chairperson, Lions Clubs International, Multiple District 404, Nigeria. They called for more Nigerians to join the club for a better society.
