By AKINSOLA OMIDIRE
Members of the Ansar–ud–deen Society of Nigeria, Lagos State Women Council, recently converged on Toria School, University of Lagos (UNILAG) Road, Akoka, Yaba, Lagos, to celebrate the council seventh annual health walk with the theme; “Healthy Lifestyle as a Panacea to Healthy Living.”
The event, apart from keeping members healthy, was also an avenue to sensitize the residents of Akoka and its environs on the activities of the group just as to showcase and propagate Islam: “That Muslim women are not left behind when it comes to physical exercises.”
The procession started at the UNILAG junction with members dressed in the society’s green T-shirt and white skirt with hijab on their heads and trainers to match. The chairperson, Alhaja Risquat Olaide Oke, supported by other officials led the procession with Islamic songs blaring out from speakers mounted on buses following in their stead.
The procession moved from UNILAG Road junction down to UNILAG gate turning left to St. Finbarr’s College Road, passed Federal College of Education [Technical] to Pako bus stop up to CMS Grammar School, moved down to turn right to Ilaje Street to connect Ajileye Street, to Obadiah Street through Alhaji Yinusa and finally to its Central Mosque.
Oke said: “Our members must exercise on a regular basis so that they will be fit and healthy. Basically that was why we introduced the health walk.” She alluded that the role of the women council was to educate its members on their responsibilities as mothers and wives for the uplift of the society. She said the council has welfare packages where loans are giving to members without collateral or interest aside from other packages to uplift them.
State coordinator of the society, Princess R. Ola, said the event was for members to exercise since most of them “don’t have time to walkk out and keep themselves healthy.” She charged them to consolidate on the exercise for their own good.
Chairperson of the host branch, Alhaja Ganeeyat Toluwaloju, said “the event is geared towards making sure members are healthy and agile in their various endeavours.”
