By Bianca Iboma-Emefu
District governor, International Association of Lions Clubs, District 404B2 Nigeria, Aare Olalekan Owolabi, has pledged to intensify the campaign against diabetes through advocacy and management of the ailment. He stressed the need to combat diabetes, a non-communicable killer disease.
Owolabi said Lions see and feel the effects of diabetes in the communities they serve and they want to help. To support them, Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF) provides diabetes grant opportunities for large-scale Lions-led projects. These include organising diabetes camps, improving infrastructure, building capacity among health care personnel and organising screening events.
He said this at Ikeja Dynamic Lions Club public presentation of the newly elected president, Alo Michael. The event also served as a fundraiser, installation of other club officers, and induction of new members into the club.
Owolabi said Lions have got right to work, educating communities on the issue. They have been establishing initiatives and programmes to improve the lives of those living with diabetes and helping prevent others from developing diabetes.
Diabetes is one of the top four killer non-communicable diseases in the world. The others are cancer, heart disease and chronic lung disease.
He charged the new executives of the club to take their duties seriously by accomplishing the tasks of Lions Clubs International which include: membership growth/development and retention in the areas of care service such as diabetes, vision, paediatric cancer, environment and hunger as well as ensuring club’s participation.
Owolabi specifically charged the new president of the club to lead by example, strengthen the club for impact as well as ensure the expansion of club service.
He urged well meaningful individuals and corporate bodies to support the club by donating generously so that the new executives will be able to embark on community need assessment programmes line up by the club such as vision, childhood cancer, diabetes, hunger and environment, among others.
The new president, Alo Michael, in his acceptance speech at the as the seventh president of the club, pledged their readiness to support government’s efforts by providing succor to the needy and positively impacting the community through humanitarian services.
Alo appealed to other Nigerians who are philanthropy- driven to join the Lions in rendering selfless services to improve the standard of living in our communities, noting that government cannot do all alone.
He expressed readiness to serve, saying the club in this Lions Service Year (2022/2023) would be embarking on 12 service activities. According to him, “each month, we are expected to carry out a community need assessment project.”
The club project for the year, according to the president, would depend on the financial support they can get.
While expressing his willingness to serve tirelessly, he called on other Nigerians to join the Lions Clubs in their drive to improve the wellbeing of the citizenry.
“I assure you that your financial contribution today will add value to the needy in our society, because we shall support the tireless efforts of the government as we all know government cannot do all of these alone. The government needs the support and partnership of NGOs like us,” he said.
The second vice president, Caleb Sanyaolu, said their core project for the Lion’s year is donating an e-library equipped with computers and other tech devices for schools in Agindigbin-Ikeja.
Sanyaolu said the Lions Clubs need more members in order to expand their reach, to get more hands to serve, to get more resources to serve more people; to lessen the burden on the available few hands and to spread the responsibility and the blessings that come with it to as many people as possible.
“We have other programmes that have something to do with the less privileged and part of it is what we call feeding the hungery. A large percentage of Nigerians today are not well fed; some don’t even