By Olanrewaju Adesanya
Nigerian women have been urged to come together and to strive to give back to humanity especially the indigents.
This call was made by the newly installed President of the Ikeja Viva L’amour Lions Club, Lion Folashade Ashafa NLCF.
Giving the charge at the installation programme held at the 10 Degrees event place in Lagos, Lion Ashafa, wife of Senator Olugbenga Ashafa, who got up the rung of the Lions club ladder as the 14th Club President cited the focus of her tenure as leader is to weigh into the plights of the less privileged and give succour, especially to children.
She stated that the Club would focus on eye defects, through various surgical operations, raise support for Pediatric Cancer, youth empowerment, hunger relief in the community, environment intervention through tree planting and beautification, free diabetes screening for school children amongst others.
“I urge all Nigerian women to come together and give back to humanity, women do it better because we have the compassion to do it and in Viva L’amour we serve with love and passion, so whatever it is we give, we give it heartily with love that is the meaning our club’s name in French.
“We are going to take care of the eye, that is the core project in Lionism. We are known to do surgeries, cataract anything that has to do with the eye, but in my own tenure, I am centering on children.
“What I will do for the adults would be, maybe, eye screening and giving of glasses to them but children are really the main focus.
“The less privileged children that can’t afford it, the cataract surgery we are doing for about two children because it is so expensive.
Commenting on the impact of women in nation building, Mrs Folashade Ashafa said if given the chance,women will do better.
“Nigerian women have always been there,we are at the foremost,we have always been there playing it to the best and if given more chance we will do it better,I believe so.” Lion Ashafa reiterates.
The Chairman of the event, Mr. Akinyele Oladeji Managing Consultant, CSDC Consulting, in his welcome address gave a succinct statistics of health issues confronting Nigerians for which the Lions Club can promptly intervene.
Speaking with newsmen, Oladeji elucidated further that Nigerians are worse off regarding cataract and river blindness treatment as quackery is also taking its toll on the people.
“50 percent of global blindness is caused by cataract, statistics have shown, that about 486,000 Nigerians are in need of one cataract surgery or the other, when you compare statistics of Australia to what you have here, cataract surgical rate in Australia is 6300, per million population per year, but in Nigeria it is 100 people per million operation per year.
“The statistics is made worse by the fact that 50 percent of those who even have surgery at all, patronise traditional butchers, the Mallams by the road side that goes about brandishing very awesome credentials that they can make you see better than light and this now goes to contribute more into the blindness of our people.
“River blindness is another major source and impediment to patients probably we have 120millon people suffering from one form of river blindness or the other.
“41million of that particular group is said to be in Africa and 1.7million people in Nigeria in 40,000 communities are affected by one form of River blindness or the other. So that is to say that the intervention of the Lions Club in the area of vision is very apt.”
Oladeji also hinted that women if empowered will help reduce poverty to the barest minimum in the society, noting that 90percent of our informal sector is peopled by the women and if encouraged the problem is nearly solved.
The guest speaker Lion Isiaq Kayode Oshinuga, SVDG District 404B-2,Nigeria noted that he was elated been part of those who chartered the club 14years ago, stating that the newly installed President should raise the bar of service to humanity.
Lion Wesley Kafidiya, the District Governor 404B-2 Nigeria in his remarks tasked Lion Ashafa to expand service to cater for the needs of neighbours and help strengthen the club more than before.
The Lagos State Head of Service, Hakeem Muri-Okunola also spoke glowingly about the newly installed President, citing her charitable qualities as the key factor for which she must have been chosen.
He counseled that Lion Folashade should “reemain consistent in what she has been doing since I knew her and I am sure that she has improved on it and that have endeared her to mankind and humanity and I am sure that she will continue in that light.
The event which coincided with Nigeria’s independence day celebration had in attendance prominent individuals like; former Minister of Aviation Demola Seriki, Mr. Kunle Adebayo Chairman Tasty Foods Ltd., Air Vice Marshal Anthony Okpere, wife of the Works Minister Mrs Abimbola Fashola, the Senior Special Assistant to the President and Executive Director of the Office of Sustainable Development Goals Mrs Adejoke Orelope and other dignitaries.
Mr Tosin Ashafa son of the newly installed President while speaking with reporters, pledged his total support to her mum in ensuring her tenure was successful. He hinted that his mum has a heart of gold which makes her feel the plights of the less privileged and take action to give them succour.