Lion Clubs District 404B1 donates foodstuffs, other relief items to less-priviledges in Lagos

By OLALEKAN AYENI --- The District 404B1 Governor of International Association of Lions Clubs, Lion (Mrs) Lynda Oluremi Odunmbaku has urged Nigerian goverments to provide employment and social amenities to citizens especially the young graduates to reduce level of poverty and hungers in the country.

She expressed dissatisfaction as young graduates from different fields still depends on parents to sustained after spent so much in sponsoring their educations.

Lion (Mrs) Odunmbaku said it is high time for goverments to invest heavily on agriculture, support farmers with all necessary assistance such as granting soft loan and security, saying this will further provide job opportunities to youths, both men and women and it will aggravate the reduction of poverty and hungers in the country.

She disclosed this while donating foodstuffs and other relief packages to the less-priviledges as part of the agenda set in line with the District 404B1 Lions Clubs objectives for the year 2020.

The event, tagged: "Feeding the hungers" was held at the Secretariat of Ipaja/Ayobo Local Council Development Area in Lagos in line with COVID-19 guidelines.

Uncountable numbers of aged men, women, widows, widowers and other less-priviledges benefitted from the exercise which is one of the adopted yearly projects of the largest family in humanitarian service providers as a way of giving back and showing love to the needies in the society. 

She stressed that feeding the hungers apart from diabetes, which is currently the silent killer, Paediatric intervention, vision restoration and environmental protections are the major adopted yearly projects of the Club as a way of showing love to the less-priviledges to make them feel sense of belonging, adding that she feels so glad because this is what they are called to do as Lions to make available such services to the community.

She expressed joy and appreciation for the support given to her by all members of the District and opportunity given to her to serve in the capacity and also the ability to care for the less privileged especially the aged, widows and widowers in the society.

The Committee Chairperson, feeding the hungers project, Lion (Mrs) Rasheed at Usman, urged government to tackle poverty, hungers, crime and criminality in the country through youth employment and encourage entrepreneurship among the youths both men and women without politisising it.

She lamented as majority of the citizens hearing the government empowerment especially on capital sharing for Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the news without feeling in the impact. "People are just hearing several billions of naira distributing to citizens for SMEs without getting to real people that needed it and this is contributing so greatly in crime and criminality in the country," she said.

She urged government to partner charity organistions in sharing government funds to the public so that the issue of bias and politisising it would be eradicated. "It is high time government stay away from using politics to empower people. Empowerment could only get across to the grassroots through partnering the charity organistions. Charity organistions doesn't empower people with expectation of profits unlike politicians. Government should come out with plans and structure in empowering people in the society," she added.

The Council Chairman, Hon. Yusuf Sakiru Adisa thanked the Club for choosing the LCDA as their point of contact and assured them of his administration commitment to easing the burden of the less privileged. He commended the Lions Club for supporting the Government in alleviating the sufferings in the Communities.

The Chairman, who was honoured a Month ago by the Lions Club of Ipaja, with the Prestigious Leadership Award for Service to Humanity, promised that his administration will continue to be responsive to the yearnings of Ayobo Ipaja inhabitants.

He used the occasion to enlighten the beneficiaries about the ravaging Covid 19 pandemic and implored everyone to be responsible and obey the warnings of both the Federal and State Government. 

He thereafter donated undisclosed amount as honorary member of the Club, to support their intervention programs.