By Adebowale Johnson
The Lion Club International organisation witnessed history unfold as Shakiru Adeniyi Balogun was unveiled as the pioneer District Governor of District 404A-3 Nigeria. The event, held in the heart of Ikorodu in Lagos State, marked the beginning of an exciting chapter in the world of community service in the district.
The new district governor, Shakiru Adeniyi Balogun, who will be at the helm of affairs of the club for the year 2023/2024, was installed at a colourful ceremony held at Musical Village in Ikorodu. The event was witnessed by dignitaries from all walks of life, past and present leaders of the clubs across the country, politicians and traditional rulers, and it also featured a fundraising for the new district which was carved out from District 404A-1.
The speakers at the event inspired the gathering to join the cause of caring for the poor and serving the needy across the country.
The immediate past DG of District 404A-1, Ano Anyanwu, solicited support for the administration of Balogun and also commended all the club’s members for the support given him during his tenure.
Anyanwu also used the occasion to give account of stewardship as the DG of the club. He said:” When I took over the leadership of our great and foremost district on July 1, 2022, it was with trepidation even though I had had two years of leadership training as second vice District Governor and first vice District Governor. I am grateful that with your support we eventually achieved remarkable results during the 2022/2023 Lions year, a year in which we served humanity with love and respect.
“During the year, with your support and encouragement, we took bold and decisive steps to reposition our district and place it on a foundation for sustained growth in the face of dwindling economic fortunes and ever rising exchange rates.
“May I use this opportunity to express my deep and profound gratitude to the Lions leaders, Lions and Leos of our great district for your support and contributions. Our District 404A-1 Elders Forum and Steering Committee, I say thank you to you. My District Governor’s Team, you were great. The District Core Cabinet, Region and Zone Chairpersons, Committee Chairpersons and members, you were awesome. My beloved Club Presidents, you were truly inspiring. I thank you for the tireless service to humanity and the impactful service projects you delivered. God bless you all and continue to prosper your enterprise.”
Professor Abidoye Gbadegesin, who was the chairman of the occasion, in his address, called on well-meaning Nigerians and guests present to support the newly created district in order to impact their jurisdiction.
He emphasized the essence of Lions Club to the society saying, Lions are bound by a common purpose to serve, caring for the poor and serving the needy is what Lions Club is all about. “Today, we are not just here to celebrate public presentation of Balogun as pioneer DG of District 404A-3 but to also raise fund for the club’s projects that will impact the life of many needy Nigerians. I pleaded with all of you to support this noble cause because of it effect on our society.”
The guest speaker, Wahab Shittu, in his speech titled: Heart of Service…think service, think Lions’, encouraged the club members to continue to serve the less privileged, noting that there is reward for everything in life.
In his acceptance speech, Balogun said the new district under his watch is determined to carry out impactful projects and services on the new global causes which are; vision, youth, disaster relief, humanitarian, diabetes, childhood cancer, environment and hunger alleviation.
He stated that the club is determined to improve health and well-being, strengthen communities and support those in need through humanitarian efforts that impact lives, with its different projects the year 2023–2024.
Balogun listed various projects the club wanted to embark on and solicited for the support of well-meaning Nigerians in order to make the society better by caring for the poor and serving the less privileged.
”Currently, Ikorodu General Hospital is having daily traffic of eye patients in the region of 600 patients but can only attend to a small fraction of that figure due to lack of adequate facilities and manpower. We resolved to intervene to enhance the capacity of the ophthalmic department by building a one stop shop eye centre which will cater for those who require eye glasses, cataract surgery, corrective surgery, glaucoma and even cornea transplant. We are also going to provide capacity building to enhance manpower and outreach services of the ophthalmic department of the hospital. To achieve this, it is estimated to cost about N150 million . Our other big project is the building of the Diabetes Center for Gbagada General Hospital, this will also cost about N100million.”