The Multiple Council Chairperson, Lions Club Lagos, Lion Asiwaju Ayobola Samuel, has urged members of the lion club and Nigerians to emulate the legacy of the late Lion Akintola Williams.
He also noted that Lion Williams laid the solid foundation for Lions Club Nigeria, adding that when he and his friends started the first Lions Club in 1964, they were just 24 members, but today the club has grown from 24 members to 10,000 members in 250 clubs in Nigeria today.
Samuel, who stated yesterday in Lagos during the Lions Club Memorial Service for organised for Doyen Lion Akintola Williams, urged members to extend a helping hand to the less privileged in the society, adding that Nigeria has continued to grow from bad to worst in terms of the welfare of the poor, and government, and charity-based organisations such as theirs should focus on improving the welfare of the citizens in whatever way they can be of help.
According to him, “The impact of Lions club in Nigeria has been multi-dimensional, especially in the area of healthcare delivery care in health facilities such as University of Lagos (LUTH), Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LSTUH). We have a lot of diabetics’ treatment centres, eye screening and treatment centres in those healthcare facilities. We have many diabetics treatment centres in Nigeria, we have one in Ede, Osun State; Ota, Ogun State and others.
“In the education sector, we have offered so many scholarships to many Nigerians and we have also empowered so many Nigerians to acquire specific skills, particularly in the ICT sector from where they can earn a living. We also have a programme about relieving hunger among the hungry, where we give food to people both raw and cooked food. My message to Nigerians is that we should be our brothers’ keepers sharing whatever we have with them. Late Lion Akintola was a very humble person, who never sought for cheap publicity, he did a lot for the club and was able to impact positively on the lives of so many people.”
In her remarks, the Past District Governor, District 404 B2, Lion Dr. Christie Adebajo, described the late doyen of accounting as a person was very humble, decency and focus, while adding that his death, the club would continue to grow and build on the legacy he has left behind.
“Lions Club is a well-established international organisation that has existed for a long time. It will continue to grow; it is not localised. In Nigeria, it started with just one club, today, we over 7,000 clubs. It is the largest service organisation in the world and it surpasses all the other non-governmental organisations.”
