Press Releases

Make Africa Your Centrepiece - Fashola Tells Lions Boss

Feb 12, 2008 - Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN) on Tuesday appealed to the Lions Club International to put Africa at the centre piece of its priority in terms of assistance as it is currently doing in the Latin American continent.

Governor Fashola who made the appeal when he received the President of Lions Club International, Mr. Mahendra Marasuriya on a courtesy visit to the Lagos House, Marina said this should be done in realization of the fact that the world is becoming a global village.

In his words: “as you make successes in Latin America, Africa should be at the centerpiece of your priority because the whole world has become a global village. The convenience of one region does not mean the convenience of all the regions but should rather be the convenience of all regions for the convenience of the whole globe”.

Governor Fashola disclosed that the Lagos State Government has had a mutually beneficial working relationship with the Lions club at the local level culminating in the donation of a cancer centre by the local Lions.

He added that the club has also partnered with the immediate past administration in the state to ensure the success of the blindness prevention programme of the state Government which has ensured that over 500,000 people received free eyeglasses and another 10,000 underwent eye surgeries.

Governor Fashola promised to continue and sustain the blindness prevention programme because it tallies with the objective and strategy of focusing on preventive healthcare for the people.

The Lagos State helmsman also said an additional initiative which the present administration in the state has taken upon is the provision of free hypertension and diabetes screening for the people to ensure general well being of the populace.

He explained that to underscore the importance which the government attaches to water supply in delivering qualitative healthcare, 15 micro water works with a capacity to generate 30million gallons of water would be delivered this year.

Governor Fashola emphasized that through this, the administration would be improving the healthcare of the people and performing its obligations under the Millennium Development Goals (MDG).

He described the Lions as the fastest growing non governmental organization of its type in this part of the world as the record of its service speaks volume.

Speaking earlier the International President of Lions Club, Mr. Mahendra Marasuriya had informed that the lions club international has been responsible for disbursing over $100million in the African continent to tackle sight related problems.

He added that the club has also been involved in efforts to eradicate river blindness and glaucoma resulting in building of toilets and creating impact that would ensure that blindness is eliminated in the not too distant future.

While calling for more membership of the Lions Club in Nigeria , Mr. Marasuriya said the club is involved globally in several areas like care for the disabled, centres for the blind and provision of vocational training centers for the physically challenged.