The Nation Newspaper

Tag: humanity

  • ‘Lions Club is about service to humanity’

    ‘Lions Club is about service to humanity’

    Centennial President of Ado Metropolitan Lions Club, Asiwaju Oyedeji Olajubu, sheds light on the activities of the international club, which he says borders more on the humanitarian. He spoke with Taiwo Alimi.

    WHAT is Lions Club all about? 

    Lions Club is a humanitarian organisation formed about 100 years ago by an insurance broker, who in dining and wining with his fellow men, looked at the monies being spent on enjoyment and decided they could be used to benefit the less-privileged. So they formed the Lions Club in Chicago, USA. What we do basically is help the less-privileged in all the areas of need. Lions club has a membership of about 1.42million people spread over 209 countries in the world. We are the only NGO that has a permanent seat in the United Nations. In fact, we helped in forming the charter of UN. When tsunami happened in South America, we were the first to get there to give aids. When we experienced flooding in Lokoja here, we were among the first group of organisations that came there to provide aids. We have been in the fore-front of providing better eyesight. About 27 years after Lions Club was formed, Helen Keller challenged members to be the light of the blind and we have done so much in that area. We have done operations for cataracts, provided free eye glasses, done eye tests. Even my club, Ado Metropolitan Lions Club did a sight programme in the year. We went to Ido Ekiti, where we gave free glasses to 300 people. We did test for over 600 people. We hope that in the years to come, we can help them undergo cataract operation.

    This year is our centenary; that is our 100th year in existence. And we have four areas of challenge: we have the sight issue, empowering the youth, feeding the hungry and improving our environment. In all these four core areas, there are so many places here in Nigeria and abroad where we have touched lives. Being a lion is a way of life, whereby you have the spirit of giving. When each people bring N1 it becomes N10 and it is used to help the less-privileged. It is not the kind of money that government people embezzle. We also engage in legacy project, which will last for a long time.

    How well has Lions Club touched the lives of the less-privileged in Nigeria?

    Lions Club came to Nigeria in the early ’60s; and we have multiple districts in Nigeria. A district is formed by many clubs and there are places where two nations come together to form a district. In Nigeria, we have four districts and my own district is 404. Every year, we come together in a convention and this year’s own is holding in Ilorin tagged ‘Harmony ’17,’ come the month of May. Each district is divided into regions and regions into zones. Under the zones, we have clubs. We have close to 6000 strong members in Nigeria.

    As Centennial President of Ado Metropolitan, what has the club done for your immediate environment? 

    The year 2016/2017 was eventful for us and we have lifted Ekiti Lions Metropolitan out of the doldrums. We have successfully executed all the four areas of challenge that we have this year. We have even done legacy projects. We started by empowering the youths. We went to two schools and donated writing materials, exercise books, reading books, biro, mathematical sets etc. In August of 2016, we were able to empower 48 barbers by donating tools of their work to them from barbing kits to generators.

    During our empowerment programme, we found that a particular school lacked classrooms; we met with the BOG, took a decision, raised money and completed a block of two classrooms and library for them, all fully furnished and modern. The name of the school is Ado Community Grammar School Nursery/Primary in Isan, Odo Ado area.

    We also fed the hungry. We provided and packaged raw food materials to over 800 people of Ido Ekiti in November 2016. That day, a woman said to us, M children will eat rice this Christmas.’ At first, they thought we were a political group, but when we told them that we are looking for neither votes nor money but just to assist, they became more receptive.

    We were able to sink two motorised boreholes for a community. This community got water in 1976, but because government could not run the dam near them again, the taps dried up. And they went back to the stream. Lions Club visited the place, did the major assessment and sank the boreholes with overhead tanks. It was completed and commissioned in January.  Now, they no longer go to the stream.

    This March, we also planted trees in primary schools because that is where they can nurture the trees. These trees would help provide shades and help the environment.

    We also believe in training people, education. Because in Lionism, we say a trained Lion is better than an untrained one. So also a trained human being is better that one that is not trained. That is why we do a lot in the areas of education.

    How do you raise fund?

    Fund raising is an act. (If) You have many friends, all you have to do is explain what you want to use the money for and they would be willing to help. Then, accountability is very important. If what they give you is accounted for, then they would be willing to give more.

    We also task ourselves. We do cocktail and sell our ideas and appreciate them at Appreciation Night.  However, we are careful in bringing in members because we don’t want people who will tarnish our image. We value integrity of Lions, so we research intending members before making them full members.

  • Afe Babalola: Humanity at its finest

    “Human life has meaning only to that degree, and as long as it is lived in the service of humanity… For me, humanity is infinite.”
    —Adolfe Joffe

    I am sobbing because of how bad the lives of the people Baba has helped would have been if God has not sent him to Ekiti. My sobbing is also about what will become of other people that still needs mercy from Baba Afe but won’t get it when Baba may have left us.” – A loose interpretation of the Ekiti dialect from Mrs. Aderemi Ajileye, one of the recipients who received N10,000 given out by the AB Foundation who was in a sober mood while others were jubilant.

    The two epigraphs above may be contradistinctive, yet they both point in the same direction in capturing the true essence of Aare Afe Babalola. The first provides a sort of definitive paradigm by which Joffe believed (before his death by suicide) must be the fulcrum around which human life must necessarily revolve for it to be said to be truly meaningful, while the other is a graphic attestation to a particular life and how it’s already being adjudged with no less philosophical undertone by Mrs. Ajileye, a barely literate trader. The kernels of these two epigraphs have not only metastasized in forming his total being, but Aare Afe Babalola has fulfilled, if not surpassed Adolfe Joffe’s demand from earthly beings. Perhaps more importantly is how hundreds of thousands of people around the world whose paths have crossed that of Aare (including yours truly) may have cringed, recoiled or cried inside at one time or another when it suddenly would have hit them that this great philanthropist (who’s probably in his 90s but as fit as a fiddle) will not be around forever as Mrs. Ajileye did.

    As a foremost personality who has transmuted into a colossus in Nigeria’s socio-economic and judicio-political landscapes, it’s expected that Aare Afe Babalola will mean different things to different people. But the one unassailable fact that remains unequivocally constant like a Northern Star that defines Aare is a very essence that encapsulates humanity at its finest. His unquenchable thirst to leave the Nigerian society, most particularly his beloved Ekiti State and its people better than he met them came once again in vivid colour on Tuesday, January 3, at the AB Foundation, Ado-Ekiti.

    Dubbed “AB Foundation Poverty Alleviation Package,” it was at the event hall of this foundation that some of Nigeria’s prominent dignitaries that included the Ewi of Ado-Ekiti, Oba Rufus Adeyemo Adejugbe and his entourage of all his Council Chiefs; the Ohinoyi of Ebiraland, Alhaji Ado Ibrahim; Chief Deji Fasuan, the prolific octogenarian writer and public analyst; Prof. Tunde Adeniran, a former Nigerian ambassador – to name just a handful – were gathered as living witnesses to the joy and excitement of one thousand needy indigenes of the state. On this day, all the 1000 people in the hall received envelopes stuffed with the minimum N5,000 prize to the grand largesse of N100,000. Although the recipients knew intrinsically that they were lucky to have made it into the foundation hall as they were sure to go home with probably their first financial gift of the year, but what they did not know was where they would fall under between the N5,000, N10,000, N50,000, or the N100,000.00 categories of recipients. As a result, the apprehension on the faces of some of them was palpable. To others, these categories didn’t matter as they were already rocking excitedly on their seats because they knew that their financial stations would most definitely be enhanced by the time they left.

    As if Baba himself knew that people would be curious as to how the foundation arrived at the one thousand threshold and the yardstick that was utilized in determining the eligibility of the would-be recipients of his financial package, he explained in his opening remarks that the foundation’s initial decision was to extend the financial gesture to no more than 200 people. “But when reports came to me that the people that filled the forms had swollen despite being told that the foundation had reached its limit of 200 people, tears ran down my face. I told them to increase the number of recipients to 1000 people”. That announcement did not only touch some raw nerves of some of the audience as some shook their heads in sympathy and appreciation, it also underscored the heart-wrenching poverty that the Nigerian masses continue to face constantly in which Aare has played, and continues to play his role without let or hindrance in alleviating.

    The Ohinoyi of Ebiraland, Alhaji Ado Ibrahim who was the special guest of honour delivered his speech by attesting to the fact that he had never met a Nigerian personality so unique and has such outstanding spirit of giving like Aare Afe Babalola. His Royal Majesty enjoined the lucky congregants to judiciously use whatever amount they’re lucky to be given from the great philanthropist so that “a year from now you would give testimony as to how you’ve been able to multiply this money which would be to the greatest delight of the giver.” The Ewi of Ado-Ekiti, Oba Adejugbe also extended his profound gratitude to Aare Afe Babalola for his many socio-economic exploits which had radically transformed his domain in particular. His Royal Highness thanked Aare very profusely for siting the Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), a world class higher institution of learning that states like Lagos, Ibadan or any part of the federation would have felt greatly privileged to have. Oba Adejugbe advised the would-be recipients to look seriously into agriculture with this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of being given the cash they did not work for. Chief Fasuan and Prof. Adeniran were not left out in intimating the audience with the rare human qualities that are integral to Aare’s genetic make-up in their own speeches.

    Perhaps what Prof. Adeniran may have inadvertently left out in his speech on this ‘August occasion’ was the life-changing role Aare played in the life of this great intellectual Ekiti son and former ambassador. His education probably would have been permanently truncated. This is because at some point he could not pay his tuition and the young Adeniran was shown the door. But he ran to Aare for help and he quickly obliged without any strings attached. Now a professor, one can only imagine how Adeniran’s life would have turned out if his path had not crossed that of Aare Afe Babalola. Aside his own rough and unconventional road through which he attained his education, the lack of which would have most certainly made him a subsistence farmer to this day, Aare’s only commandment, which is etched permanently in his consciousness, is that quality education must be the single most important endeavour for any living being to possess. He has thrown his all into this time-honoured value as he had demonstrated in the life of Prof. Adeniran and so many others. Baba continues to throw everything he has as exemplified by ABUAD. Making a difference in the education sector is his driving force. It is what gives him the greatest joy.

    I have been privileged to be at many of Baba’s landmark occasions such as ABUAD’s anniversaries, matriculations and convocations, among others. In all these occasions, torrents of encomiums were always showered on Aare and the way he affects his society by the cream of society and foreign dignitaries alike in terms of his impact on individual lives, his unquantifiable contributions to various professional and educational organizations in Nigeria that by extension impacts humanity at large. I have seen letters of appreciation and acknowledgement that affirmed the aforementioned by multilateral organizations and world bodies. In not a few occasions at some of these events have I witnessed my own tears gently, steadily and uncontrollably oozing out from where I sat for no reason other than the realization that this exceedingly good man is also a mere mortal who would one day leave us – just like Mrs. Ajileye who sat pensively quiet when others were dancing and singing. Perhaps it was this shared spiritual connection with Mrs. Ajileye that may have telepathically led me to her in the midst of that joyous multitude.

    Both of us may have had some mental conversations with God as to why the “I am that I am” and the “unquestionable changer” couldn’t give exceptions to certain people like Aare Afe Babalola to live forever. While I have made my peace with the fact that Aare can never be eternal, his contributions to humanity on a grander scale will remain indelible and thus eternal, which is just as good for me to hold on to.

     

    • Odere is a media practitioner. He can be reached at femiodere@gmail.com

  • ‘We’re committed to serving humanity’

    Members of the Rotary Club of Lagos Central, District 9110 had gathered not only to celebrate its 35 years of acts of benevolence but also to encourage one and all to extend a helping hand to the needy.

    President of the club, Vincent Adubor said Rotarians all over the world focus on how to make the world better. He also said the club was committed to serving humanity whenever the need arises.

    He said Rotarians are unwavering when it comes to providing good things of life for members of a given community.

    On the benefit of joining the association, Rotarian Adubor said “membership of Rotary Club offers one several opportunities, which he said include business development, personal growth and development, leadership development, continuous education, development of social skills, public speaking skills and assistance to travelling, vocational skills and development of ethics,” among others.

    He advised government at all levels, corporate organisations and public-spirited individuals to join hands in helping those in need, adding that givers never lacked.

    In his address delivered during the Investiture and Induction ceremony of 2016 and 2017 Board of Directors/Fund Raising for the Club Projects in Lagos, with the theme: “Rotary Serving Humanity”, he revealed that the district would embark on literacy and adult education project, waste management, health management/support hospital.

    He added that the club would provide treated mosquito nets for communities within its area of operation; engage in routine immunisation of children as well as the supply of text books to schools among others.

    “We are interested in keeping our environment clean because prevention is better than cure”, he stated.

    Adubor, who noted that some secondary schools in Lagos State still lack the basic equipment, assured that the district would do its best to making the amenities available for the affected schools.

    He also said that it was the tradition of the district to receive the first baby of the year at the Island Maternity at the beginning of every year with presentation of gift items and cash.

    The club recognises the best workers in all categories based on in-house recommendations and reward them with gifts and cash. He said the club had bought incubators for the Massey Hospital in Lagos Island, adding that “we are always looking for areas of need for these hospitals.”

    He also stated that the district would provide about three boreholes within the community as the need arises.

    Apart from providing some amenities for communities within its operational areas, he said the district would provide some amenities to communities outside its traditional area of coverage in terms of road repairs during the Rotary year. He said the roads are in Irawo community in Kosofe Local Government Area.

    The President-Elect, Dipo Okunubi, who noted that the club had witnessed 35 years of continuous service to humanity, however stated that it would continue to focus on services that would be beneficial to human existence.

    He said: “We are serving humanity with our resources just to see that the society is at peace and fair to all.”

    He appealed to all to contribute generously to the well-being of those in need, adding that service to humanity is everybody’s business.

     

  • ‘We’re committed to serving humanity’

    Members of the Rotary Club of Lagos Central, District 9110 had gathered not only to celebrate its 35 years of acts of benevolence but also to encourage one and all to extend a helping hand to the needy.

    President of the club, Vincent Adubor said Rotarians all over the world focus on how to make the world better. He also said the club was committed to serving humanity whenever the need arises.

    He said Rotarians are unwavering when it comes to providing good things of life for members of a given community.

    On the benefit of joining the association, Rotarian Adubor said “membership of Rotary Club offers one several opportunities, which he said include business development, personal growth and development, leadership development, continuous education, development of social skills, public speaking skills and assistance to travelling, vocational skills and development of ethics,” among others.

    He advised government at all levels, corporate organisations and public-spirited individuals to join hands in helping those in need, adding that givers never lacked.

    In his address delivered during the Investiture and Induction ceremony of 2016 and 2017 Board of Directors/Fund Raising for the Club Projects in Lagos, with the theme: “Rotary Serving Humanity”, he revealed that the district would embark on literacy and adult education project, waste management, health management/support hospital.

    He added that the club would provide treated mosquito nets for communities within its area of operation; engage in routine immunisation of children as well as the supply of text books to schools among others.

    “We are interested in keeping our environment clean because prevention is better than cure”, he stated.

    Adubor, who noted that some secondary schools in Lagos State still lack the basic equipment, assured that the district would do its best to making the amenities available for the affected schools.

    He also said that it was the tradition of the district to receive the first baby of the year at the Island Maternity at the beginning of every year with presentation of gift items and cash.

    The club recognises the best workers in all categories based on in-house recommendations and reward them with gifts and cash. He said the club had bought incubators for the Massey Hospital in Lagos Island, adding that “we are always looking for areas of need for these hospitals.”

    He also stated that the district would provide about three boreholes within the community as the need arises.

    Apart from providing some amenities for communities within its operational areas, he said the district would provide some amenities to communities outside its traditional area of coverage in terms of road repairs during the Rotary year. He said the roads are in Irawo community in Kosofe Local Government Area.

    The President-Elect, Dipo Okunubi, who noted that the club had witnessed 35 years of continuous service to humanity, however stated that it would continue to focus on services that would be beneficial to human existence.

    He said: “We are serving humanity with our resources just to see that the society is at peace and fair to all.”

    He appealed to all to contribute generously to the well-being of those in need, adding that service to humanity is everybody’s business.

     

     

     

     

     

  • Ex-bank executive Sola Adeoti dedicates life to humanity

    Ex-bank executive Sola Adeoti dedicates life to humanity

    FOR former Managing Director of the defunct City Express Bank, Sola Adeoti, necessity is the mother of not just invention but reinvention also. Since her ‘road to Damascus’ moment in 2005 when she was diagnosed with cancer, the elegant daughter of popular industrialist, Chief Samuel Adedoyin, has experienced a radical change in lifestyle. Her metamorphosis from socialite to a philanthropist has been spectacular.

    Like iron must pass through the furnace to become steel, the former CEO of defunct City Express Bank has passed through the torture of breast cancer and emerged richer and stronger for it. While she battled the dreaded disease with everything she had, including the alleged of four of her houses to pay for treatment, she never lost her faith and resilience.

    But just when she seemed to have conquered the deadly disease for good, her beloved son was diagnosed with brain cancer. Undaunted, the ordained pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God again grabbed her armour of faith and launched into another round of battle against cancer.

    Now she reaping the rewards of her uncommon courage. Battle-hardened Adeoti has dedicated her life to helping others to overcome the monster. Through her MariaSam foundation and the testimony of her own life as a survivor, she is helping to give hope to cancer patients in the society.

  • To serve humanity

    To serve humanity

    Patrick Ikheloa was installed in Lagos as the new District Governor  of Rotary District 9110 for  2016-2017. At the event, were dignitaries and philanthropists who came to support him.  NNEKA NWANERI was there.

    He stood tall and calm, and  seemed undaunted by the huge task ahead as he mounted the rostrum of the Shell Hall at Muson Centre, Onikan, Lagos to be decorated with the emblem as the District Governor for the next Rotary Year.

    It was Patrick Ikheloa’s day. It is the wish of every Rotarian to get the number one  seat. It was a dream come true as the fair-complexioned man from Edo State smiled during the installation.

    The event was not just a Rotary affair; it was a gathering of men and women of importance, who are passionate about philanthropy. Among them was the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi.

    There was fun in the hall draped with yellow and blue decorations. What made the occasion was that club members were treated to a red carpet reception before going to their tables.

    In a report, the outgone District Governor, Otunba Bola Onabadejo, outlined his achievements in the past year, soliciting support for his successor. He urged Rotary members and the public to extend the same hand of fellowship to Ikheloa.

    Expectedly, Oba Ogunwusi entered with a retinue of courtiers who played trumpets, flutes and drums. His shinny cap stood out among them all.

    He spoke on the need to love one another, urging all to extend a hand of fellowship to the down-trodden and the less-privileged.

    The monarch was inducted as a special ambassador.

    A raffle draw was held, where Economy and Business Class tickets to Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, courtesy of Etihad, were won.

  • To serve humanity

    To serve humanity

    Patrick Ikheloa was installed was in Lagos as the new District Governor  of Rotary District 9110 for  2016-2017. At the event, were dignitaries and philanthropists who came to support him.  NNEKA NWANERI was there.

    He stood tall and calm, and  seemed undaunted by the huge task ahead as he mounted the rostrum of the Shell Hall at Muson Centre, Onikan, Lagos to be decorated with the emblem as the District Governor for the next Rotary Year.

    It was Patrick Ikheloa’s day. It is the wish of every Rotarian to get the number one  seat. It was a dream come true as the fair-complexioned man from Edo State smiled during the installation.

    But the event was not just a Rotary affair; it was a gathering of men and women of importance who are passionate about philanthropy. Among them was the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi.

    There was fun in the hall draped with yellow and blue decorations. What made the occasion was that club members were treated to a red carpet reception before going to their tables.

    In a report, the outgoing District Governor, Otunba Bola Onabadejo, outlined his achievements in the past year, soliciting support for his successor. He urged Rotary members and the public to extend the same hand of fellowship to Ikheloa.

    Expectedly, Oba Ogunwusi entered with a retinue of courtiers who played trumpets, flutes and drums. His shinny cap stood out among them all.

    He spoke on the need to love one another, urging all to extend a hand of fellowship to the down trodden and the less- privileged.

    The monarch was inducted as a special ambassador.

    A raffle draw was held, where Economy and Business Class tickets to Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, courtesy of Etihad, were won.

  • ‘Time to reawaken our humanity’

    Anambra State Governor Willie Obiano has called on Christians to seize the moment of deep reflection that the feast of Easter usually brings to reawaken their humanity and re-establish the presence of God in their lives.

    In a special Easter message in Awka, Obiano observed that the complex challenges facing modern Christians have seriously eroded the values that once sustained the essence of mankind.

    According to him: “Our world is so troubled that many people across the globe have lost the very essence of their humanity.

    “This Easter offers us a great chance to re-awaken our humanity and mend our ways with God.”

    The governor bemoaned the global loss of innocence, pointing out that the growing insecurity across the world has led to the shrinking of freedoms.

    “We have regressed to the regime of terror. Fear hangs in the very air we breathe. This has dispossessed us of freedom. Any time a suicide bomb goes off in Nigeria or Belgium or France, we are reminded of the depletion of our human essence and the snapping of the moral rope.”

  • ‘Climate change is humanity’s greatest challenge’

    Climate change is the greatest challenge for humanity, with potentially huge, negative consequences for agriculture, Prof. Francis Adesina of the Department of Geography, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, has said.

    He spoke while delivering a lecture titled: ‘Some thoughts on climate change, agriculture,’ at the British American Tobacco Nigeria Foundation (BATNF) Implementing Partners workshop in Ibadan.

    Adesina noted that the impact of climate change is felt most on “exposed systems,” which he said include rain-fed agriculture. He traced the genesis of global warming to 1880, noting that successive years since the 19th Century have been hotter, with 2015 being the hottest year. He regretted that Nigeria and other developing countries are most susceptible to the harsh effects of climate change due to poor water storage system, which he said has grave implication for all including agriculture.

    “Considering the very high consumption of rice in Nigeria, nowadays, if you must control climate change one of the crops you need to control is rice because of its high water demand,” he said, while emphasising the need for farmers to be climate smart. He noted further that climate change signs are evident and cited the example of the absence of an August break in 2015.

    Earlier in his address, a BATNF Technical Committee member, Prof Chidi Ibe, reiterated the need for all to develop the capability to adapt to climate change. One of the achievements of climate change adaptation, he noted, is the development of a drought resistant rice variety.

  • ‘Climate change is humanity’s greatest challenge’

    Climate change is the greatest challenge for humanity, with potentially huge, negative consequences for agriculture, Prof. Francis Adesina of the Department of Geography, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, has said.

    He spoke while delivering a lecture titled: ‘Some thoughts on climate change, agriculture,’ at the British American Tobacco Nigeria Foundation (BATNF) Implementing Partners workshop in Ibadan.

    Adesina noted that the impact of climate change is felt most on “exposed systems,” which he said include rain-fed agriculture. He traced the genesis of global warming to 1880, noting that successive years since the 19th Century have been hotter, with 2015 being the hottest year. He regretted that Nigeria and other developing countries are most susceptible to the harsh effects of climate change due to poor water storage system, which he said has grave implication for all including agriculture.

    “Considering the very high consumption of rice in Nigeria, nowadays, if you must control climate change one of the crops you need to control is rice because of its high water demand,” he said, while emphasising the need for farmers to be climate smart. He noted further that climate change signs are evident and cited the example of the absence of an August break in 2015.

    Earlier in his address, a BATNF Technical Committee member, Prof Chidi Ibe, reiterated the need for all to develop the capability to adapt to climate change. One of the achievements of climate change adaptation, he noted, is the development of a drought resistant rice variety.

    Other contributors to the climate change discourse also called for greater agricultural water management programme and the development of a water harvesting culture. The Implementing Partners were also advised to regularly access information from the Nigerian Metrological Agency (NIMET) and interface with farmers in disseminating information on climate change. A case was also made for the proper inspection of beneficiary farmers by the Implementing Partners in some of the BATNF crop enterprise implementation projects to ensure greater compliance.

    The Executive Director, BATNF, Seyi Ashade, lauded the BATNF Implementing Partners for their cooperation and support with the focus on agriculture in Nigeria and how the sector could be enhanced to play a more meaningful role in Nigeria’s socio-economic development.