L – R: Field Manager, Global Action Team, Lions International, Michael Di Maria; Area VIII GAT Leader, Gbolagade Adebisi; CA8 GAT Leader, Dr Hastings Chiti; Lions International Vice President, Fabricio Oliveira; Incoming Lions International Director for Africa, princess Adetope Tychus and Past International Director for Africa, Engr. HOB Lawal during a Constitutional Area VIII8B Media chat with International Vice President, in commemoration of his working visit to Nigeria on Friday 26th January 2024 in Lagos
The International Vice President of Lions International, Lion Fabricio Oliveira has commended the leadership and Lions Club in Nigeria for the qualities of their service deliveries across the country.
Oliveira also noted that the Lions of Nigeria have footprints of service and projects all over the West African nation.
Fabricio Oliveira, who stated this in Lagos weekend during a media chat to mark his first working visit to Nigeria, revealed the enormous nature of projects that Lions of Nigeria in conjunction with Lions International have done.
“We constructed the largest and most modern Motherless Babies Home in Lekki, Lagos. We have constructed Eye centers at General Hospital, Isolo, Lagos State, State Hospital, Ota, Ogun State, State Hospital, Asubiaro, Oshogbo, Osun State among several others” he stated.
In the areas of Diabetes education and prevention, the President noted that Lions have constructed Diabetes centres and have undertaken Diabetes screening in different parts of the country. ” We constructed and furnished Diabetes Screening Centers at the Alimosho General Hospital, Igando, Lagos State, The University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, Calabar, as well as the Ring Road Hospital, Ring Road Ibadan, Oyo State” he enthused “
Vice President Oliveira added that Lions constructed a Cancer Screening center at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja, Lagos State and also built special apartments to accommodate relations of patients who come to Hospitals for Cancer care and treatment at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi Araba, Lagos as well as the Federal Medical Center, Ebute Metta, Lagos.
Fabricio Oliveira however wondered why Nigeria’s membership strength has remained incommensurate with the strength of her quality service projects and advantageous national population.
He compared Lions membership strength in Brazil with Nigeria which both have populations in excess of two hundred million people. ” Whereas Brazil has over 38,000 lions members, Nigeria has less than 10,000 members” he lamented.
The president noted that opportunity for growth of membership in Nigeria is massive and believed that his visit to Nigeria offers him opportunity to work with the Nigeria leaders to turn things around.
“This trip to Nigeria, affords me and the leadership of our association to meet with Lions of Nigeria and Ghana to discuss ways of growing our membership, reenergize our service activities and assessing the needs of communities in order for our Clubs to serve them better ” he added.
