Kunle Adelabu
-Feed large number of residents
The Igbogbo Platinum Lions Club is set to address the issue of hunger which is on the increase due to economic hardship in the land, by making foods available to vulnerable residents at all time at the newly commissioned Food Pantry located within the Adeboruwa palace in Igbogbo.
The facility, which was conceived and constructed by the administration of Lion (Alhaja) Princess Ashake Modinat Wahab, President, Igbogbo Platinum Club, 2022/2023 Lion’s year, was commissioned on Tuesday, with the assurance that it will serve its purpose.
His Royal Majesty, Oba (Barr.) Semiudeen Orimadegun Kasali, the Adeboruwa of Igbogbo, and the District Governor, District 401A1 Nigeria, Lion (High Chief) Anogwi Anyanwu, PMJF, NLCF, FCA, HCIB, supported by other dignitaries, performed the commissioning and distributed the first set of food bags to about 100 residents for the Sallah festival.
Lion Ashake Wahab, the 12th President and the only female President of the Igbogbo Platinum Lions Club, speaking with THE IMPACT, said that the food pantry was initiated to continuously put smiles on the faces of the common people and promote humanity which, according to her, is the primary function of the Lions Club.
“This is part of our programme, ‘feed the hungry’, where we serve the community by providing food for those in need. In my own tenure, my project is ‘Food Pantry’ which is very dear to me, because I can see pains on the faces of my people in Igbogbo, every time because they do not have means”, she said.
“As the President, Igbogbo Platinum Club 2022/2023, I decided to build a food pantry to afford people to come in anytime to pick foods, and in the process, relief the poor people in our community.
“We are going to be having food in the pantry at all times. You know that the Lions Club is an international organization, and I have already liaised with our people and gotten assurance from the United States of America (USA), that they will be supplying us with enough food. The same goes for our people in Nigeria. We are also appealing to our people in and around the community, that are privileged and have enough to eat, to also come to our aid by supplying us foods from time – to – time, so as to be able to make them available to those in need”, she emphasized.
“We already have an attendant that will be staying in the pantry to serve the community people in need, at any time, but we are going to be doing general food distribution twice a month”.
While speaking on other achievements in the last one year, Lion Ashake also appreciated the Adeboruwa of Igbogbo and the Lion’s District Governor among others, for the success recorded by her administration.
“I really appreciate God for giving me the capacity, also my husband, children, the Alaiyeluwa, Oba Semiudeen Kasali and his chiefs, for their support and encouragement. They gave me the courage to do more. I achieved a lot of things personally and for the club, within the year. It is a custom for Presidents to go for training in Lions Club, and it is through these training sessions that they will learn more about Lion and life generally”, she said.
“I also want to appreciate my DG, Lion Anyanwu, who gave me support from the beginning of my tenure till the end. He always advises and guides me on ways of attaining success as the Lion President. In the same vein, I want to thank my members for their support and cooperation throughout my tenure.
“During my time, I did tree planting in conjunction with the local government. We also did a project known as vision in the Lions Club calendar, another one is on diabetes, hunger relief. At the regional and district level, I also participated fully and at the end of my tenure, my club was adjudged as the best because of our projects, especially the food pantry. I won many awards ahead of other Presidents”, Lion Ashake said proudly.
“All these are made possible because of my passion to serve humanity and put smiles on people’s faces. I always like them to be happy and my greatest achievement is to see them happy because we have put smiles on their faces with this food pantry”.
For the incoming President, the outgoing Lion President said:
“I will just tell him and others that will be coming after him to be focused and key into serving humanity. It is always good to serve the community and give people in need succor. That is the greatest achievement anybody can achieve”, she said.
His Royal Majesty, Oba (Barr.) Semiudeen Orimadegun Kasali, Adeboruwa of Igbogbo, who was full of appreciation to members of the Lion Club and the District Governor for their commitment to the project and its eventual completion, also thanked the Adebouwa – in – Council for their support.
He said that the pantry will achieve its aim of providing food for the people.
“Our prayer, when the foundation was being laid, was that it should not be abandoned, and here we are gathered to commission it. This is an edifice that will serve great purpose. Igbogbo will achieve international recognition through it”, the royal father said.
“The legacy that we can lay down in life is goodness to humanity that people will talk about. Doing something like this goes a long way in helping the community, because government alone cannot do everything”.
The royal father urged members of the Lions Club and residents generally, to continue to exhibit cooperation and unity of purpose through which the project was completed within a short time.
He called for forgiveness and promotion of peace within the club and the community at large.
High Chief Anyanwu, the District Governor, District 401A1 Nigeria, said that his coming to Igbogbo, three times in the last one year, has been for one project or the other and thanked the Adeboruwa, for accepting the humanitarian organization.
He commended Lions in Ikorodu for their impact and leading other zones and regions under his district, with laudable programmes.
“Today, we are here to commission the food storage facility built by the Lions Club. I want to thank the Kabiyesi, for accepting Lions and showing us a lot of love. In fact, this palace is actually the Lions palace, because we always feel at home every time we are here. Even the palace is branded with the Lions logo”, he said.
“Kabiyesi, I want to tell you in my capacity as the District Governor 401A1 Nigeria, which covers Lagos, part of Ogun, Ondo, Edo and Delta States, that Ikorodu is the headquarters of this District.
“On Sunday, we celebrated ourselves for the work that we have done for this Lion season with the 14 regions in my District. Out of the three people that won the best region awards, two of them came from Ikorodu. We also have about 35 zones, and out of the two best zones that won awards, one is from Ikorodu.
“I am very proud with the work that Lions are doing in Ikorodu, and I want to thank you for the warm reception that we always get here and assure that we would continue to do our best to serve humanity”.
Many residents of Igbogbo, that received the food packs from the pantry, commended Lion Ashake and the Igbogbo Platinum Lions Club for the facility.
Also at the commissioning, the club presented Excellence awards to His Royal Majesty, Oba (Barr.) Semiudeen Orimadegun Kasali, the Adeboruwa of Igbogbo, Lion (High Chief) Anogwi Anyanwu, PMJF, NLCF, FCA, HCIB, District Governor, District 401A1 Nigeria, Pastor Mathew Ashimolowo, Founder, KICC, Lion (Engr.) H.O.B. Lawal, CEO Consteng and former District Governor, Lion (Dr) Ayo Ajayi, CEO, Ajayi Medical Centre and former District Governor.
Lion. Tolu Omitigun, the General Secretary of the outgoing administration, received the Best Serving Club Officer award.
Other dignitaries at the ceremony were Commandant Olabode, President, Pentecostal Fellowship, Ikorodu Division, High Chief Tajudeen Duduyemi Onasanya, the Odofin of Igbogbo, Lion (Dr) Mrs Ajayi, Ajayi Medical Centre, Ikorodu, Lion (Mrs) Adeola Rotinwa, Mr Hameed Olalekan Aroyewun, chieftain of IDEA, Comrade Kazeem Ogunmuyiwa, Pressident, Igbogbo Youth Coalition (IYC), and Senator Francis ‘Mani Kongo’ Shonunbi among others.
