Child Mortality: Lions Club Budgets N27m to Fight Measles

Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti

As part of efforts to combat child mortality in Nigeria, the Lions Club International is to spend a sum of N27 million to combat measles in the southwest region.

The Governor of the Lions Club International, District 404 B2, Chief Samuel Ayobola, said this in Ado Ekiti on Friday.

The international philanthropic organisation also berated those hiding under the guise of cattle rearing to kill innocent Nigerians, describing “the killings as not only senseless, but criminal and ungodly”.

Speaking at a press conference heralding the commencement of the district’s convention tagged : Ekiti Kete: ‘Serving the world in harmony’, Ayobola disclosed that the club is entering into partnership with the national primary healthcare development agency in the six states of the region to drive the programme.

He said the organisation would partner all the governments of Osun, Ekiti, Lagos, Oyo, Ogun and Ondo states to draw personnel that will prosecute the programme and to conduct wide advocacy campaign to sensitise the populace ahead of time.

Ayobola disclosed that the medical intervention programme will commence March 1, 2018 across the benefiting states.

“The medical interventions are part of our social responsibilities to fight poverty and child mortality that is rampant in many of our states”, he said.

On the killings in Benue, Taraba and Adamawa States, Ayobola urged the security agencies to be alive to their responsibilities by bringing the perpetrators to book.

“We are still studying the statistics of those that died and those that were displaced to be able to know where to intervene in terms of provision of relief materials”, he said.

Reviewing the 2017 contributions of the club, Ayobola disclosed that 6,000 youths were empowered in the year through vocational skills and financial backings to generate employment.

“Also, 3,000 people benefited from the free eye services in that year where 1,600 people got free eye glasses for various eye defects from our medical intervention schemes.

“We also organised HIV/AIDS awareness rallies in some states as sensitisation efforts apart from bringing in experts to conduct free diabetes diagnosis on the people, under this 2,000 were screened and presented with drugs. Those whose cases had worsened and referred for better medical care were also supported”, he said.

He added that the essence of the convention was for the club members to upscale their knowledge about the organisation and flag off campaign activities for districts where officers have served out their terms.

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