President of Business Club Ikeja, Chief Tajudeen Akande, has said that clubs in the country have become an essential factor in improving the health and well being of individuals and contributing massively to the nation’s gross domestic product (PDP).
Akande stated that during the gathering of presidents of recreation clubs in Nigeria in Lagos to discuss contributions of the clubs to the Nigerian economy at a public lecture organised by Clubsworld, an online media for social and sporting clubs in Nigeria.
Akande, who spoke on the theme: ‘How Recreation Clubs Can Contribute to the Economy,’ listed the factors of economic growth that the clubs impact on to include good policies, human capital, investments and production, public private partnership and political stability. He said social clubs have helped in promoting inter-ethnic and interracial understanding.
Akande, who is also the immediate past President of Lagos Country Club emphasized that social clubs’ members, through their various businesses, contribute massively to the national economy.
He said one of the objectives of the social clubs is social interaction of members which enhances their wellbeing and longevity.
Apart from the opportunity to build new friendships, explore personal interests, members of social clubs are able to influence policy and appointment because of their direct access to decision makers.
He said: “The infrastructure provided by social clubs enables members to exercise, so they become physically fit, healthier which gives them longevity, in which case they are able to contribute in the production in terms of availability of labour.
“Also, the profile of membership is such that they have direct access to decision makers and through that, they are able to influence policies, they are also able to influence appointment. These are some of the ways that social clubs contribute to the economy.
“Their various businesses contribute to the economy and we are saying the membership of these recreation clubs, because of the calibre of members and their business networks, the contribution to the national economy in terms of GDP is massive.”
Editor-in-Chief of Clubsworld.net, Sanya Onayoade said the theme of the public lecture was influenced by the current economic challenges being faced by the country and the need for recreation clubs to play a vital role in building the economy.
According to him, members of the clubs are the elite, captains of industry businessmen who are doing well in their fields and whose ideas are needed for policy makers and those handling the Nigerian economy.
He said: “Recreation clubs in Nigeria are populated by the elite, captains of industry, renowned economists and many professionals who have the knowledge about economic indices for growth, and this platform is aimed at exploiting that avenue.”
He noted that clubsworld.net is one-stop shop networking platform for the recreation community in Nigeria.
Past and current presidents of recreation clubs and captains of industry attended the unveiling of the online media and the public lecture. They included President of Lagos Country Club, Arc. Funmi Bamkole, Chairman of Ikoyi Club, Mr. Ademola Mumuney, President of Ikeja Club, Chief Ayodeji Randle and former President of Island Club, Otunba Kehinde Shitta.
