Lions Club International District 404B4 Unveils Taiwo Oladayo Fatoki as Governor
Lions Club International District 404B4 Nigeria on Saturday unveiled its new District Governor, Mr Taiwo Oladayo Fatoki , amidst celebration and fundraising for club’s core projects.
Fatoki, who was officially inducted by Lions Club International President, Mr Fabricio Oliveira, in Australia, was presented in Nigeria at a fundraising luncheon for a community service project held at Abeokuta Sports Club on Saturday
In his remarks, Fatoki expressed gratitude to members of the club for finding him worthy to lead them.
He promised not to let the members down while promising that he would be a servant leader who is firm and just in all decisions.
He disclosed that his administration this year, will focus more on fighting against diabetes
He outlined the club’s plans to carry out advocacy projects across 10 regions, including Lagos, Ibadan, and Abeokuta, with the goal of providing free testing, drugs, and referrals to hospitals for those in need.
According to him ” Why we are focusing on diabetes this year again is that it’s another major killer that people don’t know. We just hear people drop off, people die , they won’t even know but most of them are diabetic , once they don’t take care of it, it starts destroying the organs one by one and the organs are inside, you will not know the correct state of your organs unless you do test which most people lack.
“We have 10 regions from Lagos , Ibadan, Abeokuta, Ota and so on. So each region will be mandated to carry out advocacy project through the club. We have about 64 club, so each club in its own community will carry out advocacy project, after the testing they would pick a date that people will come and be tested free, those who need drugs would be given drugs, those who have critical issues would be refer to hospitals and we will follow up from there to see how we can manage them.
“The government cannot do it alone , so as soon as we start we always carry them along.
“Considering the prevailing economic situation in the country, only those who are endowed with giving out can be a Lion, I’ll just keep appealing to our members that they should not let the spirit die in them , out of the little we have, we should just keep giving,” Fatoki stated.
Meanwhile, the International Director, Lions Club, Lion Bridget Adetope, charged Lion Fatoki to make a mark and leave a legacy in the eight global courses of the club, including hunger relief, pediatric cancer, and youth development.
” Lions all over the world are expected to make marks, leave legacies . There are eight global courses for Lions club international that we should address and in all these eight areas we expect engineer Fatoki to make marks.
” Hunger relief, pediatric cancer , humanitarian relief , vision, diabetes, youth and development, in all these areas we expect all our district governors to make marks enough to attract the members of the public out there ,” Adetoye said.
Multiple Council Chairperson, Lion Anogwi Ayanwu, highlighted the club’s past achievements, including the eradication of measles in Nigeria, and emphasized the importance of continued service to humanity.
” Lions Club has done so many projects to alleviate hunger , manage diabetes, , manage sight, children cancer, and so on . We will continue to serve humanity to alleviate the suffering of our people ,” Ayanwu said.
Immediate past Governor, Lion Samson Olugbemiga Abodunrin, praised Lion Fatoki’s experience and leadership abilities, predicting a successful tenure.
“I have worked with him at the leadership level for three years and two years of effective management of the district . I want to believe, he is more than able to take the mandate and the mantle of our district .
“He’s someone that has close to 30 years of Lions experience , he has headed several committees and he comes with the wealth of wisdom, coupled with experiences in Lionism .
“I want to believe that we cannot say but to thank God that this is the best time for him to head our leadership.
“From his past antecedents, we can predict that by this time next year we’ll have all cause to celebrate . He’s the man of the people, he believed in team work, he delegate responsibility , and above all , he’s a man of integrity and he’s leading by experience and by example. So all this put inside a single box , he’s the perfect leader for this period.
In his remarks, the Chairman of the occasion, the Former Nigeria Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Mr Sarafa Tunji Isola, appreciated the efforts of all members in their support of humanitarian service, noting that projects executed by members all over the world had been impactful
He urged them not to relent in humanitarian service and other community projects while promising that he would continue to support the club.
He, however, wished the new district governor all the best and success, describing him as a goal-getter,
‘I do not doubt him as he takes the mantle of leadership. It assured that the club will see innovation and accomplishments in his tenure,” he said.
The event also featured fundraising and donations towards the club’s projects, with Lion Fatoki appealing to endowed individuals to support the cause.
