Jonas Ezieke, Abuja
The new President of the Abuja Supreme Lions Club, District 404 A2, Lion Nengi Linda Chizoba, has pledged to reach out to the less privileged and put smiles on their faces.
Lion Nengi spoke in Abuja during her Fundraising and Investiture Ceremony as the 4th President of the Club for the 2026-2027 Lions year, and the induction of her club officers.
She said her theme for the year, “Service From the Soul,” aligns with the International President’s theme and the Lions’ core focus — Restoring Sight.
In her acceptance speech, she announced her major service project for the year which includes free cataract surgery for 50 people or more.
“We shall call it ‘PROJECT SEE AGAIN – From Darkness to Light.’ Our target beneficiaries are market women, aged fathers, artisans, and widows in our rural communities who have lost their sight to cataract and have been abandoned to fate,” she said.
She explained that the project will include free screening and identification in partnership with ophthalmologists, free cataract extraction surgery and intraocular lens implant, as well as free post-operative drugs and glasses.
“The goal is not just to give them sight, but to restore their dignity, independence, and ability to fend for themselves. As Helen Keller said, the only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision. Today, we will give them vision,” she said.
Lion Nengi noted that many people are suffering avoidable blindness due to lack of funds and access to care.
“It is not everybody that is blind that is supposed to be blind. A lot of people are blind just because they have no one to assist them, no one to help. They just take it as fate, but it is actually not fate.
“So, we want to go into the remote communities, we want to go and fish them out, we want to find out what is going on. We need people to get back, let them not just be hopeless, let them be helpful to themselves and be able to do one or two things for themselves,” she said.
She said her tenure will focus on the less privileged, with visits to motherless babies’ homes and old people’s homes, noting that a little token can make a great difference.
“I’m giving my own seed myself. It’s a commitment. It’s a childhood desire to make people happy, and I’m excited that I have a platform in Lionism to be able to showcase what I actually want to do, so I’m happy,” she said.
The project is expected to cost between N14 million and N16 million. She appealed to her Board, members of the Club, friends and partners to key into the vision and sponsor a surgery or two.
“I have already committed my personal seed, and I am confident that with your support, we will not only do 50, but we can do more than 100. I pledge to lead with transparency, inclusiveness, and accountability. I will run an administration where every member will be carried along. We will not only serve, we will have fun in service.
“We will grow our membership and we will make our Club visible. We will support and participate in impactful collaborations with fellow clubs. Giving Back to Our Roots, through impactful and intellectual projects, publications, and community service,” she said.
She urged members to join hands and build a club that connects and lends helping hands through collective efforts driven by compassion, commitment and inclusion.
In her speech, the Investiture Committee Chairperson, Lion Dr. Prince Jessy Val, said the Club is committed to more impactful collaborations to ensure better fulfilment and visibility in communities in and around them.
“While upholding our Lions International motto, ‘We Serve,’ giving life meaning even in any small measure, is a great fit. This is the reason we need all of us to collectively make a difference,” she said.
She urged everyone to join the noble cause to add value to the lives of the less privileged in communities.
In his valedictory speech, the outgoing President, Lion Engr. Goodluck Chinyere, said while leadership positions may change, the responsibility to serve humanity remains constant.
“When I assumed the mantle of leadership, I understood that the office of the President was not a title to be celebrated, but a responsibility to be discharged. I knew that the true value of my presidency would not be measured by the length of my tenure, the number of meetings held, or the applause received, but by the difference we were able to make in the lives of people within our community,” he said.
The Club members, their partners and friends were there urged to support the efforts to put a smile in the faces of the less privileged.
For a better society
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