•••As Lions Club Donates Recycling Bins To Ondo Govt
Ondo State Governor, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu,SAN, CON has received the prestigious Melvin Jones Award of the Lions Club International in recognition of his dedicated humanitarian services.
The Award was presented to the Governor at his office, Alagbaka, Akure by the District Governor, 404-A1 Nigeria, of the Lions Club, Lion Anogwi Anyanwu.
The Melvin Jones Fellowship (MJF) is considered the backbone of the Lions Club International. The MJF is bestowed on those who have made tremendous contribution to humanity and to the legacy of the founder, Melvin Jones.
Receiving the Award on Friday, Governor Akeredolu thanked the Lions Club International for its numerous interventions in the State.
The Governor, who also received recycling bins donated to the State by the Lions Club, harped on the need to encourage youths to embrace the waste to wealth initiatives.
The Donation of the recycling bins was courtesy of the Akure Professional Lions Club led by its President, Mrs Bunmi Ademosu.
Governor Akeredolu said:”Lions Club is known all over the world and your contribution is not something you can hide. I remember when we commissioned the Dialysis Centre at UNIMEDTH, I was there personally. I was also there to commission the Millennium Eyes Centre, and I want to thank your members for recognizing our little contributions.
“It is not my personal contributions, it is the state that contributed it. Ondo State is partnering with you on a number of things because I remember then, we were asked to make specific contribution to Millennium Eyes Centre and we did.
“On the Award, this is one award I am proud of. I will display it with pride. We must also show appreciation to you for this new project, provision of Recycling Bins, out of the Lions Club programmes all over the country, not only here.
“The donation of this recycling bins was informed by the menace that all these plastic bottles are causing all over the country. And the country is not making any effort to find a way to solve it. If you go abroad today and you go to many hotels, they will serve you water in glass bottles, not plastic, because they are trying to reduce it. But in Nigeria it is increasing. To add to it sachet water is increasing.
“A lot of our waterways today are eyesores because you just see bottles there but a lot of people have found use for these bottles. It is just for us to make sure we propagate this your programme. It is a worthwhile programme. If you propagate it very well and give it adequate publicity, many of our Youths, not only youths but other people who don’t have anything to do will be engaged.
“This is why Lions Club, not only to donate this bins, but must have publicity, education and programme that people can also appreciate and let them realize that it is for their own good because they will make money from it. You also encourage them too to go to so many of our dump sites, from there you will see more bottles for recycling.
“I have seen building constructed with bottles and people live in it. So, encourage them. I want to thank you and appreciate Lion Club for what you have done in Akure. If we talk of new buildings in our University of Medical Sciences Teaching Hospital (UNIMEDTH), they are your buildings. Your Eyes Centre is there, the Dialysis Centre is there and they are working. We want to appreciate you for these.“
Earlier, the District Governor 404-A1 Nigeria, Anogwi Anyanwu appreciated Governor Akeredolu for his sustained support for Lions Club International.
He noted that Lions Club conceived the programme to tackle the menace of plastic waste in the environment.
