• As 800 residents get free eye glasses, drugs

By Shina Abubakar, Osogbo

Residents of Iragbiji and five other communities in Boripe and Ifelodun Local Government Areas of Osun State benefited from the free eye outreach, including free surgery for those suffering from cataract.

The outreach which was an initiative of Lion Eye Care Development Project of the Lions Club international, was held in Iragbiji targeted for 800 residents of the communities.

Speaking with newsmen at the event, the Aragbiji of Iragbij, Oba Abdur-rasheed Adebomi described the outreach as a necessity to curb the growing trend of avoidable blindness among rural dwellers.

While commending the club for extending the goodwill to Iragbiji and adjoining communities, pledged that the town could contribute to the bills of those needing surgery if the need arises.

His words, “We appreciate this gesture. Our people hardly have access to eye care services but outreach like this safe many of them from suffering the menace of unnecessary blindness.

“I want to call on other clubs and societies, rather than dancing and doing all merryments, we should take que from the gesture of the Lion’s club International.

“Also private individual who are people of means should try, you see Government can’t do everything alone but what ever little each and every one of us contribute to solve the problem confronting humanity is worth it.”

Earlier, Lions Outreach’s Officer, Lion Olufunke Odesanmi, said the initiative was targeted at reaching 800 residents of Iragbiji, Iree, Aagba, Ada, Ororuwo and Ikirun.

“We are targeting over 800 residents and have already attended to about 600, with beneficiaries from Iragbiji and its environs, including Iree, Aagba, Ada, Ororuwo, Ikirun, and others.

“We encourage the government to extend there good goodwill to the people of the rural communities not that they should only carry out free surgical exercises only in the cities.They should extend it to the people in the local community by coming to screen them and then they can provide a means of transportation to those who require surgery to come to the city for proper treatment.”

Also, the Chairman, Iragbiji Development Association, IDA, Dr. Abdul-Lateef Raheem, stressed the need for paying adequate attention to eye care.

His words,”we feel delighted about the outreach by the Lion Club International, the eye care is very important to health care delivery and without having good sight all life endeavors could be meaningless.”