By Prisca Sam-Duru

The Rotary Club of Isolo, District 9110, Nigeria, recorded a milestone last week, when it held the ground breaking ceremony of its proposed Cervical Cancer centre project, at the Isolo Local Council Development Area, LCDA, Lagos.

The Project when completed, will serve women and girls in the areas of free testing, vaccination against the disease, as well as a treatment centre.

Performing the ground-breaking ceremony, the Chairman of Isolo LCDA, Hon. Shamsudeen Olaleye, thanked God that the project was happening in Isolo LCDA.

While noting how deadly Cervical Cancer is as a major killer of women, Hon. Olaleye said that to have a facility that will offer servicers covering the areas of testing, prevention and immediate treatment of the disease at no cost, is one good opportunity that should not be missed.

The Isolo LCDA boss who disclosed that he has never been fascinated by such projects, said that he surprised himself in that when the President of Rotary Club, Isolo, Rotarian Tejumola Taiwo Raji, came to him with the proposal, he didn’t hesitate to give in to her request. “When I received a proposal from the president of Rotary Club Isolo,… I’m used to receiving proposals and most times, I minute such proposals for other departmental heads to look at them and give me feedback. But on this occasion, I didn’t know what prompted me to just show interest in it from the word go.

“When I found what the proposal was intending, I found it very good for people of Isolo because the project, when completed, is going to offer free services and we know that government alone cannot do it all, we need to partner with individuals and organisations to deliver services to people”, he said.

“The proposed Cervical Cancer centre is a beautiful project and I’m happy on a personal note that it is going to be a legacy that I’m going to leave behind for the people of Isolo. I’m in public service already, but now that I’m going out of public service, it will not be a bad idea if I join community service”, he concluded.

Speaking at the Presken Hotel Shonibare Estate, Maryland, Lagos, where the ceremony continued, the Change Maker President of Rotary Club Isolo, Rotarian Tejumola Taiwo Raji disclosed that the ground breaking ceremony of the Cervical Cancer centre project was her star project for the year adding that it was a dream come true.

Rotarian Raji who was presiding over the Rotary Club Isolo meeting for the first time since her election as president, described Cervical Cancer as a plague that people do not know much about but is silently devastating the health of women- both young and old. She however emphasised that “It is something that if we pay serious attention to, can be controlled”

“If Cervical Cancer is detected on time, it can be treated. And if vaccinated, it makes the receiver of the vaccine to be immune to it. We need to do all we can to stop this disease because it is very deadly”, She added.

Explaining what motivated her into embarking on the project, Rotarian Raji recalled how a visit to the doctor for medical examination, fuelled her desire to help women and girls to live life devoid of Cervical Cancer.  Though her results came out negative, experiences of some helpless girls in the hospital, made her decide to help create awareness on the disease. 

The screening she revealed, “Will be totally free, but if we must charge, it’s going to be a very little amount for sustainability.

“The plan is to take the campaign to all secondary schools around Isolo. We believe that the earlier the cancer is detected, the better. So we will pay attention to screening and vaccination which will be highly subsidised by the Rotary foundation.

“With the help of other external NGOs, which we hope will be willing to partner with us, we could conduct between fifty and hundred screenings per day. We are actually looking at having the free screening every Friday”, she explained.

Other proposed projects by the Isolo Rotary Club include: providing borehole to Isolo market, donation of ambulance to the Isolo General Hospital, feeding the needy in the area and, many others.

Highlights of the occasion included: launch of the Club’s banner and, donations toward the take-off of the Cervical Cancer centre building project.

The event was graced by some dignitaries of the Club including: Sen. Ganiyu Olanrewaju Solomon, Asiwaju Michael Olawale-Cole, Dr Rphael Abanum and a host of others.

Vanguard News Nigeria