Ivory League of Progress as part of its Corporate Social Responsibilities (CSR) activities donated 20 wheelchairs to the Spinal Cord Injuries Association of Nigeria (SCIAN).
The event which was supported by the Rotary Club of Victoria Garden City (VGC) was held during the Independence Day celebration of Nigeria.
The donation was an opportunity for both Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) to reach out to SCAIN, the Disabled Welfare Association of Nigeria, and Regina Mundi Catholic Church.
Tunde Thani, the president of Ivory League of Progress, in his opening remarks stated that the Ivory League of Progress was established in 1987 and it has always carried out CSR activities from time to time. The Club’s establishment was borne out of its cardinal vision to identify indigent people in the society and to strive to cater to their needs.
“We strive to cater to the needs of the people through the provision of materials, advocacy, and intervention over the years.
“We have supported Associations like Modupe Cole Memorial Child Care and Treatment Home, Pacelli School of the Blind, Old People’s Homes and Initiative for Children and Women with Disabilities,” Thani said.
He further stated that the Club has come to identify with groups that are very important in society but which are often overlooked due to their disabilities. Thani recognized that people with disabilities have a problem of mobility which affects their socio-economic life and as a result, the donation of wheelchairs will alleviate the challenges they face on a daily basis.
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“We believe that as we donate these Wheel Chairs to your Associations, it will improve your lives, total well-being and assist in your social and economic life,” he stated.
Besides, he enjoined the Association to make proper use of the Wheel Chairs and to ensure that it is distributed to the physically challenged among them who are desperately in need of it at the moment.
Thani who spoke on behalf of the entire members of the Ivory League of Progress promised that the donation they made will certainly not be the last. He assured them that more donations will continue to come from the NGO.
Yemi Fakayejo, the immediate past president of Rotary Club of VGC, in his remarks, said that Ivory League of Progress and Rotary Club of VGC share the same vision, purpose, and vision is touching the lives of the less privileged in the society.
“When we see opportunities like this to touch lives, we strive to key into it. This is why Rotary Club of VGC is happy to partner with Ivory League of Progress to bring smiles on the faces of the less privileged in the society,” Fakayejo said.
Fakayejo bemoaned the plight of physically challenged people in society and enjoined the government and members of the public to come to their aid regularly. He appealed to the government at both State and Federal levels, to always consider the physically challenged when planning for the environment.
“When skyscrapers are built on our roads, the government should also make a pathway for the physically challenged as done in developed countries of the world,” he advocated.
Mr Obioha Ononogbu, the national chairman of SCIAN in his response to the donation of the Wheel Chairs, thanked the Ivory League of Progress and the Rotary Club of VGC for the kind gesture. He stated that he wished that more corporate organizations can come to their aid occasionally.
He also appealed to the government at all levels to consider the plight of less privileged people in the society, by including them in their annual and quarterly allocations. This he said will go a long way to alleviate the plight of the less privileged in society.
