Pix: L-R: Mobolaji Ajibola (Ikoyi club), Engr. Ade Oyenekan ( President- international Golfing Fellowship of Rotarians. Nigeria chapter), Rotn Dr. Augustin Irabor- President-Rotary Club of Ikoyi, PDG Kamoru Omotosho ( Rotary club of Ikoyi), Dr. Tony Oboh- Captain – Golf Section, Ikoyi Club 1938., PAG Jimmy Evbuomwan- RC Ikoyi Organizing Committee member
The Rotary Club of Ikoyi has flagged off a project to train pro bono batches of 50 persons in Basic Life Support (BLS) from the different organisations in Ikoyi and environs in Lagos.
As its star-project for the ongoing rotary year, the club will train two representatives from each organisation at over N50,000/trainee in BLS – first aid and CPR, among others, with follow-up and international certification at the end of the training.
To raise the required fund and create more awareness on what people should do in moments of medical distress, a charity golf tourney with the theme, “Swing To Save Life,” held Friday at the Golf Section of the Ikoyi Club 1938, featuring local and foreign handicap golfers.
Explaining the initiative at the commencement of the tourney Friday, President of the Rotary Club of Ikoyi, Mr. Augustine Irabor, said that when somebody slumps, the trained life savers know exactly what to do to save such person instead of being helpless or taking pictures.
“You need to train the people on what to do instantly before calling for help, then getting an ambulance to a treatment centre. That is why we have our service providers on the training of representatives on BLS, the ambulance, etc.
“We started this training in July and have the first set. After the training, we will be able to follow the sequence, so that whether at home, workplace or anywhere, once it happens, you know what to do. That’s the purpose of organising the tournament, particularly to create awareness.”
An awards ceremony, where selected winners will be presented trophies and gifts in recognition of their participation, will round off the tourney after the evening session.
Irabor said the tourney has been planned to support the Life Savers Squad as the club’s star project, adding: “Our ambition and target is to have at least two representatives of life savers squad in every organisation – to train the people and make them available to carry out the life-saving exercise any time, any day in their own organisations.
“Another training comes up in November, comprising people from police hospital and boat club, among others, and each organisation is expected to select two representatives, who rotary will train pro bono.”
According to him, each organisation only need to have office within Ikoyi to qualify and, “in the process, some have acknowledged it as a noble idea and have volunteered funding support for the programme. Proceeds from this tournament will be used for this purpose.
“It costs about N50,000 for the training, and follow-up for each person to ensure that the person is still relevant, and able and certified to continue carrying out that activity.
“Also, there will be certificates for the trainees after an international exam from the certifying body to enable them perform logistics life support. It lapses every two years. The
“Our target for this year is 50, but that depends on the extent of sponsorship we get, and that is why we are expanding the scope of organisations.
“Our target is to ensure that every organisation in Ikoyi has at least two trained persons able to carry our basic life-saving support on anybody that slumps in the office. Of course when you train 50, those will be able to train some others within their organisation.”
According to him, the tourney is open to all golfers – local and foreign, as “we have a platform for international Rotarian golfers’ association; they were all invited and a few have come from outside.
“Others are mainly from the Rotary Club of Ikoyi, but we also have people from Sagamu joining us for this tourney. It is open to all handicap players on a participation fee of just N10,000.”
In January we will have vocational month, when we provide training for the community, while we provide a collateral-free revolving loan of N1 million to traders, among others.