Red Cross

Some stakeholders on Tuesday appealed to benevolent individuals and organisations to support the Nigerian Red Cross Society in Lagos to enable it carry out its philanthropic activities.

The stakeholders, who spoke with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) at its 51st Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Lagos, expressed concern about the limited support the society was getting from Nigerians.

Mrs Olanike James, Tax Partner with KPMG, decried the lack of financial support for the Red Cross for its charity programmes.

She said: “The Red Cross don’t get funding from the International Red Cross, so we have to be self-sustaining.

“We also don’t get funding and subvention from governments, so we reach out to the citizenry for support.

“Our most immediate need is an ambulance; it will be alarming if there’s an emergency right now because I’m not sure the vehicle will be able to start.”

She urged Nigerians to assist the society in meeting some of its daily needs, adding that the society could only sustain its projects with assured streams of income.

“There are so many ways to assist Red Cross; the motherless babies home is there. There’s the school that caters to them and the community.

“There’s also the community based clinic; the staff sometimes go a few months without salaries,” she added.

Another patron, Alhaja Sinat Ojikutu, a former Deputy Governor of Lagos State, urged people with so much to spread it around to benefit the less privileged in the society.

“How many clothes will one wear at a time? How many shoes can one wear; how many cars can one ride at a time?

“Let’s think of the people who cannot afford a meal a day and give more of ourselves,” she said.

The former deputy governor said that giving was a God-given gift and urged those who have to sacrifice their pleasures to make others happy.

Ojikutu disclosed that she would soon launch a new initiative – “Kosi Kosi Eradication Programme” – to help meet the needs of the less privileged in the society.

Earlier, Lagos Branch Secretary of Red Cross, Olakunle Lasisi, said that the AGM was aimed at giving stakeholders a report of their stewardship in the past year.

Lasisi commended the donors, both individuals and organisations, who helped in sustaining the activities of the society