Lagosians from different areas of the state, especially the Island, participated actively in a health walk and eye screening exercise, put together by the Federal Nigerian Society for the Blind (FNSB), recently. The activity was part of the 2022 edition of the White Cane Safety Day celebration, with “Together Crossing New Boundaries”, as theme. It is a global October 15th event which is targeted at raising awareness on the plights of visually impaired persons and raising funds to take care of their needs.
The event was supported by a key player in the Nigerian insurance sector, KBL Insurance Limited (a subsidiary of Keystone Bank Limited), as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), focused on giving back to their host communities. The walk which held amidst a clement weather and enthusiastic participants, took off from the Muson Centre through Awolowo Road to Falomo roundabout before terminating at Muson Centre with Lagos State government and the Nigeria Police, providing all the necessary logistics to ensure safety.
There were also eye screenings and the administration of the needed treatments by the health professionals mobilised by the organisers to ensure the success of the programme. The FNSB and its partner, KBL provided the necessary logistics to ensure that participants were well attended to.
Providing a background on the collaboration, Ukachi Orji, the MD/CEO of KBL Insurance Limited, said her organisation’s passion for the less privileged informed its decision to support the exercise. “KBL Insurance Limited is passionate about the physically challenged, especially persons who have issues with their sight and other groups who cannot do a lot of things on their own.
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“We strongly think they need all the care, and we are committed to assisting them as much as possible”, she said. According to the KBL insurance Limited boss, it is also part of KBL’s way of giving back to society as a responsible corporate player. “We treasure the environment where we do business and are ready to contribute our quota to sustain such an environment,” she said.
In his remarks, Fusi Akinkugbe, chairman of the Council, Federal Nigeria Society for the Blind (FNSB), appreciated KBL Insurance’s gesture for supporting the commemoration. Providing a background on the day, he said: ” White Cane Safety Day celebration is a global event which usually holds every October 15th. It is very significant, particularly in the lives of the visually impaired persons and other persons who have challenges with their sight. The symbolism is built around their walk sticks with which they move around to find their way.”
Akinkugbe said the day was particularly set aside for advocacy and to raise awareness on the need to show concern to these individuals.
“We want people to know that they are normal people who need our love and care, who often find it difficult to move around on their own when they are out there. We are using today to raise funds for their need and care,” he informed.
The White Cane Safety Day commemoration is happening at a time of increasing health and wellness challenges in the country. Experts have usually stated that sufficient awareness is the first step towards ensuring real health wellbeing of a people. It is for these reasons, that the bodies deserve commendation for what they were able to accomplish, through the commemoration.
