Ikorodu Leo Club

LAGOS, Central - Nigeria

Successful people have a dream. They think and work towards that dream everyday….. Astronuant Alan Bean. The above statement aptly describes the great founder of Lionism, Melvin Jones who had a dream of local business Clubs coming together to form one great International Club for the betterment of their communities and the World at large. He immediately started working toward the realization of this dream and his June 1917. This ‘mustard seed” thus sown has today become the most active, most representative service club Organization with over 1.4 million members spread over 41,000 clubs in 180 Nations around the world. The harbinger of Lionism to Nigeria is Lion Rene Louiseau who in 1963 started proposing membership to prospective members in Lagos. The activity led to the charter of the first Lions Club in Nigeria, Lagos (Doyen) Lions club on the 21st of December 1964. The Charter President is Lion J. Houlgate, while Lion R. Louiseau served as Secretary and Lion Akintola Williams, the only Nigerian in the 24-member Club served as the Treasurer. It is gratifying the doyen Lion Akintola Wiliams still stands tall and strong today as the supporting pillar of Lionism in Nigeria. As the only Club in the Country then, the Lagos (Doyen) Lions Club was grouped along with others, mainly Francophone countries in West Africa, into what was then District 403A. Unhappy with this grouping, especially as congress was conducted in French with in-adequate simultaneous translation facilities and also the monopoly of District Offices by the French speaking countries, concerted efforts were made at home by the Doyen Club to start off new clubs. This led to the Charter of several clubs viz, Apapa, Yaba, Ikeja, Benin etc. These new clubs in turn started sponsorship of other clubs and with the efforts of several Lions, most prominent of whom were Doyen Akintola Williams, Lion Harry Knoop, Jaap Spiering, Olubunmi Odebiyi, Sam Alamutu MON, Chief Lai Balogun, ayo Rosiji, Fola Odufuye, Labi Silva, Chief Gbadamosi etc, a sizeable number of clubs were chartered in several parts of the country. Having therefore formed enough Clubs to constitute a New District, the International Office at Oak Brrok, USA, granted Nigeria a district Status named District 4004 in April 1984. The new District had Lion Harry Knoop as the first District Governor. On board with him were Lion Sam Alamutu as the Lieutnant Governor, Lion Fola Odufuye as the District Cabinet Secretary, while Lion (Chief) L. Gbadamosi served as the District Cabinet Treasurer. LIONESS CLUBS: The women were no less aggressive in imbibing and spreading the gospel of Lionism. With the formation of the first Lioness Club in Nigeria, Apapa Lioness Club (sponsored by Apapa Lions Club) in December 1980, several other clubs sprang up, namely Lagos, Ikeja, Sapele, Warri, Calabar, Port Harcourt, Victoria Island. By the end of the 1982/83 lionistic year, the Lioness had formed enough Clubs to wrestle themselves out of the Francophone West African countries. Hence, Oak Brook approved the formation of Lioness District 403A in July 1983. The first Lioness District President in Lioness (now Lion) Oye Williams, while Lioness (now Lion) Marion Johnson served as District Secretary. The Treasurer was Lioness Ladehinde. Both Lion Oye Williams and Lion Marion Johnson are today very strong members of the Ikoyi Lions Club. Several other Lionesses have since the prescription of the Lioness district by the International Headquarters in July 1993, transformed into Lions, enjoying same status, rights and privileges of Lionism with their male counterparts