The Federal Government has disclosed that about 24 million Nigerians are living with vision loss, much of it caused by preventable or treatable eye conditions.
The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Adekunle Salako, disclosed this in Abuja at a Public-Private Sector Roundtable on Eye Health, organised under the theme, “GIFT of Sight: Mobilising Partnerships and Sustainable Funding towards Transforming Eye Care in Nigeria.”
Salako said the scale of vision loss in the country required stronger collaboration between the government and private sector to expand access to quality eye-care services and reduce preventable blindness.
He identified cataracts, glaucoma, uncorrected refractive errors and digital eye strain among the conditions contributing to vision problems in the country.
According to him, eye health should no longer be regarded solely as a healthcare issue, as good vision is critical to education, workplace productivity, economic growth and national development.
The minister therefore called on businesses in the banking, manufacturing, telecommunications, energy and other sectors to increase investment in eye health, describing such investment as both a social responsibility and a strategic economic decision.
He urged the private sector to explore innovative financing mechanisms, including blended finance, social impact funds, co-financing arrangements and concessional loans, to expand eye-care infrastructure and improve access to services.
Salako also encouraged companies to channel their Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives into structured programmes such as school eye-health projects, rural surgical outreaches and community-based eye-care centres.
He called on telecommunications companies to deploy digital infrastructure to support tele-ophthalmology, remote screening and mobile diagnostic services.
The minister further challenged Nigerian manufacturers to invest in the local production of spectacle frames, lenses, ophthalmic medicines and other essential eye-care products to reduce dependence on imports.
He said local production would make eye-care commodities more affordable and accessible, while creating jobs, strengthening supply chains and contributing to economic development.
JigiBola screens over 2m Nigerians
Salako said the Federal Government’s JigiBola 2.0 initiative had recorded significant progress, delivering more than two million free eye screenings and 1.5 million free spectacles in just over one year.
He added that more than 2,200 Primary Health Care workers had been trained, while over 800 PHC centres across 16 states had been activated to provide primary eye-care services.
According to him, the next phase of JigiBola 2.0 would extend services to more than one million Nigerians in an additional 10 states.
He also disclosed that the Renewed Hope Health Connect initiative was targeting 25,000 free cataract surgeries by 2027.
The minister commended the longstanding partnership between First City Monument Bank (FCMB) and the Tulsi Chanrai Foundation, which he said had provided eye-care interventions to more than 400,000 Nigerians.
He urged other corporate organisations to emulate such initiatives to address the eye-health needs of millions of Nigerians.
Salako reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment, under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and the Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative, to creating an enabling environment for sustainable public-private partnerships in eye health.
He also called on development partners and civil society organisations to provide technical expertise, innovation and catalytic support towards building a locally financed and sustainable eye-health system.
He stressed that “a nation cannot march into economic prosperity if it is walking blind.”
At the event, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of FCMB, Mrs Yemisi Edun, represented by Dr Diron Olojo, said eye health was critical to education, productivity, economic inclusion and human dignity.
Edun highlighted the bank’s partnership with the Tulsi Chanrai Foundation through the Priceless Gift of Sight Initiative, launched in 2009, saying the programme had provided free eye-care services to more than 400,000 Nigerians by July 2024.
She urged stakeholders to identify communities with the greatest unmet needs, develop sustainable financing arrangements and establish measurable timelines and indicators to ensure accountability.
The National Coordinator, National Eye, Ear and Sensory Function Health Programme, Dr Oteri Okolo, said vision was central to human dignity, development and economic potential.
She said the government was integrating eye health into the broader national health architecture through the National Eye Health Policy and Strategic Plan and the Integrated People-Centred Eye Care strategy.
Okolo said the approach was aimed at ensuring that eye care became an essential component of Universal Health Coverage rather than an isolated medical specialty.
The roundtable brought together government officials, healthcare providers, private-sector organisations, foundations and development partners to strengthen collaboration towards a more accessible, equitable and sustainable eye-care system in Nigeria.
