Tinubu to provide 5 million eyeglasses to Nigerians with sight impediments

President Bola Tinubu has announced a partnership between the Federal Ministry of Health’s National Eye Health Programme and the Peek Vision Foundation to provide more than 5 million pairs of eyeglasses to Nigerians with sight impairments.

Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale announced this in a statement on Friday after the President meeting with the Founder and CEO of Peek Vision Foundation and Co-Founder of the Vision Catalyst Fund, Prof. Andrew Bastawrous.

President Tinubu said he vowed to pursue the mass provision of eye care, free eye screenings and surgeries to people because his mother faced the same problem — could not recognise him during that time.

“My first experience was with my mother of blessed memory. She was ill and she could not recognise me. When I intervened, she was treated and given a pair of glasses. The next question she asked me was: I have you, and you can do this for me. What about those other women and their children who may not have somebody like you to intervene for them?”

While recounting his mother’s words, Tinubu stated that he impacted the eye health of millions of people in Lagos State as a governor.

Highlighting the pressing need for improved eye health services in Nigeria, President Tinubu expressed concern about the more than 24 million Nigerians grappling with varying degrees of vision impairments. 

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“We must act now because sight and vision are critical to economic development and growth,” the President said, recalling his visionary “Jigi Bola” programme, which was initiated during his tenure as the Executive Governor of Lagos State in 2001 and provided free eye screenings and surgeries to Lagosians while setting a new precedent for proactive eye care initiatives in West Africa. 

He added that he would encourage and mobilize to reach vulnerable people across the country, even though some parents may not pay attention.

Meanwhile, the CEO of Peek Vision Foundation and Co-Founder of the Vision Catalyst Fund, Prof. Bastawrous expressed commitment to the President’s move. 

Prof. Bastawrous said good vision unlocks human potential and improves earning, learning, and wellness for individuals, communities, and countries.

He shared his personal story of how his eye problem began when he was twelve years old and could not get good grades until he got eyeglasses.

Professor Bastawrous noted that eye care is still chronically under-resourced in many countries, adding that the estimates in Nigeria show that 0.0002 percent of the health budget is spent on eye health.