No fewer than 500 individuals have benefited from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Foundation free eye cataract surgery programme in Niger State.
The NNPC Foundation Managing Director, Mrs. Emmanuella Arukwe, disclosed this in Minna on Friday.
Arukwe, who was represented by Alhaji Adamu Sani, Team Leader of the Foundation, said the initiative is part of efforts to restore vision to 6,000 Nigerians across the six geopolitical zones. She noted that 1,000 individuals from the North-Central zone would benefit from the programme.
“We believe in building a society where no one is left behind, and this programme is a testament to that commitment. The initiative, which has already been held in the South-West, South-East, and South-South zones, offers free cataract screenings, surgeries, and public education on eye health,” she said.
According to Arukwe, cataracts accounted for nearly 50 per cent of blindness cases in Nigeria, with many suffering avoidable blindness due to a lack of access to quality and affordable eye care.
In his remarks, the Niger State Commissioner for Secondary and Tertiary Health, Dr. Bello Tukur, revealed that the state had a backlog of 5,000 cataract patients, with 500 new cases emerging each year.
He reiterated that the programme was open to all, with beneficiaries treated on a first-come, first-served basis. He further appealed to the NNPC Foundation to support the state with essential equipment, such as microscopes, to help reduce the backlog.
Also speaking, Chairperson of the Eye Care Programme in Niger, Dr. Halima Isah, said 200 beneficiaries were selected from Minna and 300 from Bida.
The Community Head of Bosso, Alhaji Abdullahi Sai’du, expressed gratitude to the foundation, saying the programme had restored hope to those who had lost the ability to see.
