By Mercy Gadia Adi
The Federal Government has reiterated its commitment to preventing avoidable blindness and improving access to quality eye care services across Nigeria through the integration of Primary Eye Care (PEC) into the nation’s Primary Health Care (PHC) system.
Minister of State for Health, Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako, stated this on Thursday, October 9, 2025, in Abuja, during the commemoration of World Sight Day 2025, themed “Love Your Eyes.”
Represented by Dr. Jimoh Olawale Salaudeen, mni, Director of the Hospital Services Department, Salako said the initiative seeks to make eye care accessible to millions of Nigerians, particularly those in underserved and rural communities.
He noted that vision plays a crucial role in national development, adding that eye health has now been recognized as part of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) following Nigeria’s adoption of the “Vision for Everyone” resolution at the UN General Assembly.
“Evidence has shown that individuals with impaired vision have difficulty performing daily tasks, and their productivity declines significantly,” he said. “The avoidance of blindness is key to achieving SDG 1, No Poverty, as vision loss costs the world an estimated $411 billion annually.”
Salako explained that Nigeria’s National Eye Health Policy (2019) and National Eye Health Strategic Development Plan (2023–2027) provide the framework for scaling up eye care delivery and strengthening the health system toward universal health coverage.
According to him, the Ministry has trained 12 master trainers across the six geopolitical zones to build the capacity of state-level personnel on integrating PEC into PHC. He added that data collection and reporting tools have been developed to enhance monitoring and evaluation.
He said the integration would empower PHC workers to manage simple eye conditions and refer complex cases appropriately, improving early diagnosis and reducing preventable vision loss.
On ongoing interventions, Dr. Salako announced the rollout of the Effective Spectacle Coverage Initiative Nigeria (ESCIN), also known as Jigibola 2.0, which aims to distribute five million free reading glasses across 15 states within three years. The initiative targets uncorrected refractive errors, particularly presbyopia, a common cause of visual impairment in older adults.
“By prioritizing eye health today, we are investing in a brighter, more prosperous tomorrow for Nigeria,” he added.
In her welcome address, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Daju Kachollom, mni, represented by Dr. Oteri Okolo Eme, National Coordinator of the National Eye, Ear and Sensory Functions Health Programme (NESHP), urged Nigerians to embrace regular eye check-ups and early detection of eye diseases.
She stressed that eye health is not only a medical concern but also central to achieving universal health coverage and driving national development.
“The economic and social implications of vision impairment are enormous, especially for a young and growing population like Nigeria’s. We must act now to prevent avoidable blindness and improve quality of life,” she said.
Delivering a presentation titled “Celebrating the Impact of Partnerships in Putting Patients at the Heart of Eye Health,” Dr. Eme described Nigeria’s progress in advancing eye health as a “steady climb up a mountain once shrouded in mist.”
She noted that despite limited resources and data gaps, collaboration and innovation have fueled progress.
“Our journey began with modest resources and daunting statistics, but with leadership, partnerships, and donor support, we have scaled steep terrain,” she said. “We now have policy documents and governance structures in 35 states and the FCT, and we hope to achieve full nationwide coverage by next year.”
Dr. Eme added that NESHP, which recently expanded its mandate to include ear and sensory health, has strengthened advocacy, improved service delivery, and enhanced community ownership of interventions.
Among notable achievements are:
The Distribution of over 1.2 million free pairs of reading glasses through the Jigibola 2.0 initiative, with 66% of beneficiaries receiving their first pair and over half being women.
The Training of 2,200 primary health care workers across 15 states to deliver primary eye care, over 3,000 free cataract surgeries for residents of riverine communities and an Ongoing supervisory visits to 10 states for gap analysis and skills retention in PEC delivery.
Despite these milestones, Dr. Eme identified persistent challenges such as inadequate policy architecture, funding gaps, and insufficient data for effective planning. She said these insights would guide future strategies for stronger eye health governance.
“We are not yet at the summit, but we can see the clouds,” she said. “With every step, we are closer to a Nigeria where no one is needlessly blind, and those with irreversible vision loss can still contribute meaningfully to national development.”
She also acknowledged collaborations with global partners including the Livelihood Impact Fund, International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB), Ariadne Labs at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and the International Eye Care Centre at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, which she said have strengthened capacity, innovation, and service delivery.