The Federal Government on Tuesday said it has screened more than 1.5 million people for vision impairment and distributed 1.4 million pairs of free reading glasses in just 12 months, under a presidential initiative.
The scheme is aimed at tackling a hidden health crisis is been delivered under Effective Spectacle Coverage Initiative Nigeria (ESCIN), dubbed Jigibola 2.0.
Miniater of state Dr Iziaq Adekunle Salako who stated this while briefing State House Correwpondents at MEET THE PRESS in the presidential villa, Abuja said the initiative has reached 16 States with a 94% utilisation rate of donated spectacles.
Presbyopia – age-related farsightedness that blurs close-up vision – affects millions, particularly those over 40.
According to him, sreening 1,541,325 people led to 1,444,581 pairs dispensed across states including Lagos, Kano, Delta and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
He said 65 percent of recipients received their first-ever glasses, with women making up 53 percent of beneficiaries – a sign of growing equity in access.
NewsQuest reports that the scheme, rooted in the Federal Government’s Primary Health Care (PHC) network, has trained 2,216 workers and equipped 811 facilities to offer screening, counselling, prescriptions and referrals.
“This is last-mile delivery,” Salako said, warning against fake eyewear peddled outside approved centres.
The Minister disclosed that regulatory bodies including the Standards Organisation of Nigeria and NAFDAC are cracking down on substandard products.
“Patronise only registered centres – report anything suspicious,” he added.
Salako confirmed that amid recent health workers’ strike, staff have returned, boosting momentum.
National Coordinator of the eye health programme, Dr. Okolo Oteri called it “more than statistics: it restores dignity, productivity and inclusion”.
Recipients – artisans, traders, farmers – have regained confidence, some reading religious texts unaided for the first time. “It’s like a personal gift from the president,” she said.
Abigail Steinberg, of the Livelihood Impact Fund, highlighted the scale: 74 million Nigerians need eye care, 25 million just cheap reading glasses costing under 1,000 naira (£0.50) to make.
Unaddressed vision loss drains $25bn from global GDP annually.
The success of the scheme officials said stems from presidential backing, Ministry collaboration and partners including Founders Pledge and RestoringVision.
