By Chidinma Chukwu, Abuja
The Federal Government has announced plans to perform 25,000 free cataract surgeries across the country by the end of 2027 as part of efforts to reduce avoidable blindness and expand access to quality eye care.
The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Adekunle Salako, disclosed this on Thursday in Abuja at an event marking the 2026 World Sight Day.
Salako, who was represented by the Director of e-Health Division, Mrs Doris Afam-Aneke, said the initiative was part of the government’s Renewed Hope Health Connect programme aimed at restoring sight and improving the quality of life of Nigerians.
“As part of our Renewed Hope Health Connect, we’re embarking on performing 25,000 free cataract surgeries across the country by the end of 2027. This target is ambitious, but it is achievable.
“More importantly, it represents our determination to restore sight, independence, productivity and hope to thousands of Nigerians whose lives can be transformed through timely surgical intervention,” he said.
To improve access to eye care, Salako said the government had activated more than 1,400 primary healthcare centres (PHCs) nationwide to provide essential eye care services.
He added that more than 3,000 healthcare workers had been trained across 16 states to strengthen the prevention, early detection and management of common eye conditions at the community level.
According to him, integrating primary eye care into the primary healthcare system remained a key strategy for bringing essential services closer to the people, particularly those in underserved communities.
“A major pillar of our eye health strategy has been the integration and expansion of primary eye care services across the country. The evidence is clear.
“Sustainable progress in eye health can only be achieved when services are available at the point closest to the people. This is why government has prioritised the strengthening of primary healthcare systems as the foundation for delivering essential eye care interventions,” he said.
The minister further disclosed that the government had distributed more than 1.5 million pairs of prescription spectacles to Nigerians in 16 states through the Effective Spectacle Coverage Initiative, known as Jigi-Bola 2.0.
He said preparations were at an advanced stage to extend the initiative to 10 additional states to improve access to affordable vision correction for people with uncorrected refractive errors.
Salako also revealed that more than 1.5 million school-age children had been screened for visual problems through the school eye health programme, with those requiring treatment referred to appropriate health facilities.
He added that the government planned to establish four additional vision centres in Enugu, Edo, Sokoto and Nasarawa states to strengthen secondary eye care services, improve referral systems and expand access to specialised treatment.
The minister said the interventions were designed to ensure that Nigerians could access essential eye care services regardless of their location or financial circumstances.
He identified the key components of the National Eye Care Commitment as integrating primary eye care into PHCs, expanding access to ready-made spectacles through Jigi-Bola 2.0, improving cataract surgical coverage, strengthening the eye health workforce and removing barriers to eye care.
Salako also announced that Nigeria would co-host the first-ever Global Summit on Eye Health, scheduled for November 2 in Antigua and Barbuda.
He described the summit as an opportunity to strengthen international collaboration and advance the integration of eye health into universal health coverage.
He said Nigeria’s participation would place the country at the centre of international health diplomacy efforts to integrate eye care into universal health coverage.
“No nation can attain its full potential when millions of its citizens face avoidable barriers to seeing, learning, working and thriving. This recognition continues to guide our commitment to strengthening eye health services within the broader framework of the Renewed Hope Agenda,” he said.
Earlier, the National Coordinator of the National Eye, Ear and Sensory Functions Health Programme, Dr Oteri Okolo Eme, said more than 80 per cent of visual impairment in Nigeria was avoidable, making the integration of primary eye care into the primary healthcare system a strategic priority.
Eme said the government had established a network of national master trainers across the six geopolitical zones and trained about 4,000 primary healthcare workers, while more than 2,200 others had received specialised training in primary eye care.
She added that state-level trainers and facilitators had also been trained to support the expansion of eye care services nationwide.
The coordinator disclosed that the government was developing protocols for newborn eye screening to facilitate the early detection and treatment of conditions that could cause visual impairment.
“We are protecting our children and future generations. We are in the process of developing protocols for newborn screening because we believe that if we detect causes of visual impairment early, we will be able to address them and ensure better outcomes.
“We are also tackling national priority eye conditions by developing standardised guidelines,” she said.
Eme said the forthcoming Global Summit on Eye Health would provide an opportunity to examine the state of eye health and push for accelerated action.
She called on governments, development partners, the private sector, healthcare workers, teachers, the media and Nigerians to support efforts to improve eye health.
She urged governments to make dedicated budgetary allocations for eye care and encouraged Nigerians to undergo regular eye examinations to protect their sight.
Also speaking, the Executive Secretary of the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities, Chief Ayuba Gufwan, said investment in eye health was an investment in people.
He noted that supporting persons with visual impairment and ensuring accessible eye care services would improve their participation in education, employment and community life.
Similarly, the Chief Medical Director of the National Eye Centre, Kaduna, Dr Amina Hassan Wali, called for stronger partnerships, increased public awareness, early presentation for eye problems, regular eye examinations and sustained investment in eye health.
“Let us work together to ensure that no one is left behind and that everyone can enjoy the gift of sight. Let us all love our eyes and make eye health a priority,” she said.
The event featured the unveiling of the National Eye Health Commitments in alignment with the forthcoming Global Summit on Eye Health.
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