Tunji Wusu –
At the recently finished Vision First Initiative of the Shell Nigeria and Exploration and Production Company of Nigeria Limited (SNEPCo) and its partner, Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC), more than 4,000 inhabitants of Lagos Island villages took advantage of free eye care services.
In the second Lagos iteration of the program, which was introduced in 2022, free screening, glasses, surgeries, and prescriptions were provided over the seven-day event.
Medical eye care is a vital necessity that should be made available, inexpensive, and a top priority, according to Mr. Bala Wunti, Chief Upstream Investment Officer of NNPC Upstream Investment Management Services (NUIMS).
He believed that everyone should have clear vision as a fundamental right, not a luxury. To help Nigerians with preventative and remedial vision assistance, the NNPC and SNEPCo developed the Vision First Initiative.
“We will continue to champion the implementation of sustainable Corporate Social Responsibility projects and programs that positively impact the lives of Nigerians,” said Wunti, who was represented by NUIMS Manager of Stakeholder Relations, Ms. Julie Utang.
The project will continue to concentrate on visual aids, surgical treatments, and the prevention of visual impairment and childhood blindness, according to SNEPCo’s managing director, Mrs. Elohor Aiboni.
“Vision acuity and clear eyesight play an important role in an individual’s quality of life, and this initiative seeks to eliminate preventable and treatable blindness while also providing risk communication on poor health-seeking behaviors,” said Aiboni, who spoke through her representative and SNEPCo’s managing counsel, Mrs. Lara Taiwo-Ogunbodede.
According to the SNEPCo chairman, “Around 2,000 people were screened; 1,199 prescription glasses were dispensed; 1,310 beneficiaries received medication; while 189 people had successful procedures.”
The deputy director, Dr. Adeniran Ifeyemi, on behalf of the permanent secretary for health, Dr. Olusegun Ogboye, thanked NNPC, SNEPCo, and their co-venture partners for the effort, emphasizing that “health is one of the integral components of the ‘T.H.E.M.E.S. Agenda’ of the state government and the health component of the agenda is anchored on the premise of the Lagos State Health Scheme designed to ensure
Mr. Muibi Folawiyo, the chairman of the Lagos Island East Local Council Development Area, praised the ‘Vision First Initiative’ for the residents of his local council and urged other organizations to follow in SNEPCo and its partners’ footsteps.
