More than 6,000 residents of Akwa Ibom State are expected to benefit from a week-long free eye care programme being implemented by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and Seplat Energy Joint Venture.
The Eye Can See initiative, launched in Uyo by the Chairman of Seplat Energy Plc, Senator Udoma Udo Udoma, will provide free eye services to residents of Uyo, Eket and Ibeno Local Government Areas.
The programme is designed to provide beneficiaries with access to eye screening, treatment, corrective reading glasses and sight-restoring surgeries for eligible patients.
Speaking at the launch, Udoma said the initiative was part of Seplat Energy’s commitment to supporting the development and wellbeing of communities where it operates.
He explained that the programme had previously been implemented in Edo, Delta and Imo states, adding that its extension to Akwa Ibom followed the company’s commitment after its acquisition of the MPNU assets in the state.
“After the acquisition of the MPNU assets in Akwa Ibom, I led our delegation to visit the Governor and explained that Seplat Energy believes in contributing proactively to the development of the communities where we operate. I specifically mentioned the Eye Can See programme and promised that we would extend it to Akwa Ibom. We are here today to fulfil that promise,” he said.
‘Good vision supports learning, work and independence’
Udoma described the eye-care initiative as part of the company’s broader social investment programme, alongside interventions in education, livelihoods and local capacity development.
He said the projects were designed to respond to identified needs within host communities while delivering benefits that could endure beyond the immediate intervention.
“Good vision supports learning, work, independence and dignity. Professional eye care addresses an immediate health need, but it also helps people regain opportunities that may have been lost.
“Our approach is based on partnership. No company can deliver sustainable development on her own. Government provides leadership and we recognize the leadership that the Akwa Ibom State Government is providing to us.
“We intend to deepen this partnership as our operations progress. Our social investments will continue to support health, education, livelihoods and local capacity, guided by engagement with the faith and our own community. We will be clear about what we can deliver and accountable for delivering it well,” he stated.
The programme's medical teams will also screen beneficiaries for glaucoma, hypertension and diabetes, conditions that can remain undetected until they result in serious health complications.
Programme has reached more than 130,000 people
Chief Executive Officer of Seplat Energy, Engr. Effiong Okon, said the Eye Can See programme was established in 2012 with the objective of reducing avoidable blindness by taking eye care services closer to communities.
According to him, the programme has expanded significantly since its launch and has so far screened 130,771 patients, distributed 67,491 pairs of glasses and carried out 5,350 sight-restoring surgeries across the states where it has operated.
He added that the initiative reached 13,726 beneficiaries in 2025 alone, providing 7,074 pairs of glasses and completing 471 surgeries.
“These results show a programme that remains active, relevant and capable of reaching people at scale,” Okon said.
He said the Akwa Ibom edition would similarly focus on early detection and treatment, while ensuring that patients requiring corrective lenses or surgery receive the necessary intervention.
Governor welcomes intervention
Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno, described the programme as a timely intervention, particularly for residents whose education, livelihoods and productivity have been affected by poor vision.
The governor, who was represented at the event by the Deputy Governor, Senator Dr Akon Eyakenyi, cited cataract as a major cause of blindness in Nigeria.
According to him, cataract accounts for about 43 per cent of blindness in the country, based on findings from the Nigeria National Blindness and Visual Impairment Survey.
He stressed the importance of timely access to professional eye care in preventing avoidable sight loss.
“Many individuals and families have had their aspirations cut short and their productivity limited by visual impairment caused by cataract. We appreciate the efforts of the Joint Venture to help beneficiaries regain their sight, rebuild confidence and reclaim lost potential,” he said.
Beneficiaries recount struggles with poor vision
For some beneficiaries, the programme has offered relief after months or years of struggling with deteriorating eyesight.
Rose Edenteghe, a teacher, said poor vision had increasingly affected her ability to perform routine activities, including reading, writing, teaching and moving around independently.
She disclosed that she had previously paid for surgery on one eye but could not afford the treatment required for the other.
Reflecting on the support she received through the programme, Edenteghe said the intervention had restored more than her sight.
“They did not just give us surgery; they gave us back our sight and our joy. Thank you for giving us our dignity back,” she said.
Another beneficiary, Alfred Elvis, said he had begun experiencing problems with his left eye about a year and three months earlier.
According to him, several medical examinations eventually established that he had cataracts, but the cost of surgery made treatment difficult.
“I think for a year and three months, I started noticing somewhere in July last year that my left eye had problems. I went for a couple of checkups and was told it was cataracts.
“It grew worse and I tried a particular health centre but the price was outrageous. I was planning to do the surgery this month before I heard of the Seplat NNPC partnership, so I came. I didn’t even believe it was going to happen this way.
“The surgery was performed yesterday and it was quite seamless and I can see now. I think about 30 did the surgery,” he stated.
The Eye Can See programme is expected to continue across the selected local government areas during the week-long exercise, with residents receiving access to screening and treatment without charge.
For Seplat Energy and its NNPCL Joint Venture, the intervention represents an expansion of a health programme that has already provided eye-care services to thousands of people, while for beneficiaries in Akwa Ibom, the initiative offers an opportunity to address visual problems that might otherwise have remained untreated because of cost or limited access to specialist care.