President Bola Tinubu has expressed his firm support for a partnership between Nigeria's Federal Ministry of Health's National Eye Health Programme and the Peek Vision Foundation to provide over five million pairs of eyeglasses to Nigerians with vision impairments. The President made this commitment during a meeting with Prof. Andrew Bastawrous, Founder and CEO of Peek Vision Foundation and Co-Founder of the Vision Catalyst Fund.
Tinubu recounted his personal experience with his mother's illness, which resulted in her needing eyeglasses. This experience prompted his commitment to improving eye health in Nigeria, culminating in his "Jigi Bola" program during his tenure as the Executive Governor of Lagos State in 2001, offering Lagosians free eye screenings and surgeries.
Expressing concern over the more than 24 million Nigerians with varying degrees of vision impairments, Tinubu emphasized the importance of vision for economic development. Prof. Bastawrous shared his own story, highlighting the transformative power of vision care, and noted that eye care remains under-resourced in many countries, with Nigeria allocating just 0.0002 percent of its health budget to eye health.
President Tinubu pledged his support for the initiative and encouraged further commitment to reach vulnerable individuals across Nigeria. Prof. Bastawrous expressed his intent to bring Peek Vision's methodology and platform to Nigeria, aiming to secure a significant proportion of the 200 million donated pairs of glasses for the country. A National Policy Document on Eye Health was presented to President Tinubu at the event.
This partnership seeks to improve eye health and provide eyeglasses to millions of Nigerians, contributing to their well-being and potential for growth.