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The Nigeria National Petroleum Company Foundation has embarked on a free cataract screening and surgery program to restore sight to over 1,000 individuals in Bayelsa State. The program took place at the Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa, and the Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital, Okolobiri, in Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.

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Managing Director of NNPC Foundation, Mrs. Emmanuella Arukwe, represented by Manager, Healthcare Programme, Jude Ayalogu, emphasized the need to combat widespread vision impairment caused by cataracts. “Cataracts remain one of the leading causes of blindness globally. According to the World Health Organisation, nearly 50% of blindness cases in Nigeria are caused by cataracts,” Ayalogu stated

Arukwe highlighted the social and economic implications of vision loss, saying, “The challenge is not just a health issue – it is a social and economic crisis, as vision loss impacts productivity, independence, and overall quality of life.” The NNPC Foundation aims to provide free cataract screenings, surgeries, and public education about eye health to 6,000 individuals across the six geopolitical zones.

The programme is part of the foundation’s broader mission to expand its work restoring sight across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones. They have already hit their target in the South-West geopolitical zone, where they concluded the programme earlier in the year.

Chief Medical Director, Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa, Dr James Omietimi, commended the foundation for the gesture, noting that cataract surgery costs between N100,000 and N150,000 in public hospitals and over N300,000 in private health centres. “Cataracts are the leading cause of reversible blindness, prevalent with ageing,” Omietimi explained.

One of the beneficiaries, Highness Opokuni, 60, expressed gratitude to the NNPC Foundation, describing the initiative as a lifeline for those unable to afford cataract treatment. “I have been living with cataracts for two years, which had significantly affected my finances

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