Governor Usman Ododo of Kogi State, represented by the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Abdulazeez Adeiza, made a commitment on Tuesday in Abuja at the closing ceremony of the Sightsavers Kogi State Eye Care Programme project.
He pledged that the state government would ensure the prompt release of funds allocated for blindness prevention in the approved state budget.
This guarantee ensures that the people of Kogi State will continue to receive top-notch eye care services, underscoring the government’s dedication to protecting and preserving the eye health of its residents.
“My office will ensure the timely release of the blindness prevention vote in the approved budget of Kogi State. We will also provide the retention and maintenance of the eye care Hilux donated by the International Society of the Blind to enhance the logistics of the eye care programme team.
“I won’t call it a closing ceremony but rather a transition ceremony of Sightsavers rendering eye health services to the people in the state. They have rendered diagnostic and therapeutic interventions to thousands of persons in the state. They have also helped in training health workers, nurses and doctors on how to give quality eye care to people.
“We are grateful for the support and resources provided by Sightsavers International which has enabled us to establish comprehensive eye care centres, train doctors and provide equipment and resources. We are committed to sustaining the achievements of this programme and ensuring that the people of Kogi State continue to have access to quality eye care services.”
The Country Director, Sightsavers Nigeria, Dr. Joy Shu’aibu explained that stakeholders developed the state’s eyecare committee, which will help sustain the gains of the three-year partnership with the organisation.
Shu’aibu noted, “We have examined an average of 14,000 people across the areas where we have worked. We have dispensed approximately 8,000 spectacles. We have refracted about 10,000 people, and we have offered life-changing cataract surgeries to several people in Kogi State and other related eyecare surgeries,” among others.
Selben Penzin, Sightsavers’ Senior Programme Manager for Eye Health, highlighted the project’s notable accomplishments, revealing that a significant investment was made in combating avoidable blindness in Kogi State, thereby reducing the prevalence of preventable vision loss and promoting eye health among the state’s population.
