2026WGW: FG Vows To Reduce Blindness Through Strategic Framework.
-Calls For Effective Awareness.
The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Adekunle Salako has reaffirmed government’s commitment towards addressing glaucoma -a silent thief of sight.
He gave the assurance during a Press Briefing as part of activities marking the commemoration of 2026 World Glaucoma Week held in Abuja.
The Minister explained that government is prioritizing integrated eye care services across primary, secondary, and tertiary levels to ensure early detection and management of glaucoma, under the National Eye Health Strategic Development Plan 2024-2028, in addition, he said “We have launched the Nigeria Glaucoma Guidelines and Toolkit to standardise diagnosis, treatment, and referral protocols, empowering healthcare workers nationwide to deliver high-quality care.”
To achieve more success, he said ophthalmologists from 36 states and the FCT have been trained on these guidelines, empowering them to step down the training in their respective states.
Additionally, through JigiBola2.0, the Effective Spectacle Coverage Initiative Nigeria, over 2,220 Primary Health Care Workers across 16 states have been trained,and equipped with basic kits to carry out vision screening and refer to the next point of care as necessary. He recalled that in 2025 commemoration, the Ministry provided free examinations and free glaucoma medication (for those already diagnosed) in the FCT and coordinated State commisioners of Health all over the country for a similar exercise.
Describing glucoma as a grave public health challenge, Dr. Salako stated that the theme of this year’s event “Uniting for a Glaucoma-Free World,” is a clarion call on all ; governments, healthcare providers, communities, and individual to come together in the fight against this silent thief of sight, emphasizing that early detection through simple, painless tests is the critical element and “if you are diagnosed with glaucoma, strict adherence to the prescriptions by your doctor will prevent progression and save your sight.” Salako adviced.
The Health Minister highlighted that as part of the activities to commemorate this year’s World Glaucoma Week, the Ministry, in collaboration with state governments, professional bodies and partners, is rolling out nationwide activities including free glaucoma examinations at selected 38 health facilities in 11 states and the FCT adding that Public awareness campaigns via traditional and non-traditional media including the social media on the risk factors such as the black race, family history, age, and high blood pressure is also being heightened.
He urged all Nigerians, especially those aged 40 years and above to prioritise regular eye examinations (at least once in 2 years), and observe simple preventive strategies such managing overall health, assuring efforts to integrate eye health into primary healthcare nationwide will also witness more scrutinity to know the success and gaps that still exist.
He maintained that the vision of the Bola Ahmed Tinubu led administration to achieve a 1 trillion USD economy for Nigeria by 2030 and create an egalitarian society is dependent on the optimal contribution of all Nigerians, therefore, called on Nigerians to unite as a nation; health workers, media, civil society, and citizens to build a glaucoma free future and eliminate avoidable visual impairment
“Together, we can reduce the burden of this disease, protect the vision of our people and build the Nigeria of our dream.” Salako stressed.
In her welcome remarks, the Permanent Secretary Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Daju Kachollom S. mni said Glaucoma is the leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide and in Nigeria, as data indicates that nearly 1 in every 20 Nigerians over the age of 40 is living with glaucoma and about 90% of those affected are unaware of their condition until significant, permanent vision loss has occurred.
Under the lealeadership of the President and our Honourable Ministers, she explained the Ministry is committed to the Four-Point Agenda for health sector reform, and a key pillar of this is improving health outcomes, therefore , government recognizes that we cannot achieve national productivity if a significant portion of our population is falling into preventable blindness.
She stated that the Ministry, through the National Eye Health Programme (NESHP), has been working tirelessly to reduce the burden of avoidable blindness and visual impairment amongst the Nigerian Populace.”Our goal is simple: no Nigerian should go blind from a condition that can be managed if caught early.” Daju assured
Glaucoma specialist and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Interior, Dr. Magdaline Ajani in her presentation, warned that the disease often progresses without noticeable symptoms. He advised caution against unsupervised use of steroid -based eye drops and reliance on unverified traditional remedies which can worsen complication.
Some of the signs, she highlighted include: rainbow -like halos around lights, frequent changes in eye glasses, and difficulty with peripheral vision.
