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Seplat Energy and NNPC Exploration and Production Limited launch a free week-long eye-care programme in Akwa Ibom.
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More than 6,000 residents in Uyo, Eket and Ibeno targeted for screening, treatment and surgery.
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Programme offers free eye tests, medication, reading glasses and sight-restoring surgery.
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Seplat Energy says its Eye Can See programme has screened more than 130,000 people and performed 5,350 surgeries since 2012.
September 23, (THEWILL) – The NNPC Exploration and Production Limited (NEPL)/Seplat Energy Joint Venture has launched a free week-long eye-care programme targeting more than 6,000 residents in Uyo, Eket and Ibeno, Akwa Ibom State.
The Eye Can See programme offers eye screening, treatment, reading glasses and sight-restoring surgery for eligible patients. It also screens for glaucoma, hypertension and diabetes, conditions that can remain undetected until they cause serious complications.
The initiative, the first edition in Akwa Ibom, was launched in Uyo on Tuesday, as part of the Joint Venture’s commitment to improving access to quality healthcare in its host communities.
The Chairman of Seplat Energy Plc, Senator Udoma Udo Udoma, said the programme fulfilled a commitment he made to the Akwa Ibom State Government after Seplat Energy acquired the former Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited 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”, Udoma said.
He said responsible business operations must be matched by meaningful social investment that responds to the needs of host communities.
“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”, he added.
The Chief Executive Officer of Seplat Energy, Engr. Effiong Okon, said the Eye Can See programme began in 2012 in Edo, Delta and Imo states to prevent avoidable blindness by taking screening, treatment, corrective lenses and surgery closer to underserved communities.
According to him, the programme has, over the past 14 years, screened 130,771 patients, distributed 67,491 pairs of glasses free of charge and performed 5,350 sight-restoring surgeries.
He said that in 2025 alone, the programme reached 13,726 beneficiaries, distributed 7,074 pairs of glasses and completed 471 surgeries.
“These results show a programme that remains active, relevant and capable of reaching people at scale”, Okon said.
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The Seplat Energy CEO said the initiative had also evolved beyond periodic medical outreaches by supporting the development of permanent local eye-care capacity.
He cited the Sapele Eye Centre in Delta State, built by the Joint Venture, as an example of the company’s long-term investment in healthcare infrastructure, saying that the centre has two surgery rooms, four examination rooms, two wards, a laboratory and solar power, and provides eye care and surgery throughout the year.
“An outreach answers an immediate need. Permanent facilities build the local capacity to keep answering it”, he added.
He also cited the Sight First programme in Imo State, which served 11 host and impacted communities through a mobile clinic in 2025. The programme screened 2,789 people, distributed 1,284 pairs of glasses, completed 116 surgeries and placed 1,309 people on blood-pressure medication.
Okon said the Akwa Ibom programme was designed to provide immediate relief to residents suffering from visual impairment while also identifying conditions requiring further medical attention.
The Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Pastor Umo Eno, represented by the Deputy Governor, Senator Dr Akon Eyakenyi, described the intervention as timely, saying visual impairment had affected the lives, productivity and independence of many residents.
The Governor noted that cataract accounts for about 43 percent of blindness in Nigeria, according to the Nigeria National Blindness and Visual Impairment Survey.
“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.
For some beneficiaries, the programme has brought relief after years of deteriorating eyesight.
Ms Ann Udoh, a senior citizen who spoke to THEWILL, said the intervention saved her from the fear of permanent blindness after her vision deteriorated significantly.
“I had reached a point where I could hardly see properly, and I was afraid that blindness was becoming my reality. The treatment I received through the Seplat programme has given me back my sight and my confidence. I can now move around and carry out my daily activities without depending completely on other people”, she stated.
Another senior citizen, Mr James Etuk, said the programme restored his independence after poor vision made ordinary tasks difficult.
“I had suffered for a long time and thought there was nothing I could do because of my age and the cost of treatment. Seplat’s intervention gave me the opportunity to receive proper care and regain my sight. It was a great salvation for me because I was gradually losing my independence”, Etuk said.
Mrs Rose Nkrereuwem, a school teacher, said she had stopped driving for three years because of near blindness.
“I parked my car for the past three years because I could no longer see well enough to drive. My eyesight affected my work and my confidence, but after the treatment, I can see clearly again. I am sure I will drive again”, she said.
Nkrereuwem said the programme had restored her hope and ability to look forward to resuming activities she had abandoned because of poor vision.
The Eye Can See programme is part of the NEPL/Seplat Energy Joint Venture’s broader commitment to improving healthcare access and supporting shared prosperity in its host communities.
