Salako: 1.4m Nigerians Get Free Reading Glasses Under FG’s Jigi Bola 2.0

• 1.5m citizens screened in 16 states in one year

•Says 2,216 PHC workers trained as govt targets 5m beneficiaries nationwide

Deji Elumoye in Abuja

About 1,444,581 Nigerians have received free reading glasses within one year under the Federal Government’s Effective Spectacle Coverage Initiative Nigeria, also known as Jigi Bola 2.0.

Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Adekunle Salako, who made this known on Tuesday while briefing newsmen at the State House, Abuja, explained that the initiative, implemented through the National Eye, Ear and Sensory Functions Programme (NESHP) of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare in collaboration with the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), was part of the Presidential plan to deliver five million free pairs of eyeglasses to needy Nigerians.

He said within one year, the programme had also screened 1,541,325 Nigerians aged 40 and above for presbyopia across 16 states, describing the rollout as one of the largest vision-care distribution efforts on the African continent.

According to him, the 16 states currently implementing the presidential initiative are Lagos, Jigawa, Bayelsa, Delta, Ekiti, FCT, Gombe, Imo, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Plateau, Ogun, Kwara, Benue and Sokoto.

Salako said the programme recorded a 94 per cent utilisation rate of donated glasses, noting that 65 per cent of beneficiaries received their first-ever pair.

He added that the initiative also helped to close gender gaps in access to care, with 53 per cent of recipients being women.

The Minister said the programme strengthened primary eye care delivery by training 2,216 primary healthcare workers and activating 811 PHC facilities to provide basic eye services, including screening, counselling, first aid, dispensing of reading glasses and referral of advanced cases.

He further disclosed that three vision centres had been equipped under the sustainability arm to provide glasses at subsidised rates, located at Alimosho General Hospital, Lagos; Ijebu-Ode General Hospital, Ogun; and Idanre General Hospital, Ondo.

The minister said a real-time digital dashboard using Kobo Collect software was deployed to track screenings and glasses dispensed, enabling stakeholders to monitor progress from anywhere.

On funding, Salako disclosed that the Livelihood Impact Fund was supporting operations and covering the cost of one million pairs of glasses for 2026, while Founders Pledge funded Restoring Vision is to cover the cost of two million pairs, with one million already provided to NESHP and 200,000 to CHAN.

According to him  faith-based networks also played a major role, noting that the Christian Health Association of Nigeria alone dispensed 201,960 glasses.

Salako announced that the philanthropic arm of the initiative would expand in the next year to Nasarawa, Rivers, Oyo, Enugu, Taraba, Osun, Ogun and Edo, while four new vision centres had been earmarked for Edo, Enugu, Nasarawa and Sokoto.

He said beyond Jigi Bola 2.0, the President’s commitment had attracted additional investments, including the €15 million Christian Blind Missions VisionQuest Nigeria programme and the $5 million Bloomberg Focus on Vision Project, expected to reach 1.6 million school-aged children, provide 81,000 glasses, and train 7,500 teachers and healthcare workers over the next two years.