From Ighomuaye Lucky, Benin
In order to restore sights and improve the living conditions of the Nigerian people, Seplat Energy Plc, and its partners, the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC), yesterday, said, it has performed free eye surgeries on 3,757 persons and screened a total of 86,226 since its inception of its ‘Eye Can See’ programme 12 years ago.
The initiative is a signature of the firm’s Corporate Responsibility Service (CSR) health programme designs to provide quality eye care for Nigerians.
The management of the company equally said it has dispensed 38,555 free eye glasses to beneficiaries of the health scheme.
Seplat Energy Director (External Affairs and Sustainability), SEPLAT energy, Chioma Nwachuku, disclosed this during its 2022 Eye Can See programme, a Seplat Energy CRS initiative held at the palace of the Benin monarch, Oba Ewuare II, in Benin City.
Nwachuku, represented by Dr. Otokhine Emmanuel, said 28 persons have been screened and given free eye surgeries while screening for others are still ongoing.
Nwachuku said this is a flagship programme of Seplat in its quest to placing smiles on its host communities.
“This is our flagship health CSR programme and it is meant to deliver quality healthcare to people within the areas we operate. Usually, every year, we put this program in various centers across Edo State and Delta State as well as in Lagos.
“We are committed to delivering health care to people, making a different in the lives of people within the areas where we operate and that is why you will see us do program like this.
“We also have education improvement programme such as STEPS, the teacher empowerment programme; we have the Safe Motherhood, which is geared towards supporting pregnant women. We also have community development projects where we carry out development of our communities such as construction of roads, construction of hospitals and even funding of those hospitals, ensuring that our communities get the right support.
“We have empowerment programme and all. Seplat is ever committed to ensuring that we put smile on the faces of the people wherever we operate that is why we say Seplat is unique”, she said.
The Edo State Commissioner of Health, Prof. Akoria Obehi, represented by Mr. Stephen Ogiefoh, said the state government aligns with Seplat in providing quality healthcare delivery to its citizens, maintaining that few weeks ago, the state government partnered with the Association of Nigerians Physicians in the Americas (ANPA) in carrying out free medical surgeries on its citizens.
Prof. Akoria said the state government is ever ready to providing Seplat the enabling environment to thrive in the state just as she said the state will always ask for more from them.
The representative of the Secretary to the Delta State Government, Mr. Jude Mordi while commending Seplat for its roles in the society, said it has stood out among its peers in the past 12 years in rendering free eye surgeries and screenings to its host communities just as he called on other companies to emulate Seplat.
For Mr. John Onyekama, Manager, External Department, NPDC, who represented his Managing Director, Ali Muhammad Zarah, said the company has been carrying out its job in its host communities without hindrances and thus giving back to the society is a welcome development.
Expressing her appreciation to the organizers of the event after the free eye surgery, Madam Okao Ekogiawere Omorogbe, said that she is happy that she could see very well with her eyes again.
The aged woman thanked Seplat/NPDC for the initiative, the Oba of Benin, Ewuare II for making his palace available and the state government for providing the enabling environment for the exercise to have taken place.
Another beneficiary, Prince Victor Ehue said if he had gone to other hospital to carry out the eye surgery, he would have spent up to N250,000 for the operation adding that Seplat/NPDC has done it for him for free.
“I want to thank the organizers of this programme for providing us these free treatments and if we are to do the eye surgeries in other hospitals, they will charge us at least N250,000 each but here it is done for us for free.
“The organizers took care of our feedings all through while we were in the hospital.
“We pray God will bless them”, he said.