By Justina Auta
The Federal Government, on Tuesday, collaborated SightSavers Nigeria, an international NGO, to conduct free eye screening and treatment for 400 staff of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
Mr Adeyemi Adeniran, the Statistician-General/Chief Executive Officer, NBS while speaking with journalists during the exercise said that the initiative would help to detect vision problems that may affect staff performance.
Adeniran commended SightSavers for its support, adding that the exercise would improve staff performance and enable them function effectively.
“We were discussing the inclusive data charter that we want to launch, and then the issue of testing the eye for staff came up.
“This is in line with our resolve to give our staff good health and good welfare, because we do not consider just promotion or giving money as welfare.
“There are a lot of things that can be done for staff that also serve as welfare to them. So giving them support in terms of healthcare delivery is also a kind of welfare for us.
“Since they came last week to start the test and started issuing eyeglasses to staff, I have been receiving so many commendations from staff,” he said.
According to him, the eye health initiative will enhance productivity by addressing vision issues that can hinder staff performance.
“This eye health initiative is a way of improving and boosting our productivity.
“When you give assignment to people and they are having problem with their sights, it will be a challenge to deliver that assignment.
“But with this, we know that having people with improved sight will boost our productivity.
“So I expect that we are going to see a lot of improvement, a lot of value added services from the staff that have gotten this treatment going forward,”he said.
Dr Joy Shu’aibu, Sightsavers Country Director, said that the organisation was proud to collaborate with the NBS on this initiative by providing free eye screening and spectacles to its staff.
“We are taking a vital step towards promoting eye health and ensuring that everyone has access to good eye health in alignment with the vision of Sightsavers where no one is to become blind from an avoidable cause.
“Good vision is essential for personal and professional development. This exemplifies our commitment to making quality eye care accessible to all,” he said.
Dr Tochukwu Jamike, an optometrist with Sightsavers, stressed the need for regular eye check to avoid blindness or eye health problems that might affect vision.
“There are some causes of avoidable blindness like cataracts, glaucoma, refractive errors. Most people have these problems, but they do not even know they have them.
“So Sightsavers felt it is important to go into places like this because work a lot with numbers and they use systems.
“It was necessary to examine them, and assist them in the little way we can.
“That is by providing glasses and socks for people with symptoms of blindness as a result of prolonged use of electronic devices.
“The eye is a vital organ of the body, and my advice is do not neglect it,” he said.
Mr Sunday Ichedi, a beneficiary and Director of Statistics, International Statistical Development Department, NBS highlighted the critical role that good vision plays in handling data accurately.
“We deal with data, and if you do not have a good sight, you may end up giving or producing bad data, which will affect the economy and overall development of the country.
” So, we requested that sightsavers should come and look into our sight challenges in the office.
“Personally, I benefited from it because my sight has not been good. I joined this service a long time ago, and my job was to give data. I am always playing with data, and that affected my eyes.
“I have been to several eye clinics, but the problem was not solved until Sightsavers came they gave me an eyeglass, which is helping me now to see clearly,” he said.
NEWS AGENCY OF NIGERIA