………..Initiative, a management responsibility, an important part of staff welfare – Belgore.
In a proactive move to enhance the well being and work place productivity of officers, Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, has organised a free eye screening exercise for staff of the Ministry, thursday 31st July, 2025.
The screening was conducted in collaboration with the Nothernlight Eye Center, Abuja led by Dr. Justice Amadi.
In his remarks, the Permanent Secretary Dr. Shuaib Belgore emphasized that the initiative was an important part of staff welfare, pointing out that the eyes medically, mirrors what happens in the body; “when they look into your eyes, they can see what is happening with your blood vessels all over the body”, he said.
While he noted that eye diseases can indicate broader health issues, such as hypertension, diabetes and hepatitis, the Permanent Secretary mentioned that the Ministry would also conduct free comprehensive screenings in those health areas in time to come, stressing on the need for early detection and treatment.
Dr. Belgore, who is also a medical doctor highlighted the high rate of sudden deaths in the country, and sought the cooperation of the staff with the Nothernlight Eye Center team, saying that it was the responsibility of the management of the Ministry to help staff find solutions to the diagnosis they would get.
He clarified that eye disorders were not just about refractive errors that require the use of glasses but also include serious conditions like glaucoma, which can lead to blindness if untreated.
While stressing that the aim of the exercise was for prevention and early intervention to maintain eye health and quality of life, he charged the Directors and members of staff to take the screening as an opportunity to detect issues with their eyes, as well as take advantage of interventions by the management.
Dr. Belgore further informed of the availability of additional free surgical assistance for eye disorders like cataracts and glaucoma by the eye Center;
“We are a ministry with a very large number of staff. We’re not selecting some to benefit, we want everybody, to be part of this”, Belgore said.
Earlier, the Director of the Human Resource Management, Dr. Akinola Adesina, informed that it was part of the eye center’s social responsibility to conduct the free eye screening for the staff of the Ministry.
He thanked the Permanent Secretary for approving the exercise even with his presence, to ensure that staff with eye challenges get interventions.
On his part, the team leader of the Northernlight Eye Center, Dr. Justice Amadi, stated that the free eye screening programme was part of ways to tackle the growing concerns of visual impairments.
He informed that the programme aims to detect those with visual abnormalities and provide appropriate treatment to align with the World Health Organization goals, particularly the 2025 target of preventing blindness.
Dr. Amadi also noted that their focus was on diagnosing and giving effective treatment plans to various eye conditions, including cancer, glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, and refractive errors.
Signed
Badamasi S. Haiba
Director Press and Public Relations
Friday, August 1st, 2025
