By Abubakar Imam
A former Head of the Department of Ophthalmology, University of Ilorin, Prof. Feyi Grace Adepoju, has called on the Federal Government and other stakeholders to ensure the introduction of a policy that will guarantee free eye care services for senior citizens from the age of 60.
Prof. Adepoju made the proposal last Thursday (October 2, 2025) while delivering the 290th Inaugural Lecture of the University, titled “The Quest And Conquest of Community Eye Care: Minding The Gaps”, at the University Auditorium.
She explained that it was high time that the policy was adopted in Nigeria for members of the ageing population in order for them to have access to quality and adequate eye care services as obtainable in other climes across the world.
Prof. Adepoju, who noted that most of those who are suffering eye challenges reside in the rural areas, said that economic and social development of rural communities should be decentralised to make life in rural areas more attractive to health workers.
Prof. Adepoju suggested that since local government councils are closer to the people, they should be empowered to lead developmental efforts, particularly in the realm of health care delivery. She said that while planning can be national, the execution must be local in order for such efforts to be effective.
She also said that every educational and service institution should adopt one or two nearby communities and be intentional about their development and service delivery, particularly as it has to do with eye care. Prof. Adepoju, who is also a former Chairman of the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria, also suggested the integration of primary eye care into the existing primary healthcare system, saying that doing so is non-negotiable.
For inclusivity and comprehensive primary health care delivery at the community level, Prof. Adepoju said that primary eye care should remain integrated into community health services. While the theoretical groundwork for this initiative has been completed, she said that its implementation is still lagging and must be prioritised.
Prof. Adepoju, who is also a Fellow of the International College of Surgeons, said that robust campaigns should be intensified. This, she said, would enable the public to be properly educated on eye health and reduce the tendency of developing eye problems.
She also called for effective collaboration of all sectors in order to assist proper eye care delivery services.She said that the government, the governed, the media, corporations, private organisations, and individual philanthropists must work together to improve eye care services for the citizenry.
The award-wining medical expert also called for continuous training and retraining of eye care workers, saying that this is very essential. She explained that the curriculum should include community eye care and be integrated at all levels of education, from primary to tertiary levels of health care services.
Prof. Adepoju also said that individual philanthropy must be encouraged to support eye care through the organisation of screenings and sponsoring care for indigent persons.
She said that the celebration of milestones or honouring of loved ones could be done by sponsoring sight-restoration activities rather than being limited to traditional social ceremonies, which often have minimum impacts. Prof. Adepoju also suggested legislation against couching, which should also include the moderation and regulation of other harmful traditional eye practices, saying that stakeholders must key in to this for the good of all.
Drawing from personal experiences, the Inaugural Lecturer encouraged students to always show determination in the pursuit of academic excellence. She said that no condition would limit the progress of a determined learner.
She also enjoined teachers to show more interests in the careers and well-being of their students, saying that teachers who go the extra mile in encouraging quality learning among his or her students would definitely stimulate them to be the best they can.
The Inaugural Lecture, which was presided-over by the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Wahab Olasupo Egbewole, SAN, was also attended by relations, friends, colleagues, patients and students of Prof. Adepoju from far and near.
