Amby Uneze in Owerri
The NNPC/Seplat Joint Venture (JV) has screened a total of 23,447 optical cases, conducted 797 surgeries and given out over 13,525 eye glasses to date, all at no cost to the beneficiaries, under its ‘Eye Can See’ signature Corporate Social Investment (CSI) programme.
The Director, External Affairs and Social Performance, Seplat Energy Plc, Mrs. Chioma Afe, disclosed this on Wednesday during the opening ceremony of the ‘Eye Can See’ CSI programme 2026 edition in Owerri, the Imo State Capital.
Represented by the General Manager, Corporate Social Investment & Social Performance, Seplat Energy Plc, Mrs. Esther Icha, Afe explained that the initiative was designed to impact the health and wellbeing of host communities by providing free access to essential eye care services, including screenings, reading glasses and cataract surgeries. Beneficiaries are also screened for other health challenges like high blood pressure and diabetes, amongst others, and provided with professional counselling, drugs and referrals for patients as needed.
The three-day outreach, held from March 24 to March 26, 2026 in Owerri, attracted a large turnout of men, women, and children from across the State and neighbouring communities with an average of 700 people being screened per day.
She observed that cost of eye care, which is currently out of reach for many, makes it very imperative for the NNPC/Seplat JV to sustain the programme and drive penetration; thus, impacting a wide array of persons in the communities from the inception of the intervention health programme in 2017.
Afe added that the initiative aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3 on Good Health and Well-Being, and underscores the Joint Venture’s broader commitment to delivering sustainable, high-impact social investments. “For us as a company, we are very happy to do this because of the positive impacts on the stakeholders at the community level”, she stressed.
In his remarks, the Acting Chief Upstream Investment Officer, NNPC Upstream Investment Management Services (NUIMS), Olanrewaju Igandan, welcomed all present and lauded Seplat Energy for driving the initiative which has seen the JV Partners restore not just vision but hope to many members of host communities.
Igandan, represented by Bunmi Lawson, Deputy Manager, External Relations, NUIMS, asserted that the: “NNPC Limited is dedicated to making a positive difference in the lives of people who host our businesses and operations. These efforts have changed many lives, giving people the opportunity to see clearly and enjoy life again.”
Looking to the future, he assured, “We recognize that there are still many challenges and there is more work to be done. The goal is not just eyecare but to support welfare and more prosperous communities.”
The beneficiaries expressed delight at the opportunity and thanked the JV partners for bailing them out of critical health challenges. Dr Fred Nnamdi, Lolo Igolo Njemanze, and Chief Ernest Onyeneke, three of whom benefited from eye surgeries, amongst others, commended the Joint Venture for giving them a pleasant experience with a wonderful life-changing initiative, at no cost.
They gave kudos to the team of medical personnel for excellent service delivery, which has restored their sight and given them a good chance of better life in the days ahead.
Dr Nnamdi said, “It was a wonderful experience. I never expected this. It went beyond my imagination, highly successful. I trust God that my sight will be wonderful. God will bless them.”
Lolo Njemanze, expressed gratitude to the JV Partners, saying: “For the past two years I have not been using my right eye to see, but yesterday, I underwent surgery and everything went fine. I thank the JV Partners and I pray that God will continue to bless them”.
On his part, Chief Onyeneke, a community leader, recounted his experience as very pleasant commending the medical team. He said: “The doctors were wonderful. I am so happy with the medical team. To the organisers, they have tried. They are watching out for the poor masses, the young and the old.”
Seplat Energy Plc is Nigeria's leading indigenous energy company. It is listed on the Premium Board of the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX: SEPLAT) and the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange (LSE: SEPL). Through our strategy to Build a sustainable business and Deliver energy transition, we are transforming lives by delivering affordable, reliable and sustainable energy that drives social and economic prosperity.
It's portfolio consists of eleven oil and gas blocks in onshore and shallow water locations in the prolific Niger Delta region of Nigeria, which we operate with partners including the Nigerian Government and other oil producers. Furthermore, we have an operated interest in three export terminals including; the Qua Iboe export terminal and Yoho FSO, as well as an operated interest in the Bonny River Terminal (BRT), and operate two large offshore NGL recovery plants at Oso and EAP.
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