Date Published: 10/14/09

Oil curse: Blindness raids Bayelsa

* Sylva's wife appeals for aid

 BAYELSA State, one of the key oil and gas-producing areas of the Niger Delta, is currently being raided by preventable blindness. Worried citizens of the predominantly Ijaw state, are claiming that their Governor, Timipre Sylva, is helpless.

Citizens who are hitting hard at the governor say he is incapable of taking the state a greater height.

But the governor's wife, Mrs. Alanyingi Sylva, does not seems to agree with those opposing the husband's administration. She said all hands should be on deck to combat the blindness scourge in the state.

Already, she is  appealing to transnational oil and gas corporations, philanthropic organizations and public-spirited individuals to join in the drive to eradicate what she described as ''preventable blindness'' in the state.

Mrs. Sylva who spoke in Yenagoa, the state capital, said she would continue to provide adequate health care for women and children which include eye care.

According to her, ''i began to give more attention to the sight of children after experiencing a sudden attitudinal change in some school children which she discovered were as a result of eye defects''.

She also recalled a case were an orphan in a care centre had a serious eye problem and was taken abroad for surgery through her NGO, the Centre for Gender Values and Culture (CGV C) saying the lad is presently okay.

Continuing, she said as her non-governmental organisation has distributed over 800 lenses to public school children, 600 glasses as follow-up at partnering clinics and trained one hundred teachers on primary eye care in the state.

She counselled parents to avoid the temptation of putting all sort of traditional medications into the eyes of their children but seek medical attention at Community Health Centres.

She however, commended the Ministry of Gender and Social Development for its support to the programme and a team of Doctors who attended to women and children.

In the mean time, Commissioner for Gender and Social Development, Ms. Dora Oru, said it is on record that over three hundred million people globally live with low vision and blindness with eight percent preventable.

The Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Dr. Ekiyo Promise, who spoke for the commissioner said eight percent of the men and women at the age of 50 are vulnerable groups with women standing higher.

The commissioner said the present administration regards health as imperative saying the physical and mental well being of the people is its wealth.

Also commenting, Health Commissioner, Dr. Azibapu Eruani called for periodic examination of the eyes and the use of glasses to achieve the objective of vision 2020.

Dr. Eruani who appealed for all hands to be on deck to check the trend called on NGOs to give adequate attention to women.

The Director Medical Services in the Ministry of Health, Dr. Biribina Samayin, the President of the African Council of Optometry, Dr. Uduak Udom and the Secretary General of Women Optometrist of Nigeria, Dr. N. Aruotu lauded the efforts of Mrs. Sylva in addressing the health challenges of Bayelsans.

The President of the State Association of the Blinds, Mr. Murphy Nammah advised those irreversibly blind to admit their status and forge ahead with life noting that blindness is not end to life.

He appealed to Mrs. Sylva to extend her programme to its members saying he believes that some members could regain their sight.