Experts have raised the alarm over Nigeria\u2019s deepening mental health crisis, warning at least one in four citizens is living with a diagnosable mental health condition, driven by unemployment, drug abuse, insecurity, and persistent social stigma.<\/p>\n
The warning came at a mental health colloquium organised by Lions International Multiple District 404 Nigeria to mark World Mental Health Day, where scholars, health professionals, and community leaders called for urgent government action and wider public education to halt the growing epidemic of depression, anxiety, and substance-induced disorders.<\/p>\n
The keynote address was delivered by Professor Emmanuel Abayomi, Commissioner for Health, Lagos State, who was represented by Mr. Joshua Natus, Head of the Mental Health Desk at the Ministry of Health.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Abayomi reaffirmed Lagos State\u2019s pioneering role in mental health advocacy, citing the state\u2019s 2009 Mental Health Law and 2011 policy framework as models for other states. He also highlighted current initiatives, including the Lagos Mind platform for public education and the 24-hour Lagos Lifeline helpline for telebehavioral support, describing them as evidence of the state\u2019s commitment to mental wellbeing.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe goal is to build a city where mental health is not seen as a weakness but a core part of our shared humanity. Through consistent awareness and policy implementation, we can make help accessible and erase the stigma that keeps people silent,\u201d Prof. Abayomi said.<\/p>\n
Professor Tunji Aina, a guest speaker from the Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, University of Lagos, reinforced that health must be viewed as a complete state of physical, mental, social, and spiritual well-being. He called on Nigerians to \u201csee the brain as part of the body too,\u201d arguing that mental illnesses deserve the same empathy and urgency as other medical conditions.<\/p>\n
A key panel session featured Professor Samuel Oluranti, a professor of anxiety disorders at Lagos State University; trauma therapist Mr. Samuel Pander; and child development advocate Lion Ibibia Odili. They offered penetrating insights into the root causes of mental distress and practical ways to foster resilience.<\/p>\n
Professor Oluranti debunked myths that depression or anxiety are marks of weakness or poor character. \u201cDepression goes beyond sadness. It involves emotional, physical, and behavioral factors influenced by hardship, isolation, and hopelessness. Many Nigerians are struggling silently, and that silence is killing,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Trauma therapist Mr. Pander spoke on the psychological pathways to healing, explaining that trauma can trigger instinctive responses \u2013 fight, flight, freeze, or fawn \u2013 and that without guided intervention, these responses can evolve into chronic stress or personality disorders. \u201cWe must learn to heal intentionally,\u201d he said. \u201cHealing is not forgetting; it is understanding what broke you and learning how to rebuild.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lion Ibibia Odili focused on the family as the first line of defense in mental wellness. She urged parents to create emotionally safe homes where children can express themselves freely without fear of punishment or ridicule. \u201cDiscipline must not translate into abuse. A child who grows up unheard or unloved becomes an adult who struggles with self-worth,\u201d she said, calling for parental mindfulness from pregnancy through adolescence.<\/p>\n
A communiqu\u00e9 at the event painted a troubling picture. One in seven adolescents between the ages of 10 and 19 and about 14 percent of adults over 60 live with one form of mental disorder or another. The document linked these challenges to unemployment, poverty, domestic violence, substance abuse, and insecurity, warning that stigma continues to prevent victims from seeking help.<\/p>\n
The communiqu\u00e9 urged government at all levels to fully implement the 2023 National Mental Health Policy and the 2021 Mental Health Act, increase funding for psychiatric infrastructure, and collaborate with NGOs to strengthen preventive care. It also recommended job creation, improved power and security, and stricter control of illicit drug networks.<\/p>\n
The event, part of Lions Clubs International\u2019s Global Week of Service, also featured goodwill remarks from the Executive Chairman of Ikeja Local Government, Comrade Akeem Olalekan Dauda (AKOD), who lauded the initiative as a vital contribution to community wellness. He commended the Ikeja Lions Club for its consistent commitment to humanitarian causes, especially in eye care and free medical outreach.<\/p>\n
Dauda used the occasion to unveil plans for a new local health initiative known as \u201cJIGI AKOD,\u201d aimed at providing free eye screening, drugs, and glasses to residents, particularly the elderly and schoolchildren. \u201cHealth is central to development, and partnerships like this strengthen the social fabric of our communities,\u201d he said, adding that his administration also intends to collaborate with the club in environmental sanitation and the improvement of sanitary facilities in public schools.<\/p>\n
Speakers and participants concluded that mental health must no longer be treated as a side issue but as a national emergency requiring political will, social empathy, and sustained investment.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Experts have raised the alarm over Nigeria\u2019s deepening mental health crisis, warning at least one in four citizens…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":219998,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[49,48,84,393,394],"class_list":{"0":"post-219997","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mental-health","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-health","11":"tag-mental-health","12":"tag-mentalhealth"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/219997","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=219997"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/219997\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/219998"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=219997"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=219997"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=219997"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}