Nigeria has a population of around 230 million people, it is indeed a boon for the country and a good market for local and foreign investors.
But, my beloved country has 80 million people at risk of mental health problems.
Unfortunately, there are less than 200 professionals, trained and certified to deal with this social problem, in our entire country.
Dr. Jibril Abdulmalik, Coordinator/CEO of the Asido Foundation, a non-governmental organization, dropped this tip on Thursday at the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research in Yaba, Lagos.
Speaking at the launch of his book: Optimal Mental Health: An Everyday Guide, Abdulmalik said the World Health Organization has stated that one in four people is a victim at some point in their life.
According to him, worldwide, 10 percent of the population currently suffers from one of them.
In Nigeria, there is a huge gap between health workers and victims. He bluntly stated that statistics reveal that 80 percent of Nigerians do not have access to mental health treatment.
The truth is that there are no properly trained and certified mental health professionals. Therefore, some untrained people could easily trick victims with the ability to heal them.
The level of poverty in our country is high. Many people think that there are unearned miracles in churches, mosques, and traditional settings. This is not correct. We work for what we earn.
His words: “For example, in Akwa Ibom state, children are labeled as witches and sorcerers and sent to churches or healing centers, where they are chained and whipped daily in an attempt to cure them of witches.”
He further explained that ignorance, shame, and stigmatization have led people to snub or abandon mental health victims outright, instead of taking them to the hospital for proper medical care.
Asido’s scribe said that his non-governmental organization was born to carry out advocacy, networking, awareness building and empowerment activities for members of the public on issues related to it.
In his presentation, Professor B. L Salako, Director General of the Nigerian Institute for Medical Research, praised Abdulmalik for writing a book on mental health and advised that the book should be made available to everyone.
Prof. T. L Sheikh, National President of the Nigerian Psychiatric Association, called on the government to provide an enabling environment for more people to be trained to become professionally certified mental health workers, in order to reduce the wide gap that currently exists. in that sector.