By Cynthia Alo
Nigeria lacks adequate specialists and facilities to manage mental illnesses, the Lagos State Government has said, calling for a shift towards preventive mental healthcare to address growing mental health challenges, particularly among young people.
The State’s Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, made the remarks at the 4th edition of Vanguard Media Limited Mental Health Summit held in Lagos on Friday, with the theme, “Advancing Youth Mental Health in Nigeria.”
Abayomi, who was represented by the Director , Special Projects and Mental Health at the state Ministry of Health, said the growing willingness of young people to speak openly about their mental health struggles had created an opportunity to address the challenges.
He, however, stressed that awareness must be matched with adequate support, preventive measures and locally relevant information.
“We don’t have enough beds to manage mental illnesses. We don’t have enough specialists to manage mental illnesses. Even when you expand the number of providers, it will still not be enough to match the bodies,” he said.
The commissioner noted that young Nigerians were increasingly discussing anxiety, emotional distress and other personal struggles, including on social media, but warned that the information they consumed online could expose them to ideas and expectations that might not reflect their local realities.
He said the expansion of digital access had connected young Nigerians to the wider world but had also increased their exposure to foreign lifestyles, values and social expectations.
Abayomi illustrated the challenge with the example of a 10-year-old child in Yaba, Lagos, comparing their life with that of a child of the same age in California, United States, despite the differences in their social and cultural environments.
He said excessive screen time and exposure to online content could influence young people’s perceptions of themselves and their circumstances.
The commissioner also expressed concern that some children were growing up without sufficient knowledge of their immediate environment, arguing that parents, schools and other institutions needed to provide guidance that reflected the realities of Nigerian society.
“Our children are lacking social intelligence and local intelligence. The people who are supposed to teach them are no longer teaching them. And so they will get teachings from those who are available to them,” he said.
He stressed that young people needed support to develop the resilience and skills required to navigate life’s challenges, noting that difficulties were an inevitable part of human existence.
The commissioner urged stakeholders to focus on translating information about mental health into language young people could understand, while providing the context needed to help them cope with challenges.
He also called for a clearer understanding of the distinction between mental health and mental illness, explaining that poor mental health did not necessarily mean a person had a mental illness but could increase vulnerability to one.
“Our goal is to promote good mental health,” he said, adding that young people needed access to support, mentorship and appropriate services to help them navigate difficult periods in their lives.
Abayomi said the Lagos State Ministry of Health remained committed to promoting mental health under the leadership of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, adding that stakeholders should be able to hold public institutions accountable for their interventions.
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