NGO launches mental health project for Lagos residents

Orunsii Wellcare Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation, has launched a mental health project in Lagos state to improve the wellbeing of residents.

The project, tagged “Mental Health Awareness, De-stigmatisation and Enlightenment (MHADE) in Lagos state”, targets persons between the ages of 15 and 70.

The event, which held at the first lady’s banquet hall in Alausa, Ikeja, on Tuesday, was graced by Ibijoke, wife of Babajide Sanwo-Olu, governor of Lagos.

In his opening address, Adetokunbo Fabamwo, chairman of the foundation’s board of trustees, said the project seeks to achieve objectives in the areas of health and environment.

He noted that the scope of the health-related objectives covers diverse areas including drug abuse, child abuse, domestic abuse, among others.

Providing a breakdown of the project, Ademola Gureje, its deputy coordinator, said the project will involve the gathering of scientific information on the status of mental health of residents in Lagos.

He said 100 volunteers have been recruited to implement the next phase of the initiative involving distribution of questionnaires to obtain data.

Gureje said the volunteers will be trained on April 27, while the field event for the pilot study in Alimosho LGA will be held on April 28.

“We have also recruited statisticians who will extract information from the filled questionnaires and analyse the data. Information gotten from this analysis would be worked on and recommendations would be made to relevant government agencies,” he said.

“The pilot study will serve as a template for subsequent studies in other local governments. The time for these studies would be communicated in due course.”

The third phase will involve “utilising the results and experience from the pilot study to conduct awareness projects across other LGAs”.

He said follow-up measures are in place to ensure that recommendations are utilised across government agencies.

“After the analysis, we are not stopping there. This will be a template that other states can take a cue from. There will be follow-up monitoring because we want to write off some policies and introduce new ones that we believe the government will implement,” he added.

In her remarks, Ibijoke said mental health matters should be prioritised, as poor attention to it may result in mental disorder.

She commended the foundation for the project, saying the intiative is needed as mental health of several persons have declined since the COVID-19 lockdown.

“There is also a need for a clarion call on the people, more than before, to pay close attention to their mental health as much as they do to their physical health. The truth is, it is medically possible for someone to appear physically fit but mentally sick,” she said.

“We also must re-emphasise the need for people to prioritise healthy lifestyles. Physical health is maintained by good nutrition and healthy diet, physical activity and exercise, and adequate relaxation and sleep.

“This is what we must encourage on a large scale in order to significantly improve both mental and physical health of residents. I also believe that more people suffering from mental disorders should be encouraged to come out, and not discriminated against in any form or guise.”