The program began at 10:30 am with a welcome speech from Miss Racheal Eyo the community engagement officer who introduced the organization including all the services provided by the organization for example the toll free number for Abuja residents, the program for the day and talked about mental health theme for the year which serves as the base for the day’s program.
An opening remarks was given by Aisha Bubah, she started by thanking everyone for coming and gave a brief summary about last year symposium program which included the talk and a panel discussion with religious leaders how they can be of help in mental health. She thanked the partners for their support mentioning each; OMYV, Shades of Us and FES she also gave a brief of each partner. Aisha talked about the passed bill by the president on the human right of people in regards to mental health, checking the services provided and sorting for funds to support, she mentioned that the role of this symposium is to create awareness on the importance of mental health. Aisha mentioned how impressed she is by the bill passed in regards to mental which showed that there is future for mental health in Nigeria. She advised participants to network with everyone as networking will help mental health awareness increase. She thanked the team for the wonderful work done and appreciated all the volunteers for their support in making the program successful.
Racheal Eyo elaborated the information on the act on mental which was passed in January 2023 which reflected a growth in the mental health system in Nigeria. She introduced and read a biography of Ramatu Ada Ochekliye who was in charge of the short film screening and discussion.
Ramatu Ada Ochekliye gave a narration of her life, how she had suicidal thoughts and was depressed due to her long waiting for job , this birth her zeal and started by writing a story which was game changer for her. She also advised everyone present to write down the 121 number and try pass a call when they feel depressed or reach out to the founder Aisha Bubah for a session.
The short film started by 10:59am with all participants full attention and ended at 11:27am
Ramatu related the film to how people feel in real live and asked questions based on the film
- Is it the rich alone that commit suicide?
- What was in the film that you think was a cue of the suicide
- As a counselor what can you say to a friend that noticed a drastic change in the behavior of the person?
Participants answered the questions properly and some answered the question with their true life story.
Ramatu quoted that Life is fair to everyone, and concluded by encouraging people to pay attention to people around.
Miss Rachel Eyo gave a summary of the short film and she introduced Lennart Oesterbard
Mr Lennart Oestergard is the resident representative of FES Nigeria. He said knowledge on mental health is important and he is joyful to see the seeds planted growing into beautiful trees. He noted the need for the government to invest more in mental health and the fact that some people are too shy to seek mental health service while in some places like Germany people go through long process before they can book a session and this has reduced the rate people seek help. He said because he is new to Nigeria he is not sure of the role of gender in seeking mental service especially how men are prone to suicide because they tend to hide things a lot not expressing their feelings but noted the important of advocating for mental health which will help improve services.
First Panel Discussion: Mental Health Policies Legislation and Access to Mental Health Services 12:10pm- 1:04pm
Moderator: Chineze Okafot
Chinyereugo, Onyekwere said one of the most important things in mental health is advocating for mental health, equip people in basic care and be the person access to mental health
Dr Motunrayo said ‘access extends to school which includes universities which she saw helped few years back. She said access has improved and the implementation road map is been drawn which is captured in the ACT which includes services and the right of people with mental illness’. Dr Motunrayo believes ‘we are on the right path and there will be a huge change in few years to come’.
Second Panel Discussion: Mental Health as a universal right in the context of education and youth mental wellbeing 1:30pm – 2:19pm
Moderator: Shamsudeen Abdulrazak
Mamman Jamilu talked about the important of training teachers to be able to identify children with problems so as to refer them to professional and the need for more awareness on mental health. He said people need to be religion tolerance
Charles Husseini said bullying is now a big problem in the society and it goes beyond physical but more than that in schools and work place, making emphasis on a no bullying policy and the need for people to be bold to voice out about their problems and supported that point made by Farida Yahaya on the important of peer group that has same problem. He also noted the important of guidance services provided in both schools and other sectors.
Mr Charles talked on the need to create a balance in school activities to help the children stay happy by engaging them in practical sessions of what they have learnt. He said these extra curriculum activities will help them build self-esteem, enjoy people’s company and suppress the pressure from school. He related to the late musician Mobah who changed to him based on the influence of his friends along the line in his life which affected him negatively, he said it is important for parents to be aware of what their children are doing always, who they hang out with and providing healthy way to cope with stress, he also talked about the family’s rejection which he noted as the worst problem a person can go through.
Spoken Word performance by Pelemo Nyajo
The 2nd Sunshine Series Annual Mental Health Symposium ended with an appreciation from Miss Racheal, she urged everyone to make use of what was learnt and asked everyone to go for their lunch provided after the group picture taken with the organizers and panelist.
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