….Patients, caregivers seek better support as traditional rulers pledge grassroots campaign against stigma
By Ayomide Awe
Survivors of mental illness have shared their experiences of recovery, stigma and the challenges of accessing care at the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Aro, Abeokuta, as the institution marked the 2026 World Mental Health Day with a call for patient-centred treatment and greater community support.
The survivors, caregivers and mental health professionals urged Nigerians to stop treating people living with mental health conditions as objects of discussion and begin listening to their experiences, concerns and needs.
The call formed the centrepiece of the hospital’s commemoration, themed, “Lived Experiences Heard: Real Voices, Real Change,” which featured an awareness road walk, community outreach and a lecture and panel discussion involving healthcare workers, traditional rulers and community leaders.
The awareness walk, which began at the hospital gate and proceeded to Ita-Oshin Garage, sought to educate residents about mental health, challenge discrimination and promote respect for the rights of people living with mental health conditions.
Speaking at the event, the Assistant Coordinator of the Faculty of Mental Health, Dr Ighoroje Maroh, said the theme was deliberately chosen to ensure that patients were not excluded from conversations and decisions concerning their treatment and recovery.
Maroh said the hospital had extended its advocacy to media organisations, including OGBC and Fresh FM, while deploying different local languages during the awareness campaign to make its message accessible to a wider audience.
He stressed that meaningful progress in mental healthcare required listening to patients, respecting their dignity and involving them in decisions affecting their lives.
According to him, the initiative reaffirmed the hospital’s commitment to quality mental healthcare and the principle that lasting change begins when people living with mental health conditions are genuinely heard.
Declaring the event open, the Medical Director and Acting Provost of the hospital, Dr Sunday Amosu, described mental health as a critical component of overall well-being and national development.
Amosu said the hospital remained committed to delivering quality mental healthcare, training professionals, conducting research and expanding community outreach.
He added that the theme aligned with the institution’s patient-centred approach, under which the experiences of patients should inform the delivery of services.
The medical director commended hospital staff, traditional institutions and community leaders for supporting the campaign, urging Nigerians to abandon stigmatising attitudes and seek professional help when mental health challenges arise.
“Mental illness is not a death sentence, neither is it an incurable illness,” Amosu said.
He called for greater public understanding of mental health conditions, stressing the importance of early intervention and appropriate treatment.
Similarly, the Coordinator of Mental Health, Dr Lucky Onofa, said the commemoration was intended to move mental health advocacy beyond public awareness to the active inclusion of patients and their caregivers.
Onofa explained that recovery was more likely to be effective and sustainable when patients, families and healthcare professionals worked together.
He said the faculty had continued to expand community psychiatric services, integrate mental healthcare into primary healthcare and strengthen support for caregivers in line with global best practices.
Listening to patients, he added, should not be regarded as an act of kindness but as an essential component of effective clinical care.
