SPY OPINION - Late Yekini and Mental Healthcare in Nigeria

This is a rare Editorial by this blog and it is hoped that the subject doesn't fall on deaf ears. With the recent passing away of Nigeria's football legend Rashidi Yekini and the sad revelation of how his failed mental health went untreated, many questions are flagged up and need to be answered by the Nigerian government as a matter of urgency.

From all  available accounts so far, it appears that Yekini did not get the treatment he needed largely due to the late Super-Eagles star's refusal - which in his state of mind was not too surprising - but also due to a failure or complete lack of a mental healthcare mechanism to the point that when his desperate family rallied to the local governor for assistance, the deranged national hero still could not be persuaded.
Add to that the annoying aggravation by interfering spongers and so-called friends of Yekini who we gather did everything they could to hinder the Yekini family's efforts to get one of Nigeria's biggest sporting export the specialist support he so badly needed .
The painful fact is that Yekini's case is only the tip of the iceberg. The SPY believes that there are thousands of mentally unwell Nigerians and families in distress who find themselves in similar situation and need help. I know, because my roots are in Nigeria and I have a dearly beloved sibling in need of mental healthcare as we speak. Oh, and besides, one of my own children had a nasty brush with the mental healthcare services here in England as well. However, thanks to God and the effective Mental Health Act of 1983 my experience ended satisfactorily.

For what its worth, we must not let the Yekini story disappear like every other headline. Besides passion or family and personal sentiments there are a number of other valid reasons why the nation's mental health must be taken seriously and kept in check one of which is socio-economic because if a people are mentally sound, then chances are they'll be more creative and work-ready and ultimately more productive. 

Its time to ask - what is the mental health status of Nigeria is today? Is there a mental Health Act enshrined in the country's Constitution? If there is, do we have the gamut of complimentary legal tools required to execute its provisions? Are the necessary medical and support infrastructure in place? If all the above boxes are ticked, then the question remains, is the system working?

Its bad enough that "Madness" is a social stigma to those it affects across the world but at least such a law can in the future empower the State via the mental health services and the police to forcibly hospitalise any mentally ill Nigerian for treatment and subsequent rehabilitation for the better good of the nation. We can no longer leave the nation's mental health in the hands of "Witch Doctors" so let the debate begin.
The Spy appeals to readers who share this concern to share the link to this article across social media platforms so that the powers that be can hear our cry and fix any loose screws in our head.