Compendium, Mental health dominate news

President Muhammadu Buhari has received a 1042-page compendium of projects executed by all ministries from 2015 to 2017.

The compendium was presented to the President by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha, shortly before the commencement of the Federal Executive Council Meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The SGF said that the compendium was based on briefings by cabinet ministers on the various projects executed by their respective ministries between within the period.

“The document will lend credence that President Buhari has fulfilled his campaign promises.

“It is a valid and vivid proof of the giant strides by this administration,’’ he said.
Mustapha said that the document would be circulated to all the Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs) to serve as a reference point.

The meeting was attended by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, Chief of Staff to the President, Malam Abba Kyari and cabinet ministers

Ondo State

Ondo State Government says it has approved N1.5 billion for the take-off of a cancer treatment centre.

Gov. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of Ondo, said this at the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria’s 5th Annual General Meeting and Scientific Conference with the theme: “Mental Health Disorders in a Depressed Economy”.

According to him, the state government’s effort is also geared towards tackling mental depression by providing good healthcare services to citizens at affordable fees.

The governor, who was represented by the state Commissioner for Health, Dr Wahab Adegbenro noted that the centre would reduce the incidence of travelling abroad for cancer related treatment.

He said that the state government recently employed 15 additional medical consultants to boost provision of quality healthcare to citizens.

He urged medical personnel in the state to work assiduously for the sake of humanity and pledged to ensure prompt payment of workers’ salaries to alleviate the suffering of people.

The governor also said that a lot of empowerment programmes were on-going to get people engaged in meaningful economic activities, adding that government would continue to provide environment conducive for work.

Earlier, the Acting Chairman of MDCAN ODSGH, Dr Ishaq Ojodu, said the objective of the conference was to sensitise the public to the rising trend of mental disorders in the country.

“We want people to know that the situation is worst but they can develop coping mechanism to deal with depression.

”They don’t need to go to the extreme and use drugs that can damage their mental capabilities permanently but instead they should engage in social activities.

“We want families to be involved in creating support systems which have broken down in Nigeria.

“We also want to sensitise the government to its roles to provide health insurance that will afford citizens the quality health services they need,” he said.

The guest speaker, Dr Kolawole Mosaku, Head of Department of Mental Health, Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile Ife, appealed to government to tackle mental depression through reduction of health inequalities.

Mosaku, who was represented by Dr Olukayode Aloba, of the Department of Mental Health, OAU, said that social security and protections should be guaranteed to all citizens.

According to him, youth employment and control of substance abuse must be cardinal targets of government.

He said that psychiatric care services must be available for easy access and welfare facilities provided for citizens who require it.

Mental Health

Meanwhile, as the world marks World Mental Health Day, the Chief Consultant Epidemiologist of Nigeria, Dr Godwin Ntadom, has called on parents and guardians to keep close tab on their wards to curb drug use and avert severe mental health disorders.

World Mental Health Day is observed annually on Oct. 10, with the overall objective of raising awareness on mental health issues around the world and mobilising efforts in support of mental health.

For its part, the global health organisation in a report to mark the day, titled ‘Coming of age: Adolescent health’, noted that half of all mental illnesses begin before the adolescent age of 14 but most cases go undetected and untreated.

According to WHO, depression is one of the leading causes of illness and disability among adolescents and suicide is the second leading cause of death among 15 to 29 year-olds.

The harmful use of alcohol and illicit drugs among adolescents is a major issue in many countries and can lead to self-destructive behaviour such as unsafe sex or dangerous driving.

Eating disorders are also of concern, the global health agency warned.
Dr Tarun Dua, mental health expert at WHO explained that half of mental health disorders arise before the age of 14.

“If these are left untreated, they extend into adult life, thus impacting educational attainment, employment, relationships or even parenting.”

“Evidence is growing that promoting and protecting adolescent mental health benefits not just adolescents’ health, in both short and the long term.

“It also promotes economies and society as a whole, with healthy young adults able to make greater contributions to the workforce, their families and communities.”

The organisation, therefore, called for investment and greater integration of mental health into broader health and social care systems worldwide.

Fire Service

And, the Federal Capital Territory Fire Service says it will engage over 600 public and private schools in the territory on fire safety best practices.

Julius Opetusin, Assistant Comptroller-General of the service said the campaign aimed to educate, equip and prepare students with basic knowledge of fire safety, hazards and prevention.

Opetusin said that the service aimed to achieve this through its collaboration with the Fire Fighters Magazine, FCT Universal Basic Education Board (UBEB) and other joint partners.

“The students will also learn fire protection and equipment handling amongst others as a part of our corporate social responsibility as we embark on aggressive enforcement of the National Fire Safety Code in the FCT,’’ Opetusin said.

For his part, Minister of the FCT, Alhaji Muhammad Bello, said though such incidences were rare in the FCT, it was imperative to safeguard the lives of students and staff.

The Minister who was represented by Umar Shuaibu, an official of the FCT, said: “The fire service has decided to step in to bridge this gap with information gathering by establishing fire safety clubs in Nigerian schools.

“This will help their sister agencies to stem down carnage of kidnapping especially in soft spot areas like our educational institutions,” Bello said.

The minister assured Nigerians that his administration would work in line with the initiatives of this campaign to put fire safety measures in place in schools in the FCT.

“We will ensure that these plans will include details as regards fire alarm procedures, building floor plans, staff and students duties in case a of a fire emergency as well as exit drills.’’ (NAN)