- 6/25/2025
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00:00Every June has been designated as Men's Mental Health Awareness Month and this year is no exception.
00:07We are going to be looking critically into the awareness as we got this particular topic.
00:11Thank you for joining us on Guardian Talks. I am Olukayode Olumuiwa and yes, I'm going to be your host today while we look critically into this particular course.
00:19Stick around and yes, we'll be right back.
00:30Welcome back. Together we are going to be discussing Men's Mental Health Awareness.
00:34Joining me in the studio today is pharmacist Jonah Okote. Thank you for coming, sir.
00:39Thank you, sir. It's a pleasure.
00:41And just to just get straight to the point, June is designated as Men's Mental Health Awareness Month.
00:49How important it is that we talk about this particular one and do you think in terms of the awareness level as a nation, do you think we are doing enough?
01:00It's very crucial that we talk about this. We create the awareness.
01:06From what I mean with what you people say in the media parlance, image is everything.
01:13So if there's enough awareness, then the education will make people to live better and do better.
01:22Coming back to the level of awareness, we are very far from it as a people and as a country, both from the home side and additional level, as in society, government.
01:36So I said individual as well as the government.
01:40They say the family is the unit of the society.
01:44Yes, so that's where it starts from.
01:47If we begin to look at where we're coming from, growing up in the 80s, you find you grew up in a community of people.
01:56People, yeah.
01:57You had uncles, you had aunties, you had everybody.
02:01And then there were mental issues, some instances of mental cases and the facilities were there.
02:12The support system was there.
02:13But today, I think, it's almost like it's non-existent.
02:19So everybody's just doing the other thing.
02:21The system has changed.
02:21The system, I won't even call it a change, it has collapsed.
02:24Collapsed, wow.
02:25So the collapse of the system does not make room for capturing those issues.
02:34And not just to capture, also to address or prepare them.
02:37So you find that the pressure on the average man today is high.
02:43When you look at it, it seems the women are even doing better than us.
02:47But they will tell you it's a man's world.
02:51Do we think so?
02:53Well, they will still tell you it's a man's world that, after all, the men make the decision in the home and all that.
02:59But the man who is making the decision, what are the things guiding him to make that decision?
03:05So is his mental state okay to be able to make an informed decision?
03:09Is he educated enough?
03:11Is he empowered enough?
03:13The sanity of mind.
03:14Yes, is he empowered, apart from him in the center, is he empowered enough?
03:18And what are the pressures on him?
03:21Is he able to contain, compartmentalize?
03:24So those are things that today, some of those support systems are not there.
03:30So everybody is just on a free course to wherever.
03:35Thank you so much for that one.
03:38We can see that it is very important that we talk about this particular one.
03:42Bringing the awareness that people get to know that indeed men are going through a lot.
03:47But because there is, especially in Africa, there is this societal expectation.
03:53There is this level that is being placed on you, is a man.
03:57You know, you can't see a man crying.
03:59How do we balance this belief system?
04:06How do we change this belief system as a whole that, oh, he's a man, the masculine structure
04:12that the society has placed on men?
04:14I don't think I have a problem with that expectation.
04:20Okay.
04:20Because it is part of, if you look at it in Africa, a child is groomed to group, to take
04:29responsibilities, whether as a woman or as a man, as a girl or as a boy or child.
04:35But what you find then, compared to now, is that there were support systems.
04:41So you find for the women, they had their women groups, they take them through stages.
04:47So it was a stage of development.
04:50So the child...
04:51There's a preparatory class.
04:53Preparatory class.
04:53So the boy child grows into adulthood.
04:58So it takes on those responsibilities.
05:00But today, those support systems are not there.
05:04You know, we're just having some conversation outside.
05:08If a child gets into a nursery school today or primary school today, average nursery or primary
05:15school today...
05:17And that child has special needs.
05:21There's no provision to take care of that child.
05:24And you find that child is lumped up with everybody.
05:28So the pressure on that child...
05:31It's already high, a certain level.
05:33Exactly.
05:34So it's there.
05:35So if that child doesn't fit in, you begin to hear things like, what is wrong with you?
05:38Are you the only child?
05:39I mean, can't you see your needs?
05:42But that child's needs has not been identified.
05:46You have not customized the need of that child to begin to address the issues.
05:52So if you compare the generality to some of these elitist schools, you'll find once a child comes in, they do evaluation.
06:00So they are able to know, okay, this is a special need child.
06:04So you find that they call some children, send children or whatever.
06:08So, and then you have same teachers or same groups of persons who are assigned special tutors, assigned in line with the conventional teachers who are helping those children so that they can cope.
06:22Not just in academics, not just in academics, mentally, and then they can fit into the society better.
06:28The other day I saw a video of a guy with Down syndrome working in the supermarket in America.
06:36But I don't know how many that we can talk about in our nation.
06:42So we need to do more at all levels, even from the home, because on the home front, you find a lot of parents work in denial.
06:52I reject it.
06:53It's not my portion.
06:54Meanwhile, it's not about that.
06:56And the thing is this, the earlier we identify the issues, the better, so that we can mobilize whatever resources that needs to be channeled to help that child to grow up into a responsible person, regardless of the challenges.
07:15So these are some of the things that we need to address.
07:19Which is, in fact, you have spoken extensively as we got that particular one.
07:24I'm going to talk about this one.
07:25When the guys themselves now, or let me say the men, or from the boyhood to men, what do you think can be done?
07:35What can we do differently as men?
07:37You know, I don't know.
07:39Maybe it's an African hard age now.
07:40You know, you have to help yourself at some point.
07:43Like, what are the responsibilities that, okay, we know that maybe the resources are not there on the part of the government or this and that.
07:52What can we do better as the male structure or the male?
07:57If you ask me, I think it's, we need to come back.
08:02We need to retrace our steps.
08:03Retrace.
08:04Retrace.
08:05Retrace.
08:06Retrace.
08:07Retrace.
08:08Retrace.
08:09Retrace.
08:10Retrace.
08:11Retrace.
08:12Retrace.
08:13Retrace.
08:14Retrace.
08:15Retrace.
08:16Retrace.
08:17Retrace.
08:18Retrace.
08:19Retrace.
08:20Retrace.
08:21Retrace.
08:22Retrace.
08:23Retrace.
08:24Retrace.
08:25Retrace.
08:26Retrace.
08:27Retrace.
08:28Retrace.
08:29Retrace.
08:30I wonder why can't we integrate our systems to make room for our cultural values, our traditions and all that?
08:41That's what the Chinese have done. That's what the Indians and Japanese have done.
08:46So why are we shying away from this?
08:49Because these are the support systems that help to keep our sanities in check.
08:55Even when you have people with outright mental cases as in they were violent and all that, they lived with us.
09:04Everybody knows that guy. On the street.
09:06Yes, on the street. Everybody knows that guy has this challenge.
09:12But then everybody has a certain way of relating with him.
09:17And the irony is that he also has a certain way of relating.
09:21And if you begin to cross the boundary, it begins to warn you that take your time.
09:26And of course, everybody tells you, oh boy, leave him alone.
09:30But today, you find the individual is just on his own.
09:36Like they say, Oyo. Oyo, indeed.
09:40So I think that really is a major challenge. And institutionally, we don't have enough systems.
09:49Take for instance Lagos. Apart from Yaba and maybe a department in Lassoe and maybe some other hospitals, Lagos today is roughly about 20 million strong.
10:07Now you look at the population and the structure.
10:10So that population, how many can these facilities accommodate?
10:14So, and the resources too, it's not there.
10:18Limited.
10:19So if you talk in terms of, not even talk about the drugs, let's even talk about the systems, the non-pharmological interventions.
10:26And then if we look at the angle of the personnel, the health practitioners, you know, the psychiatrists.
10:33I think I was going through and the percentage I saw was about 250 people, personnel.
10:39How do they cater for the rising, you know, numbers in this?
10:43If we have 250, then I think we have a lot.
10:48So it's much?
10:49Not a joke. I say if we have 250, that means we have a lot.
10:52But right now, I'm not sure we have up to 250 in Lagos or even nationally.
10:59Wow.
11:00Because a lot of, just yesterday, no, on Saturday, we conducted a, I had a meeting with a psychiatrist who has moved to England now.
11:14Yeah.
11:15And we had to do an evaluation on a client.
11:19And it's, it's sad that he was lamenting that in Nigeria, the provisions are not there to capture some of these challenges.
11:33From the early stage.
11:34From the early stage.
11:35That going over there as, in short, is, is shocked.
11:40For him is, is so overwhelmed that, oh, there are some things that could have been prevented.
11:45Some things that could have been done early in this place, but.
11:49Unfortunately.
11:50But if you ask me, I'll say, it's not a, it's not a totally gloomy stage or gloomy situation.
11:59Internet or social media has made life easy for us.
12:04We could do that through WhatsApp.
12:07We have a conversation, access clients and all that.
12:10Yes, access clients and all that.
12:11Um, which I think these are some opportunities.
12:14We can leverage on.
12:15Begin to leverage on and explore.
12:17Uh, but that being said, the government needs to do a lot more, uh, by stimulating conversations.
12:26And I think you guys talking about this today, you are also, you are also a very important, uh, part in this.
12:32The media has a very important role.
12:34By the time you begin to put this conversation out there.
12:37Out there.
12:38Of course, everybody knows, oh, we need to talk about this.
12:40So it's no more a matter of hiding.
12:42Let me cover it up.
12:43Myself.
12:44Oh, to myself.
12:45And then tomorrow somebody does some nursing.
12:47The person has killed his wife or he has committed suicide or something.
12:51So those are things, uh, we need to talk about.
12:53Thank you so much, pharmacist Jonah Okoti.
12:56Um, we've been discussing men's mental health awareness.
12:59And, uh, you know, like we said earlier, that June every year is a month set apart for this particular cause.
13:06Um, yes, June might have been set apart, but should we keep it June alone?
13:11You know, because if you look at the rising, what do I mean in this context is that, uh, the society now is going her wall somehow.
13:20You need to see substances that people do, you know, drugs and all that.
13:23These are also another contributing factors to the rising cases we have.
13:27So if you're going to, you know, talk as regards to how do we tackle the maintenance of drugs, you know, that's another,
13:34because it's a contributory factor to some of the rising cases we have in mental health.
13:39Um, the maintenance of drugs is, uh, is a hydra headed, uh, maintenance.
13:48Um, but the, the, it rises and falls, falls on government's will.
13:57Um, like, um, somebody said, I don't have a problem.
14:03I may not be able to stop the birds from flying, but I can stop them from catching on my head.
14:08Um, there will always be bad people out there, but it's the government who has the responsibility to say this far you can go.
14:19Go.
14:20In this environment you can't do this.
14:21Um, as of today, the body saddled the responsibility of registering, um, um, places where medicines are supposed to be, uh, displayed.
14:34Is the Muscat Council of Nigeria.
14:37Um, but you and I know today that's every time they can hurry to those drugs.
14:42The, you'll find some of our politicians use, uh, patent medicine opening to use to settle.
14:50Some of their, some of their, some of their, some of their, um, loyalists.
14:55Um, as a way of compensation.
14:57Yes.
14:58Drugs are poisons.
15:00Hmm.
15:01So, you want to, ordinarily, you, you, you want to put that red flag.
15:06Oh, do not touch or handle with care.
15:10So, if drugs are seen as poisons, but, uh, good poisons that need to be taken when and only.
15:17When necessary.
15:18Then I think it is very important that we are careful where we stock them, who handles them.
15:25And it is, well, access to those.
15:28So when the government needs to do more in that, if that is the only thing government does,
15:33I think they will have done a lot to address this issue.
15:37I must say, thank you so much.
15:38Our pharmacist Jonah for being on the show today.
15:41I wish we could talk on more and more and, you know, have this conversation, you know,
15:46more than what we have.
15:47But, of course, time is not always a friend.
15:50What will be your, you know, the parting speech to our viewers and everyone as we celebrate
15:55all the awareness for men's mental health this year?
15:58Um, I want to part with this.
16:01Charity, they say, begins at home.
16:03Um, wisdom says know thyself.
16:06It beholds every parent to begin to know their child.
16:11Uh, so know, begin to observe.
16:15And please don't work in denial.
16:17If you say, oh, it's not my portion.
16:18But the same Bible says by knowledge shall the just be delivered.
16:22Yeah.
16:23When you know, then you are empowered.
16:26Quickly.
16:27To be able to address, take the necessary action to address what needs to be done.
16:31Um.
16:32So that does not become an issue.
16:33Well, when you continue to work in ignorance or in denial, by the time that thing will manifest,
16:40unfortunately, it will be too late.
16:42And then I think from the medical aspect, we need to begin to take advantage of, um, some
16:48of the tools we have today, the social media handles and all that to continue to push things out there.
16:55And then let's see so that we are not overwhelmed.
16:58Create content and push things out there, um, to address some of the vices that some other persons are trying to take advantage of.
17:07To get on your, to, um, uh, our men.
17:11Yeah.
17:12So that's my contribution.
17:13Thank you so much, our pharmacist Jonah Okote.
17:16It's a pleasure.
17:17Uh, you've, uh, you've heard it all from our guest in the studio today, and I wish we could actually talk more and more.
17:22But of course, that will be the science of our package today on Guardian Talks.
17:25As we bring the awareness about men's mental health, uh, for this year, I must say, let's also be intentional.
17:34As guys, as men, we can do better.
17:36Yeah.
17:37And, uh, just like, uh, our guest has said, charity, they say, begins at home.
17:42Until next time, that will come your word again on Guardian Talks.
17:45I am Olu Kaode.
17:46Bye.
17:47Bye.
17:48Bye.
17:49Bye.
17:50Bye.
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