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Hello Victor Cosmas Blog readers across the world.
If you are a first time reader, Victor Cosmas Blog focuses on building a great Nigeria that is governed by the best brains and inhabited by the most loving and considerate citizens the world has ever seen.
Personally, I think that it is not a good sight to look on the street and find a litter of deranged human beings, Nigerians, surviving the cold of the night and the scorching sun of the day, every day without any care and eating from trash cans.
Akwa Ibom state where I come from has a lot of mentally ill people walking on the streets.
Ogun State and even Lagos State have a huge number of this class of Nigerians as well.
I haven't lived in the East so much to include them on this population but I sight a few when I travel through the Eastern cities.
And I think that this is a very bad thing for a country.
We have got to treat every Nigerian like a Nigerian, enjoying every benefit.
The rich.
The poor.
The mentally ill.
The healthy.
Every Nigerian.
We must carry everyone along.
Mr President and the governors of the 36 states, if you ever read this, what happened to the Nigeria's Mental Health Policy of 1991.
How come since implementation, no revisit, no desk in government and only 4 percent is budgeted to cater for this critical sector.
With the knowledge that one in every four Nigerian have some sort of mental illness, more needs to be done to avert the critical stage where it becomes out of hands.
With less than 150 psychiatrists catering for 200 million Nigerians and only less than 10 percent mentally ill Nigerians having access to psychiatric care, we are at a very high risk of having more Nigerians eating from the trash can and sleeping in the cold of the night.
We got to show empathy.
No, Nigerians we can't be demons no more.
We can do more.
I have seen so many schizophrenic Nigerians stripping naked, performing anomalies in the full glare of the public in Nigeria.
No reason justifies the sufferings of these persons, whether spiritual or narcotic related.
They are Nigerians.
They deserve love and care.
They deserve a blanket at night.
They deserves a proper shower.
They deserve a haircut intermittently.
They deserve their regular medications.
President Tinubu and Governor Umo Eno of my state, let us do something.
I understand from my research that there are non availability of physicians to run primary health care centers catering for the mentally ill.
Again, there is a lack of, or restrictions on psychotropic medications.
Even though there are NGOs trying their best, they are very few with no housing or support groups available.
I do not know how it is possible for every mentally ill persons to be evacuated off our streets before the end of March 2025, but I badly desire this.
While we sleep in the presidential lodge, five star hotels and the comfort of our homes tonight, let us remember those who'd sleep out in the cold tonight.
While we eat in buffets and the abundance of our labour, let us remember those who'd eat from the trash.
Four percent going to cater for the mentally ill while more than 20 percent cater for the needs of already rich politicians, is just not enough.
It is just not enough.
And we cannot continue this way.
We are all Nigerians and our equality involves sane and insane Nigerians and we must look out for everyone.
Mr President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the governors of the 36 states, now is time to proof our love for nation.
I do not intend to create long epistles on this matter but conclusively I wish to call the government and private individuals to make sacrifices in whichever way they could to help rid our streets of mentally ill persons.
I strongly believe that this will create a safe street for both both the mentally ill and the public.
Where ever you are reading from and you wish to be a part of this, do well to contact me through the comment section and we would direct you on how to offer your assistance.
God bless Nigeria and God bless Africa.