NIHORT empowers staff with mental health strategies to boost productivity

The National Horticultural Research Institute (NIHORT), in a bid to enhance itd productivity, has empowered its staff with mental health strategies which will amplify their output.

Speaking with the Nigerian Tribune on the sidelines of the training programme mental health held on the premises of the institute recently, the training coordinator, Dr Oluyemisi Adelani, said: “The training is a capacity building for leaders and administrators in NIHORT.

“The reason we put together this training is that we discover that when people are put into position, there are things they need to know. So we carried out a study, a skill gap analysis to know what are the gaps.

“Many of our staff stated that they need social and human development training. They stated that they need training on administration, training on financial issues, training on mental and emotional needs. So, with the support of our Executive Director, Professor Mahammad Lawal Attanda, we decided to give them training because when they are trained, they will able to behave well, relate well with their colleagues and they will be able to manage their superiors well.

“Presently, we are training staff from level 13 and above, Assisant Directors and other management members. So, this mental health training is very significant that we have to commit today for it, also because it is the recommendation of the World Health Organisation.”

Also speaking on the training, Head of Administration, NIHORT, Dr Modupe David, noted that the essence of the training is not only for the staff to perform optimally at work, stating that:”They will also perform better in the family, so everything will be balanced, that is what we are after.

“We want NIHORT staff to be betterindividuals in the society, they will relate with people much more better and above all, they will function optimally in order to contribute their quota to the development of agriculture in Nigeria and as a result of that, there will be food sufficiency in the country.”

Facilitators from the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, Mrs Shade Olatunji and Dr Toyin Aniagwu, took the staff on the rudiments of maintaining sound mental health.

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