Adolescents and young people make up nearly half of Nigeria’s 200 million strong population. This youthful population should be an advantage for the future if properly harnessed. But unfortunately, the harsh reality is that they are largely ignored, face enormous challenges and are left to sort themselves out via peer influence and whatever they can glean for themselves via social media. Females are even more vulnerable, with half of adolescent girls unlikely to complete secondary school while the proportion of out-of-school children continues to balloon at alarming rates. These challenges necessitated the University of Ibadan Research Foundation (UI-RF) to organise a stakeholders’ forum on Monday, November 13, which focused on the theme: “Adolescent and Youth Health Policies in Africa: Fostering International Partnerships to Contribute to Adolescents and Youth Health in Nigeria.”
Some of the pertinent areas within the myriad of complex challenges faced by these youth include aspects of their mental health, sexual and reproductive health, drug abuse, vulnerable and out-of-school children, as well as the absence of adequate services for addressing these challenges. The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, Professor Kayode Adebowale, reiterated the commitment of the university towards generating ideas and solutions that will address societal needs and affirmed that the research foundation is one of those vehicles for actualising this vision. He urged all stakeholders to pay close attention to the challenges of young people, noting especially that mental health issues have become very common. He declared that the University of Ibadan has recently established a standing committee for undergraduate mental health issues and tasked to develop a policy and strategic plan for the university.
Professor Ayoade Oduola, the Director of the University of Ibadan Research Foundation, reiterated that as the foundation celebrates 10 years of existence, it was critical to bring all stakeholders together and plan for the youth, so that the future of society and the nation can be assured. In his words, “We don’t have a choice as our adolescent population is projected to increase by 32 percent between 2019 and 2030, such that we would have 164 million adolescents by 2030. We simply cannot afford to be without a plan for such a huge population that represents the future of our nation.”
The Chief of Health with the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) in Nigeria, Dr Eduardo Celades, was the keynote speaker at the event; he admitted the failures of stakeholders in the past to effectively identify and address the challenges of adolescent health, especially mental health. He mentioned that with the very few numbers of mental health professionals in Nigeria, the practical solution is to ensure that mental health is successfully integrated into primary healthcare. On the part of UNICEF and other United Nations agencies, he promised that they were in the process of re-evaluating their five-year strategic plan to ensure that there is improved focus on adolescent health challenges in Nigeria.
The keynote address was followed by a roundtable discussion featuring several experts to address the various aspects of young people’s challenges. Professor Adesola Olumide, a community physician and expert on adolescent reproductive and sexual health, was on the panel, alongside Mr Kayode David Akinpelu, a programmes expert who works with youth.
Other panelists were Dr Tolulope Bella-Awusah, a child and adolescent psychiatrist and Director of the Centre for Child and Adolescent Mental Health (CCAMH) at the University of Ibadan; Edem Ossai, an education and youth specialist; Mrs Oluwakemi Ademola-Aremu who works with vulnerable and out-of-school children and Ms Ibukun Adeagbo, who is an undergraduate student at the University of Ibadan and youth representative. The panel was moderated by Dr Jibril Abdulmalik of the Department of Psychiatry/UI-RF Planning Committee and Founder of Asido Foundation, a not-for-profit mental health advocacy organisation.
The key take-home points from the discussions and subsequent interactive session with the audience include the need to ensure that adolescents and young people are nurtured using the analogy of a cocoon that protects a growing butterfly until it matures. This is a responsibility that society owes to her youth. It was established that mental health is a positive attribute that simply means a healthy mind, which is critical for successful learning and fulfilling their potentials. The multi-faceted nature of the challenges facing the youth can only be tackled across several layers including the family unit, the media, religious leaders, schools, and government via the implementation of existing policies, as well as providing youth-friendly centres, sports and recreational facilities and other opportunities to nurture their talents and keep them productively engaged.
The event also enumerated ways by which adolescents can help themselves such as watching the company they keep and avoiding drug abuse. In conclusion, nothing should be developed for adolescents and young persons without their active involvement and participation. Special kudos to the University of Ibadan Research Foundation for kickstarting these conversations.
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