Nonchalant final boss
Mental health issues are on the rise in Nigeria
Good morning, Big Brains. The analytics from yesterday’s edition proved that most of you are actually considering buying a home in Lekki, and I love that for you guys. I’ll be expecting my housewarming invitation in a few days.
- Margaret
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Reading time ~ 5 mins
Let’s get into today’s edition:
Mental health issues are on the rise in Nigeria
Trump’s administration has paused student visa processing
The Big Deal
Mental health issues are on the rise in Nigeria
We’re not sure anybody needs another reason to feel like God’s strongest soldier today, but we’ll give you one anyway. According to a report by the World Health Organisation (WHO), at least 20 million Nigerians are living with mental health issues in 2025.
It gets worse. The Secretary of the Board of Trustees at the Nigeria-American Institute for Mental Health (NAIMH), Azubike Aliche, also says the depression caseload in Nigeria is reportedly the highest in the world. Ass disturbing as it sounds, only 10% of people living with mental illness in Nigeria have access to care.
The government has been addressing the brain drain in Nigeria’s medical sector, with a heavy focus on doctors, but they’ve not given the same energy to mental health professionals. The bar is literally in hell for this set of healthcare providers.
Why is this a big deal?
When we say the bar is in hell, we’re not even exaggerating. If you think Nigeria’s regular doctor-to-patient ratio currently at one doctor to about 10,000 patients is bad, you’ll change your mind when you find out there are only 200 psychiatrists attend to over 200 million Nigerians. If we’re going by the recent report from the WHO, that’s one registered psychiatrist to about 100,000 patients.
The shortage of psychiatrists is one thing, and the shortage of psychiatric hospitals is another. As of 2022, there were only nine federal psychiatric hospitals and five state hospitals in the country. For the 20 million mental health patients living in the country, that barely scratches the surface.
The federal government is either pretending to be the final boss of nonchalance or is completely oblivious to the people's plight.
Without access to proper care, people are left to figure out depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and more, often without diagnosis, support, or even basic understanding from their communities. Many end up in chains at prayer houses, or other cheap options with more cons than pros.
Thankfully, a few mental health institutions in Nigeria do the Lord’s work by offering free or subsidised care. One of them is the Centre for Social Awareness, Advocacy and Ethics (CSAAE), which recently launched a toll-free mental health support line (08009001000) for anyone who needs to talk or get help.
Also, some companies include mental healthcare in their health insurance plans (if you didn’t know, now you know). So if you’re employed, it’s worth checking with your HR team to see what’s covered.
If nobody has told you today, let us be the first to remind you that you deserve support, and you’re loved.
Trump’s administration has paused student visa processing
To enter the United States of America as an international student will take intense fasting and prayer in 2025. We’re still recovering from the presidential order to temporarily ban Harvard from admitting international students, now, President Trump has hit us with another one.
According to an internal memo from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the Trump administration is temporarily suspending all student visa processing for foreign applicants. Embassies and consulates have been told not to book any new appointments for student or exchange visas until further notice.
That “further notice” might come with upgraded background checks for international students because the State Department has plans to intensify social media vetting for all applicants.
According to international reports, Rubio has been trying to revoke hundreds of student visas, mainly because of legal technicalities, and social media posts in support of Palestine.
The State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce also confirmed that visa applicants will now face "higher scrutiny."
We don’t know when the freeze will lift, but Rubio mentioned that embassies will receive “guidance in the coming days,” whatever that means.
Nigeria is currently the 7th country with the highest number of students in the US, so this hits way too close to home. We hope Trump remembers his Nigerian fans and reconsider his immigration policies.
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This Week’s Big Question
“What's your prediction for the 2027 presidential election?”
Eno’s response - “I want Peter Obi to win, but right now, I don’t see how that’s possible.”
You can also share your response here, and if it’s as interesting as Eno’s, we’ll feature it in the next edition.
Let’s settle this thing…
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Play catch up
Up Tinubu?
President Tinubu is many things, but a pessimist is not one of them. If you’re slowly giving up on your 2025 goals, you might want to pump up your energy again because the president still has plans to help you make Mama proud.