NSUKKA: MENTALLY-CHALLENGED FOLKS FIND REFUGE IN GOV. UGWUANYI’S HOME

“Uzo!!! Puta nu n’uzo,” someone yelled in the market as Ogoo and I turned to see a man right behind us. He carried a damaged CPU on his head, he was dark, lean and dressed in a faded red shirt and torn briefs. He walked as though he was about to fall. “This man will fall soon,” Ogoo predicted and behold, he came crashing down on an elderly lady at a nearby foodstuff stall.

Welcome to the everyday prologue of Nsukka residents, one is either taking a separate route or running with the crowd from an individual(s) that exhibits conducts which are characterized by abnormal mental or behavioral patterns.

Just about any ordinary person can slip into madness, believes APA President Philip G. Zimbardo, PhD, but the spate of mentally-challenged people roaming the streets of Nsukka is becoming increasingly unbearable. The recent invasion of mentally-challenged individuals especially in the market place (Afia Ogige) is beyond alarming. They oftentimes are seen in the University community posing a serious threat to the students and to themselves.

When one visits Nsukka, the first thing they notice is the chaos. If you have never visited, then you can think of Nsukka as an archetypical Onitsha, terribly dirty, irredeemably disorderly and then of course, the mentally challenged folks sprinkled at every nook and cranny. It’s quite sad the Governor’s hometown has very far drifted away from a civilized and refined populace as possible.

One would expect that a community which houses the country’s leading University that has produced some of the greatest men and women of timber and caliber would set the standard for neighboring communities. If truly education is a necessity for societal growth, why doesn’t the education reflect in the actual society- Nsukka. There’s no need to mince words, Nsukka as community neither reflects a strong sense of social organization or any possible hope for future development.

You want to know what’s tougher than being a Nigerian in Nigeria? Try being a Nigerian with a mental illness. Mentally-challenged folks suffer the most upsetting and appalling kind of poverty. The moment you get a mental disability in Nigeria, you lose nearly all your rights. Not only are they exposed to the cold, without food, shelter and care, they suffer dire Human Right abuses such as sexual abuse. Let’s not forget the gruesome and terrific physical abuses by religious organizations, where they are whipped and chained in the name of “miracles” and “prophetic healing”. The longer they stay on these streets in such conditions the more their health worsens and their chances at a better future become slimmer.

What then is the Enugu State Government’s role in achieving social development and environmental goals in Nsukka? I think the first pragmatic step is a complete face-lift of the available mental health facilities in the state and the integration of mental health care services into the general health care service.

Secondly, implementing policies that guarantee the rights of people with mental and psychosocial disorders. Nigeria’s Mental Health Bill also known as the Lunacy Act was enacted in 1958 and over 50 years later have not been amended. To say that these laws are archaic and completely outmoded would be a gross understatement. With the absence of fair policies to support legislation, the quality of care and life for people living with mental health problems will continue to remain negligible. The time is upon us now to reform Nigeria’s outdated mental health laws.

The Government has a duty to protect all citizens and that includes its citizens with mental health challenges. Folks with mental health problems should not become outcasts in our society, rather, they should be treated like people with any other form of disease and accorded some respect and care.