Osogbo: Residents in Osogbo have expressed concerns over the influx of mentally ill persons to the town. Some of the residents who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) said that the number of such persons on major roads in the town was worrisome. The respondents called on the state government to urgently address the issue and evacuate them off the streets for rehabilitation or send them back to their states.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Mr. Biola Awosun, a resident, stated that some of the mentally ill persons on the street were victims of their own nemesis. Awosun attributed drug abuse and diabolic activities as some of the factors responsible for the large number of mental health cases on the streets. He appealed to the state government to take immediate action to evacuate them for the safety of the residents.
Another resident, Mrs. Adenike Faponda, a trader at Ejigbo motor park, suggested that some of the mentally unstable people on the streets were brought from other states. Faponda urged the government to place such individuals into psychiatric homes where they could be rehabilitated.
Dr. Andrew Dosunmu, a psychologist and founder of Psychcare Foundation, noted that the majority of mentally ill persons on Osogbo’s streets resulted from drug abuse. Dosunmu explained that the introduction and abuse of new psychotropic substances in society accounted for the rise in mental disorders. He emphasized that mental illnesses like schizophrenia, depression, and childhood developmental disorders were prevalent, with drug and substance abuse being a significant issue, particularly among the youth aged 16 to 45.
Furthermore, Dosunmu highlighted that the number of people affected by drug abuse was increasing, attributing this to poor family backgrounds. Ms. Dunmilola Akinola, a nurse at Asubiaro Hospital, acknowledged the government’s efforts to assist mentally ill persons but urged the state’s task force officers to enhance their efforts in evacuating such individuals from the roads.
The state government has responded, indicating its commitment to rehabilitating mentally unstable people and removing them from the streets. Mr. Richard Oyegbami, the Permanent Secretary, Osun Ministry of Environment, explained that the ministries of Environment and Sanitation, and Youth, Sports and Special Needs, were collaboratively working to achieve this goal. Oyegbami assured that the government was actively taking steps to rehabilitate mentally ill individuals when found on the streets.
