NGO holds mental health summit for senior police officers in Kwara state

By Demola Akinyemi Ilorin

A Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Fructify Health Actions Initiative (FHAI) under its Mental Health Sensitization and Promotion Program has trained Senior Police Officers in Kwara State on mental health resilience.

The summit, which held on Saturday at the Police Officers Mess, GRA, Ilorin, brought together the Commissioner of Police and his management team, area commanders, tactical commanders, divisional police officers and heads of departments across the state.

The founder of FHAI, Oluwaseun Oladoye, appreciated the police leadership for embracing the initiative, particularly acknowledging the support of the Commissioner of Police and ACP Dr. Farayola Temitope Hassan; the State Officer-in-Charge of Medical Services.

Oladoye explained that the goal of the summit was to promote and strengthen the mental resilience of police officers, noting that the demands of policing require continuous psychological support and capacity building.

Co-facilitator and Principal Nurse Educator at the College of Nursing Sciences, University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Yetunde Adeniyi, took the officers through practical steps on strengthening mental resilience, problem-solving skills, and managing physical and emotional stress.

She noted that strengthening mental resilience would help officers better manage stress, improve decision-making, and enhance service delivery to the populace.

Speaking while addressing the FHAI team, the Commissioner of Police, CP Adekimi Ojo, described the initiative as timely and crucial to improving the mental well-being of officers who constantly face higher levels of physical, psychosocial and anticipatory stress.

“I am glad this mental health summit is holding for our officers in Kwara. It is important and unique. I urge you to listen attentively and maximise the learnings,”said the commissioner.

In his closing remarks, CP Ojo thanked FHAI for what he described as a “much-needed intervention,” stressing that the theme of the summit aligns with the realities of policing in Nigeria.

“This mental health summit is pertinent to the Police Force. We have gained beneficial points from this training, and I urge that this mental health initiative be stepped down to Area Commands and Divisions,” he said.

During the interactive session, police officers raised questions on substance use, anger management, the role of counsellors within the police system, and how improved welfare can be infused to support the mental well-being of officers and men.

The NGO pledged to extend the training to other formations across the State to ensure wider reach and impact. The Summit came to an end after a 2-hour training and counselling services.

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