By Gurgur Japhet
World Mental Health Day (10 October) is a day for global mental health education, awareness and advocacy. It was first celebrated in 1992 at the initiative of the World Federation for Mental Health, a global mental health organization with members and contacts in more than 150 countries. This day, each October, thousands of supporters come to celebrate this annual awareness program to bring attention to Mental Illness and its major effects on peoples' life worldwide.
Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights affirms that: "All human beings are born equal in dignity and rights." Similarly, the preamble of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities states that: "... discrimination against any person on the basis of disability is a violation of the inherent dignity and worth of the human person."
It is in recognition of the above facts that today, Her Excellency, Wife of the Governor, Mrs. Eunice Ortom in collaboration with the Australian Aid and the Comprehensive Community Health Programme marked the World Mental Healt Day with a Road Walk and Rally from Mr. Bigs to the IBB Square in Makurdi.
Delivering a key note at the rally, Her Excellency stated, inter alia, "As a commitment to support and promote good mental health for the people of Benue State, especially, the youths, we will continue to foster access to sustainable treatment and management of drug dependence for drug users through my NGO. We will push for the domestication of the Nigerian National Mental Health Policy in the state and advocate that every one should abide by the recommendation of the policy, while we await the passage of the Mental Health Bill at the federal level."
The programme had in attendance Dr. Obekpa from Federal Medical Centre, Makurdi and many representatives of NGOs, including Mrs. Victoria Egwor Daaor of Elohim Foundation.
The programme coincided with the 2nd Benue Women in Prayer Convocation, held at the Chapel of Grace, Benue People's House, Makurdi.
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