RiverNaija

World mental health day is observed 10th of October every year, with the overall objective of raising awareness of mental health issues around the world and mobilising efforts in support of mental health. The day provides an opportunity for all stakeholders working on mental health issues to talk about their work and what needs to be done to make mental health care a reality for people worldwide. It was first celebrated in 1992 at the initiative of the World Federation for Mental Health — a global mental health organisation, with members and contacts in more than 150 countries. It is the most important day in the mental health calendar and this year’s celebration focuses on “Living with schizophrenia.” It seeks to give consideration to those who live with the disorder, their families, friends, doctors and even the society as a whole. The term ‘schizophrenia’ was coined by a Swiss psychiatrist, Eugen Bleuler in 1911, and it comes from the Greek roots ‘Schizo’ (split) and ‘Phrene’ (mi...

Uyi and his wife just got back from a friend’s house warming where they had so much fun eating, drinking and sharing jokes. They share a special bond with their friend and couldn’t be happier seeing their friend fulfill a livelong dream of owning a home. Uyi had thought about buying a home too and quit paying the N2m he pays annually in house rent. However, to own a home like his friend he will need to cough out like N16m in equity and pay as much as N350, 000 monthly in mortgage payments for N25m loan. He just needs to be patient and doesn’t need to be under pressure. But as Uyi lay down to take a nap after a long day, his wife whispered to his ear “when are we going to buy our own home”? This is one question you have to face several times in your life provided you live in a rented apartment. In an economy like Nigeria, owning a home (which for this article I will attribute to house bought for the owner to live in) is difficult. This makes owning a home versus paying a rent argument...