The Thursday Tribune Series
Every Thursday, the Asido Foundation shares fresh perspectives, educational insights, and reflections on mental health through a nationally syndicated column in the Nigerian Tribune. Explore our archive of articles that shape conversations and challenge stigma.
Showing 1 - 10 of 220 articles
International Women’s Day: Self-care for a Nigerian Woman
March 19, 2026
Bisi wakes at 4 AM to prepare breakfast for her husband and three children. She gets everyone ready, drops the kids at school, rushes to her office job where she works until 5 PM, picks up the children, supervises homework, cooks dinner, cleans the kitchen, helps her mother-in-law with her medication, responds to family WhatsApp messages asking for money, prays, and collapses into bed at midnight. On weekends, she does market runs, cooks for the week ahead and stores in the deep freezer, does laundry, attends church, visits family, and handles everyone's needs.
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Running a Business and Your Mental Health
March 12, 2026
Ayomide is a fashion designer in Osogbo who has been experiencing erratic NEPA supply. The increase in fuel prices has reduced his profits as he must use the generator to meet customers’ demands. The harsh economy has resulted in fewer people sewing clothes. He has not yet paid the rent of his shop and still owed money for clothing materials he bought on credit. He was recently arrested by the police after he couldn’t deliver a customer’s clothes on time for an event because there was no light and he didn’t have money to fuel the generator. He is extremely frustrated with the situation of business, despite working very hard and being skillful as a tailor. He now has panic attacks every time his phone rings for fear it might be a creditor.
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Not a Trend: Suicide and Self-harm as Critical Health Issues
March 5, 2026
Recently, on social media, there is a trend of bleach products being used for personal harm purposes. People are making fake designs of the product in different flavours for consumption. Many people are even advertising the use of the product for suicide purposes. This trend, rooted in stigma, makes mockery of mental health distress and a dire situation. It is extremely sad that it is happening in the week for Self-Injury/Harm Awareness. Instead of spreading awareness and educating people against self-harm, this trend is unfortunately encouraging through ridiculous skits and antics on social media. The use of chemical substances for self-harm is not new but this trend of using suicide as a prank is new and dangerous.
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Mental Health in a Fragmented World: Global Challenges and Individual Realities
February 26, 2026
Ayomide is a 45-year-old man living in Nigeria who was recently diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The symptoms began when he was kidnapped for two days while travelling in a public transport vehicle. The time he spent in captivity was some of the most devastating hours of his life. He has become hypervigilant and is now scared of public transportation. The anxiety and PTSD has significantly negatively impacted his quality of life and he struggles to interact with strangers.
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The Future of Mental Health in Nigeria: Innovations, Community, Inclusion, and Collaboration
February 19, 2026
According to the World Health Organization, more than a billion people globally live with a mental health condition. Mental disorders make up 10% of the global burden of disease. Mental illness, suicide, and drug abuse continue to increase globally, with a higher level of increase in youthful countries like Nigeria. In Nigeria, over 50 million Nigerians are at risk of developing a mental health condition. Despite this increasing burden of mental illness in Nigeria, only 3% of the total health budget is allocated to mental health, and this amount is often not disbursed. Many people living with mental illness continue to hide, are chained, or face stigmatization due to ignorance and lack of access to mental healthcare.
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Safe Internet Use and Emotional Wellbeing
February 12, 2026
Akinade has been scrolling on his phone for the past few hours. During this time, he burnt his food and forgot to take in his laundry before the rain started. When his roommate asked him how his day had been, he couldn’t reply because he had spent most of the day watching aimless videos on the internet. He reflects about his recent struggles with internet use and his inability to control his use and knows he is in trouble. But he shakes it off and tells himself it is not such a big deal.
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How to Support a Loved One with Cancer
February 5, 2026
Adebunmi’s mother has just been diagnosed with breast cancer. Adebunmi currently lives in the United Kingdom and even though she initially travelled home to be with Mama, she couldn’t stay beyond a week, due to work and family commitments with the children. So, she has been restricted to communicating via video calls. Adebunmi is frequently plagued by feelings of guilt, inadequacy and helplessness. She wished she could do more
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Sleep and your Health
January 29, 2026
Ifeanyichukwu is living in Ibadan, and there has been no power supply for four days. It is 3 am, and he has been tossing and turning for hours. His rechargeable fan is dead, and there is no fuel for his generator. He has to go to work by 7 am, but he is exhausted and hasn’t slept a wink.
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Navigating Quarter-Life Crisis
January 22, 2026
Emeka is a 29-year-old banker in Lagos. He is planning to get married sometime this year but has been having disagreements with his partner. He has been experiencing feelings of monotony and aimlessness over the past few months. He feels stuck and without a sense of purpose. He contemplated resigning multiple times, but he is not sure what job to pivot to. He is not sure what he really wants anymore.
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Protecting Your Mental Health as an Unemployed Nigerian Youth
January 15, 2026
Adesewa completed her NYSC nine months ago. Since then, she has applied to thousands of jobs and has gotten no interview invites. Due to the lack of financial resources, she moved to her parents’ house to live. In the past five months, since she has been home, she has become the caregiver for her young siblings. She has lost her sense of independence and now thinks gloomily of the future. Her parents ask her about marriage, and she wonders if she is in a position to marry anyone as an unemployed woman.
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