Gov’s wife advises parents to pay attention to children’s mental health
By Benjamin Omoike, Lagos
Wife of Lagos state Governor, Mrs. Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, has urged parents and guardians to pay attention to the welfare and mental health of their children and wards, saying such was necessary to evolve a decent youth population and a sanitised society.
Speaking at a symposium on substance abuse, organised by Freedom Foundation, Mrs. Sanwo-Olu said it was important for parents to give quality attention to issues around their children and sometimes go as far as intruding into their privacy to truly be abreast with them.
She said the admonition becomes imperative in view of the fact that it has been well-established that children without proper parental care and guidance most times end up being captives to drugs.
“As individual family units, we must focus on the home front, by paying due attention to the welfare and mental health of our children. The type of adults that children grow to become has a lot to do with the level of decency of their upbringing.
“We must make it our business to sometimes intrude into their business by knowing who their friends are, where they go, how they relax, what they drink and so on and so forth.
“By so doing, we will be their friend and earn their confidence. It is the way to go, to positively influence our children and reduce peer pressure on them. This will help remarkably to evolve a decent youth population for a sanitized society,” the governor’s wife stated.
Also, she said it is reassuring that the state government has been proactive in the area of tackling substance abuse through initiatives, activities and infrastructure, that enhance the social stability of youth, just as she said that the Mental Health Law of the state had been recently updated to meet with current realities.
“In the current dispensation, we will see a renewed effort of government to scale up the welfare of youth, through gainful employment, modern education infrastructure, health interventions, sports and recreational activities among others,” Mrs. Sanwo-Olu added.
