They squinted as they stepped out into the unrelenting Lagos sun. The sound of car hooters and children playing was loud and clear. They quickly stepped into the shade to get away from the intense gaze of the sun.
You could see the beads of sweat trickling down their face onto their lips and filling their mouths with a salty taste.
The three young men looked up, and there it was – the Balogun market. A feverish, culturally, and materially rich market very different from any other place in the world. A smile appeared on their faces as if they had the confidence of an African mother whose charm could trick even the slickest of vendors.
As they were walking by, one of them saw something that caught his eye. A vendor was selling large watermelons on the other side of the market. He quickly looked at his friends and said, “I wan chop”, and ran across the crowd towards the vendor.
He haggled and sweet-talked his way into getting three watermelons for the price of two. The other two young men caught up with him and were pleased to hear that they had gotten such a good deal, so they decided to go back home. But then, suddenly, the young man who had sweet-talked the vendor suddenly collapsed.
His friends rushed to his aid and screamed for help. Unfortunately, the market was busy, and no one could hear them. And by the time someone came to help, it was too late.
Their friend suffered a fatal heart attack in the middle of the street. The two young men stood there in disbelief. When the ambulance finally came, they helped put their friend into the back and got a lift home.
Their lives were never the same after that day. They were haunted by seeing the life get drained from their friend’s eyes. The trauma was too much for them to bear, and their mental health deteriorated.
Every time they bumped into each other, they’d both ask, “How na?” and the answer was always “I dey kampe”. This went on until after their friend’s funeral. But then they began to drift apart.
These two young men, who had known each other since they were children, suddenly didn’t know how to talk to one another. They were both struggling with what had happened, but they never spoke about it.
And then, one day, one of them committed suicide. He felt he couldn’t go on and believed ending it was the right thing to do.
The remaining friend fell into an even deeper state of depression. He drowned himself in alcohol and drugs until he was a shadow of who he once was.
This is the tragic story of men’s health in Nigeria.
Heart disease and mental health are the two leading killers of Nigerian men. The stigma surrounding men’s health affects how men cope with their health concerns.
A simple health screening and a conversation with a qualified specialist could have changed the entire course of events, and all three young men would still be alive.
There’s an old Nigerian proverb that says, “Not to know is bad; not to wish to know is worse.”
Men's Health Month
June is Men’s Health Month. It is a time to raise awareness about preventable health problems and encourage early detection and treatment of disease among men and boys. This is an opportunity to remove the stigma around men’s health in our nation and promote health and wellness.
There is a desperate need for a conversation around mental health and its relation to Nigerian men.
Society’s expectations and traditional gender roles are why many men in Nigeria and the rest of the world are less likely to seek help for their mental health problems. This also leads to more men relying on alcohol and drugs to cope with their mental issues rather than talking to someone.
This men’s health month, remember to talk to the men in your life. Encourage them to see a doctor and be more open about their health challenges. Nigeria is filled with some of the brightest young men in the world. Let’s dedicate this month to giving them the support they need to reach their full potential.
