Chairman, Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Mr Chiedu Ebie has called on Nigerians to raise awareness about degrading environmental practices and encouraged people globally to take positive environmental actions to help create a better future.
Speaking on World Environment Day celebrated every June 5 by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), he said there was the need for youths to be sensitised on healthy living.
Ebie said mental health was a global challenge, noting that both external and internal factors were responsible for mental health challenges in the society.
In his remarks at a Mental Health Summit with the theme, “Breaking the Silence: Uniting for Mental Wellness” in Asaba, Delta State, he advised that people should regularly visit their doctors to check their health status.
“Today, many people are not resting but overworking themselves for reasons they could not advance. So, the idea of this seminar and enlightenment is for us to take life easy, pay ourselves and take enough rest and to help others survive stress and stressors,” he said.
The convener of the summit and national chairman, the Niger Delta Youth Council (NDYC) worldwide, Mr Jator Abido, said that there was need for the people, particularly the youths, to take care of their health given the present economic, social, environmental, biological and psychological issues.
According to him, addressing these challenges with comprehensive, multi-faceted solutions, “we can better support the mental health of young people and foster a healthier, more resilient future generation.”
On his part, Mr Beke Apere, Board of Trustee (BOT), NDYC worldwide, cautioned that people should voice out their challenges and not bottle them up to keep off stress, depression and other stressors that cause mental health problems.