Disu Seeks Mental Health Support for Police Officers, Families

-

... POWA President urges integration of counselling into police welfare programmes


The National President of the Police Officers’ Wives Association (POWA), Chief Mrs. Olufunmilola Mutiat Disu, has called for the integration of mental healthcare into police welfare programmes, warning that the psychological demands of policing often affect officers and their families.

She made the call while delivering a goodwill message at the Mental Health Conference Nigeria 2026, organised by Safehaven Wellness Centre, with the theme, “From Awareness to Action: Transforming Mental Health Care in Nigeria.”

Disu noted that police officers routinely encounter violence, loss, uncertainty and life-threatening situations in the course of their duties, experiences that could leave lasting psychological effects long after they return home.

She said the impact often extends to their families, as spouses and children may struggle to understand or cope with emotional changes arising from the pressures of police service.

“Sometimes, an officer returns home physically present but emotionally absent. The day's trauma follows them home, leaving families struggling to understand what has changed and how to help,” she said.


The POWA president stressed that protecting police personnel should go beyond physical safety to include deliberate measures to safeguard their mental health.

According to her, healthier officers and families contribute to a more effective police institution, making mental healthcare an essential component of police welfare.

She also maintained that family welfare should not be limited to financial and material assistance but should include access to professional counselling, emotional support and appropriate mental health services.

Disu called for accessible counselling services, supportive workplace policies and institutional structures that would encourage officers and their families to seek professional help without fear of discrimination or stigma.

She urged society to address the stigma surrounding mental health, noting that people across different age groups and social backgrounds face psychological and emotional pressures.

The POWA president said no one should have to reach a breaking point before receiving the support they need.

“You do not have to break before you deserve help, and you do not have to suffer in silence to prove your strength. Seeking help is not surrender; it is courage,” she stated.

Reaffirming POWA's commitment to the welfare of police families, Disu urged institutions, communities and other stakeholders to translate mental health awareness into practical interventions that make care accessible and provide safe environments for people to seek help.

She said prioritising mental health was vital not only to individual and family wellbeing but also to building stronger communities and a healthier nation.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

CAPPA Urges Policymakers to Regulate Festive Food Marketing in Public Interest

-
Image
The Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) has called on Nigerian policymakers to urgently regulate the marketing of unhealthy foods and beverages, warning that weak oversight is allowing corporate interests to undermine public health, particularly during festive periods. Speaking at a press briefing in Lagos while presenting a new report titled Unhealthy Food Hijack of Festive Periods in Nigeria, CAPPA’s Executive Director, Akinbode Oluwafemi, said incremental policy responses were no longer sufficient given Nigeria’s rising burden of non-communicable diseases. Oluwafemi noted that food and beverage companies increasingly exploit festive periods such as Christmas and New Year to aggressively promote sugary drinks and ultra-processed foods, embedding them in cultural and religious celebrations through advertising, sponsorships, and branded donations. He warned that reliance on industry self-regulation has failed, describing it as largely cosmetic and ineffecti...
Read more

World Obesity Day: CAPPA Urges Tougher Curbs on Junk Food Marketing

-
Image
The Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa has called for stricter government regulation of junk food marketing, warning that aggressive promotion of unhealthy foods is fuelling rising obesity and other noncommunicable diseases in Nigeria. In a statement issued to mark World Obesity Day 2026, CAPPA said decisive policy action is urgently required to protect public health, particularly among children and young people. The organisation noted that obesity has become one of the world’s most pressing health challenges, citing projections that nearly half of the global population — about four billion people — could be living with overweight or obesity by 2035. This year’s theme, “8 billion reasons to act on obesity,” highlights the global scale of the crisis and the need for coordinated action to address it. CAPPA warned that Nigeria is increasingly vulnerable due to changing dietary habits, rapid urbanisation and the growing presence of ultra-processed foods in the nationa...
Read more

CAPPA Backs FG’s Health Tax Policy, Seeks Higher Levy on Sugary Drinks

-
Image
  The Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) has welcomed the Federal Government’s plan to channel excise-tax revenues from alcohol, tobacco, and sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) into health financing, but urged authorities to raise the levy on sugary drinks to make it more effective. At a national health-financing dialogue in Abuja, Chairman of the Presidential Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms Committee, Mr. Taiwo Oyedele, disclosed that a draft policy is being finalised to earmark revenues from “sin taxes” for healthcare.  The proposal will soon be submitted to the Minister of Health and Social Welfare. Responding in a statement issued by its Media and Communication Officer, Robert Egbe on Monday, CAPPA said the move marks a decisive step towards addressing Nigeria’s public health crisis, with non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes, cancer, and heart disease now accounting for nearly 30 per cent of deaths nationwide. Executive Director of CA...
Read more