Youth mental health: Vanguard summit probes gaps, responsibility
By Sola Ogundipe
Who should step in when a young Nigerian is battling addiction, depression, suicidal thoughts or struggling to access care? This question will take centre stage at the 4th Vanguard Mental Health Summit which opens in Lagos on Friday, October 9, 2026.
At the summit, taking place at the Civic Centre, Victoria Island, a panel of experts comprising psychiatrists, policymakers, public health experts, civil society leaders, advocates and people with lived experience will engage in a discussion titled “Who is Responsible for the Mental Health of Young People in Nigeria?”
The panel will examine how the government, families, health professionals, schools, communities, civil society and young people themselves can contribute to prevention, early intervention and access to care, while also considering where the gaps in the current response lie.
The summit is being held under the theme “Advancing Youth Mental Health in Nigeria through Access, Action and Advocacy,” with “Mental Health in a Digital Age: Navigating Social Media, Technology and Wellbeing” as the sub-theme.
Among the issues expected to dominate the conversation are youth addiction, suicide prevention, treatment gaps, early intervention and the growing influence of social media and digital technology on young people’s wellbeing.
Moderating the panel will be Dr. Ayantunde Kayode Ayankola, Senior Consultant Psychiatrist in Drug and Addiction Treatment and Rehabilitation at the Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Aro, Abeokuta.
The panel brings together Dr. Olufunmilayo Eniola Akinola, Consultant Psychiatrist at the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Yaba; Dr. Tolu Ajomale, Director, Special Projects and Mental Health, Lagos State Ministry of Health; Barrister Ayo Adebusoye, Secretary General, Nigeria Network of NGOs; and Deborah Omage, a lived experience leader and mental health policy advocate.
Their perspectives will extend the discussion beyond clinical care to policy, community support, human rights and youth participation.
Other speakers will address key aspects of the summit’s theme. Dr. Veronica Oluyemisi Nyamali, President of the Association of Psychiatrists in Nigeria and Chief Consultant Psychiatrist at the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Yaba, will deliver the keynote.
Prof. Taiwo Lateef Sheikh, Continental Representative for LifeLine International and Professor of Psychiatry and Psychopharmacology at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, will speak on “Mental Health As Our Social Capital,” while Prof. Mashudat Abiola Bello-Mojeed, a Professor of Psychiatry and Public Health and Chief Consultant Psychiatrist at the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service Centre, Yaba, will examine the impact of social media on young people.
The programme will also address substance use and the justice system, with Dr. Daniel Ikpechukwu, a substance abuse and behavioural health counsellor based in Georgia, USA, speaking on “Youth Drug Addiction and the Justice System: Advancing Treatment, Rehabilitation and Recovery in Nigeria.”
Prof. Afekhide Ernest Omoti, President of the Nigerian Medical Association, will focus on moving youth mental health from policy to practice, while Dr. Oluwafemi Oluwatayo, Consultant Psychiatrist and CEO of Retreat Healthcare, will demonstrate Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, or TMS.
Since its launch in 2021, the Vanguard Mental Health Summit has brought together professionals, policymakers, civil society organisations, young people and other stakeholders to examine major mental health challenges and possible responses.
The fourth edition is expected to build on that conversation by placing young people at the centre of discussions on prevention, treatment, accountability and reform, while examining how families, institutions and the wider society can respond more effectively.
With its central question of who should act, the summit is expected to put responsibility and practical action at the heart of the conversation about young people’s mental health in Nigeria.