Wakaso Provides Women Practical Tools Against Mental Health Struggles in Niger State

By YM Bina

The Special Adviser on Print Media to the Niger State Governor and founder of the Kings Initiative Dr Aisha Wakaso have gathered women for a candid session aimed at turning personal pain into shared solutions for the mental health challenges many face across Niger state.

Marking the occasion of the 2026 World Mental Health Awareness Day, the Special Adviser and mental health advocate explained that her decision to organise the programme stemmed directly from her own mental health experiences and the steady stream of messages she receives daily from women describing similar economic, psychological and physical pressures.

Aisha Wakaso explained that rather than leaving those conversations private, she had decided to hold the fitness gathering to create a space to discuss coping mechanisms openly while commemorating the global mental health awareness day.

While addressing the gathering, Wakaso confronted the isolation many feel. “Most times when I look at all of you, I notice that you are afraid. You don’t want to be judged and you dont want to fail but failure is part of growth”, she said.

She shared that she had stood at the edge of suicide three times and each time deliberately chose life, not a diminished version of it, but one defined by courage.

“Nobody, no situation is worthy of taking your life,” she insisted, asking participants to consider the future roles they would never fulfil if they gave up: mother, advocate, survivor.

Her discussion focused on actionable steps rather than abstract encouragement while she urged women to set clear boundaries around their emotions and decisions, to stop allowing external voices to define their worth, and to treat exercise and spiritual practice as daily anchors.

Morning walks that end in prayer, she said, have repeatedly restored her spirit, “Be a lion,” she told the gathering. “Choose peace. Choose happiness.”

Aisha Wakaso framed the challenges women face – failed relationships and marriages, family tensions, fear of failure – as common rather than shameful.

She however, encouraged participants to focus on self-management instead of waiting for perfect circumstances saying, “I expect that women are able to put their lives together and then manage their lives and cope through the stress that we face as women,” she said.

Attendees responded by requesting more frequent sessions with Wakaso noting that weekly meetings may prove difficult given work schedules but said she is exploring monthly or quarterly gatherings to keep the support continuous.

Since organising mental health awareness walks in Minna as early as 2021, Wakaso has consistently called for trauma centres, private wards that respect patients’ need for dignity, and an end to the stigma that keeps many from seeking help.

The programme had two exercise sessions taken by three acrobatic instructors, a mental health talk session, dancing sessions and networking. It was held at the Bahago Sports Complex in Minna and had 200 women from all walks of life in attendance.