By: Adelowo Oladipo, Minna
On the occasion of the 2026 World Mental Health Awareness Day, Dr Aisha Wakaso, Special Adviser on Print Media to the Niger State Governor and founder of the Kings Initiative, gathered women for a candid session aimed at turning personal pain into shared solutions for the mental health challenges many face across the state.
The veteran journalist 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.
Rather than leave those conversations private, she disclosed that she decided to hold the fitness gathering to create a space to discuss coping mechanisms openly while commemorating the global mental health awareness day.
In a powerful address, 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 message centred on actionable steps rather than abstract encouragement.
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.”
Wakaso framed the challenges women face – failed relationships and marriages, family tensions, fear of failure – as common rather than shameful.
She 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.
Through the Kings Initiative and her public platform, she has pushed both systemic improvements and individual resilience strategies tailored to the realities of women in Niger State.
By combining personal testimony with concrete tools, boundaries, movement, spiritual grounding and mutual support, Wakaso continues to position practical solutions within reach of those who need them most.
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.
