Public Emotional Breakdowns Signal Deeper Mental Health Crisis In Nigeria — Jideonwo

Media entrepreneur Chude Jideonwo believes that public emotional breakdowns involving well-known figures are a reflection of a deeper and more widespread mental health crisis in Nigeria.

He warned that how such incidents are treated sends a powerful message to millions suffering in silence.

Speaking on Channels Television, Sunrise Daily programme on Wednesday, Jideonwo said Nigeria’s many structural and political challenges have created a tendency to downplay personal trauma, as though emotional pain is insignificant compared to “bigger national issues.”

“There’s a tendency because our country has so many big issues, there’s a sense in which we think that personal trauma is a small thing, like we have bigger issues to deal with. Let’s not take this seriously,” he said.

According to him, recent public incidents involving creatives and online personalities have exposed the scale of emotional and mental pressure many Nigerians are living with daily.

“I think that incidents like what is ongoing with LazyWrita, what went on with Peller, …. Tontoh Dikeh, and all the news going around kind of show us that we have a country where people are dealing with intense mental pressure,” Jideonwo said.

He stressed that the crisis cuts across status and visibility, affecting both public figures and private citizens who are unable to access adequate support.

“We have a country where people are dealing with intense emotional pressure. We have a country where people can’t find the help they need. We have a country where people, public or private, are suffering in their hearts and minds,” he added.

Jideonwo explained that when emotional struggles spill into the public space, they should be treated as a warning rather than dismissed or sensationalised.

“When we see it bleed into the public space, it should remind us of how serious the mental health crisis is,” he said. “If a known person bleeds in public emotionally, it tells you that there are thousands bleeding in private.”

He warned that society’s response to high-profile cases sends a signal to those struggling quietly about whether their pain will be acknowledged or ignored.

“How we handle the public incidents signals to the private people that their own mental health struggles should be taken seriously,” he said.

His comments followed the death of Nigerian poet, writer, and creative influencer Anda Damisa, widely known as LazyWrita.

Damisa, who is said to have committed suicide, built a strong following through reflective poetry and storytelling on social media.

On December 29, 2025, he shared a farewell message on Instagram expressing exhaustion with life. His passing has reignited conversations around mental health, emotional support, and the pressures facing creatives in Nigeria’s digital space.