Ope Adetayo, written by Camillus Eboh
[KADUNA, NIGERIA]Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan were greeted with enthusiastic cheers, singing and dancing when they visited a school to speak about mental health in Nigeria’s capital Abuja on Friday, before the Duke of Sussex met with injured soldiers in northern Kaduna. did.
The couple is making their first trip to Africa’s most populous country, which he built through the Invictus Games, an international sporting event he started a decade ago for soldiers injured in combat. It’s a strong connection. Harry said Nigeria has expressed interest in hosting the 2029 Olympics.
The couple were invited to Nigeria by Chief of Defense Staff Christopher Musa, who said the armed forces were facing armed criminal organizations and jihadists, with improvised explosive devices posing their “biggest challenge”.
The 39-year-old Duke of Sussex then headed to a military hospital in Kaduna where he met with injured soldiers.
In Abuja, Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan visited Rightway Academy, run by a non-profit organization supported by the Archewell Foundation. They were greeted with enthusiastic cheers and serenaded by dancers and singers.
They talked about mental health, which has deep-rooted stigma in conservative Nigeria.
“So many people don’t want to talk about it because it’s invisible. It’s in our minds, invisible. It’s not like a broken leg, it’s not like a broken wrist. It’s different,” Harry said.
Prince Harry said: “Everyone in this room, the youngest, the oldest, everyone has a mental health problem, so in order to look after others we have to look after ourselves. “No,” he said, adding, “It’s nothing to be ashamed of.” ” to admit that.
Meghan said she was honored to be visiting Nigeria for the first time and urged students not to suffer in silence.
“Make sure you’re taking care of yourself, and that starts with your mental health by having serious conversations about what’s going to happen,” she said.
The couple also visited a kindergarten class, and when introduced to the oldest student in the class, a five-year-old, Meghan said: “Our son Archie is five years old. He turned five last week.”
(Reporting by Ope Adetayo in Kaduna, Camillus Eboh in Abuja and Abraham Akiruga; Writing by Macdonald Zirtuwe; Editing by Tomasz Janowski and Nick McPhee)
