First Lady to Inaugurate Trauma and Mental Health Conference

Nigeria’s First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, is set to officially open the Abigail Foundation Trauma and Mental Health Conference in Abuja, Nigeria. The event is scheduled to take place on 11th April at the National Centre for Women Development.

The conference is a hybrid Trauma & Mental Health event, featuring renowned trauma coaches and therapists from Oxford University, UK. It aims to provide insights into trauma recovery and mental wellness.

According to Moji Obasa, founder of Abigail’s Foundation, the conference is open to mental health professionals, survivors, and advocates seeking practical strategies for healing. Obasa has been running Jewins Women 2 Women, a domestic violence charity, since June 2012, supporting women who have experienced trauma due to abuse.

Moji Obasa offers online coaching and counselling as a certified coach from Oxford and Warwick Universities, UK. She is a Nigerian Journalist, entrepreneur, and social worker based in the UK.

Abigail’s Foundation is a newly established Trauma and Mental Health organisation in Nigeria and a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) working in partnership with Jewins Women 2 Women, Oxford, UK.

During the event, a book on domestic violence against women will be launched. Written by Moji Obasa, the book highlights the personal experiences of women in the UK and addresses the global issue of violence against women.

The work of Abigail’s Foundation can be accessed via its website: www.abigailsfoundationforvictimsofdomesticviolence.org.

Nigeria’s National Mental Health Act 2021 was signed into law on 5th January 2023, following two decades of advocacy to repeal outdated colonial mental health legislation. With this achievement, Nigeria joins the small number of African countries that have revised or enacted new mental health laws in line with the WHO’s call for legal reforms to end human rights violations against people with mental health conditions.

The establishment of a trauma and mental health centre in Abuja by Abigail’s Foundation comes at a crucial time when the recognition and promotion of the rights of individuals with mental health conditions are at an all-time high.