From Near-Suicide to National Reform: Hauwa Ojeifo is Rewriting Nigeria’s Mental Health Legacy 

When Hauwa Ojeifo stood before the Nigerian National Assembly in February 2020 to challenge the then Mental Health Bill, it marked a moment that would forever change the mental health landscape in Nigeria. 

She became the first person living with a mental health condition to publicly testify explicitly in that capacity before the National Assembly on the urgent need for inclusive, human-rights-based legislation protecting people with mental health conditions and psychosocial disabilities. 

When Ojeifo testified, she raised her voice and the voices of about 40 million Nigerians. Ojeifo did more than share her story; she shifted a national conversation forever. 

For decades, mental health in Nigeria existed in the shadows: underfunded, stigmatised, and largely absent from legislative priority. Her testimony brought lived experience directly into the chambers of power, forcing policymakers to confront the human cost of neglect and a system built on the abuse and dehumanisation of people with psychosocial disabilities. 

Ojeifo, founder of She Writes Woman (SWW), a movement giving mental health a voice in Nigeria, has long been open about her journey. Diagnosed with bipolar disorder and PTSD after enduring trauma and a severe mental health crisis, she has also spoken candidly about surviving a near-suicide attempt, a turning point that transformed her personal pain into public advocacy. 

Rather than retreat into silence, as is most often the only choice for people with mental health conditions in Nigeria, Ojeifo converted her experiences into action using her organisation, SWW, as a safe space for conversations, hope, support and collective healing. The organisation will mark its tenth year this April, a milestone that reflects a decade of sustained advocacy, systems change and service delivery.

Her testimony before the National Assembly was strategic. It centered a critical issue: the legal recognition and protection of persons with mental health conditions and psychosocial disabilities under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), which Nigeria is a signatory to (2007), ratified (2010) and has domesticated (2019). 

For decades, people with mental health conditions have been shackled, chained, forcefully detained and abused in public, private, religious and traditional facilities due to archaic beliefs and colonial medical systems. In her testimony, Ojeifo challenged these widespread practices as an abuse of basic human dignity and called for equality before the law. 

Despite being a state party to the UN CRPD, gaps have persisted between Nigeria’s international commitments and local realities, leaving millions without adequate legal safeguards.

In her testimony, Ojeifo laid bare the systemic barriers millions of Nigerians face when seeking care. She highlighted lived experiences of forced detention, stripped of decision-making rights, agency and dignity in care. 

Rather than abstract statistics, lawmakers heard a living account of stigma, discrimination, and systemic failure. They heard about navigating a society where mental health conditions are still frequently misunderstood as weakness, spiritual affliction, or moral failing.

Her testimony underscored urgent gaps, including: 

● People with mental health conditions being legally recognised and protected as persons with disabilities under Nigerian law; 

● Outdated laws that prioritise detention over dignity and care needing reform; ● People with lived experience deserving a seat at the policymaking table in the true spirit of ‘nothing about us without us’, the mantra of the UN CRPD; 

● Mental healthcare is a human right, and Nigeria ensure rights-based, person-centred and community models of care;

● Deep-rooted stigma affecting employment, education, and family life

By placing lived experience at the centre of legislative discourse, Ojeifo reframed mental health as a psychosocial human rights imperative that forces the system to look at the social determinants of distress. 

Under Ojeifo’s leadership as the Executive Director, SWW has grown into one of Nigeria’s most visible mental health movements, blending rights-based advocacy with direct support services. 

Here’s how the organisation is making tangible impact: 

24/7 Toll-Free Helpline (0800 800 2000) 

The organisation operates a 24-hour toll-free mental health helpline that requires no call credit. Callers from anywhere in Nigeria can connect with trained counselors who provide psychological and mental health first aid, empathetic listening, crisis intervention, and referrals to mental health professionals. For many, it serves as a critical first point of contact during moments of distress. 

Beyond the helpline, SWW provides access to teletherapy sessions and links individuals to in-house therapists for ongoing care. This reduces barriers related to cost, geography, and stigma, particularly in areas where mental health professionals are scarce.

Through its “Safe Place” initiative, the organisation convenes confidential, judgment-free support groups both online and in person where women and girls can share experiences, build solidarity, and access emotional wellbeing resources. 

Through storytelling platforms and online communities, SWW fosters peer engagement, psychoeducation, and mutual support, helping to combat isolation in a society where silence often deepens suffering.

SWW not only provides services, but it also actively engages dutybearers. 

Ojeifo’s testimony contributed to critical discussions around Nigeria’s Mental Health Bill, ensuring that the rights of persons with mental health conditions were not sidelined. Lawmakers stepped down sections of the bill for revisions to better align with human and disability rights standards, a powerful example of how lived experience can shift legislation and shape public policy.

Her advocacy has also been recognised internationally. Beyond its national reach, Hauwa Ojeifo’s advocacy has echoed at the United Nations and Global Mental Health Summit, earning her significant international honours. 

She was awarded the Queen's Young Leaders Award by Her Majesty the late Queen of England, which celebrates exceptional young leaders across the Commonwealth who are making a lasting impact in their communities. 

She is also a recipient of the Gates Foundation Global Goals Changemaker Award, was named as one of TIME magazine’s Next Generation Leaders and one of Melinda French-Gates Global Leaders to receive a $20 million fund to advance the health and well-being of women and girls across the world. 

Yet beyond accolades, her most significant impact lies in the lives transformed through peer support networks, helplines, safe spaces, legislative shifts and sustained policy advocacy. 

Ojeifo’s testimony was a call to action. 

By centering the voices of those most affected, she forced legislative conversation to move beyond abstract numbers into lived reality. In a nation with limited mental health resources and deeply entrenched stigma, her leadership and the services provided by SWW are creating tangible pathways to support, dignity, and rights. 

And in standing before the National Assembly, Hauwa Ojeifo ensured that millions who had long been unheard were finally represented where it mattered most.

If you are struggling with your mental health or experiencing suicidal thoughts, call the SWW 24/7 Mental Health Helpline on 0800 800 2000 or contact SWW on Instagram @SheWritesWoman. For more information, visit our Website or send us an email at hello@shewriteswoman.org 

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