KADUNA, NIGERIA: Prince Harry and his wife Meghan were greeted with wild cheers, song and dance as they visited a school to talk about mental health in Nigeriaโs capital Abuja on Friday.
The couple are on their first trip to Africaโs most populous nation, prompted by links forged through the Invictus Games, an international sporting event he started a decade ago for military personnel wounded in action. Harry said Nigeria had expressed interest to host the 2029 games.
The couple were invited to Nigeria by the chief of defence staff Christopher Musa who told them the armed forces faced armed criminal gangs and jihadists and that improvised explosive devices presented โthe greatest challengeโ.
The 39-year-old Duke of Sussex then travelled to a military hospital in Kaduna where he met wounded soldiers.
In Abuja, Harry and Meghan visited Lightway Academy, run by a non-profit organisation supported by their Archewell Foundation. They were received with wild cheers and serenaded by dancers and singers.
They spoke about mental health, which carries deep-rooted stigma in conservative Nigeria. โToo many people donโt want to talk about it โcause itโs invisible. Itโs something in our mind that we canโt see. Itโs not like a broken leg, itโs not like a broken wrist,โ said Harry.
โEvery single person in this room, the youngest, the oldest, every single person has mental health. So therefore, you have to look after yourself to be able to look after other people,โ Harry said, adding that โthere is no shameโ to acknowledge it.
Meghan said they were honoured to make their first visit to Nigeria and urged the students not to suffer in silence.
โJust make sure that you are taking care of yourselves and that begins with your mental health by really talking about whateverโs coming up for you,โ she said.
The couple also visited a kindergarten class, and when introduced to a five-year-old student, the oldest in the class, Meghan said: โOur son Archieโs five. He turned five last week.โ
(REUTERS)