Since when have you been in Canada? I have been in Canada since January 1992. What was the primary aim of coming then?
I came to Canada to join my husband. Immediately after our marriage, my husband travelled to Canada so I decided to come and join him because I knew that would be an opportunity for personal and professional growth for me and for my family.
Professionally, in terms of education in Canada, how were you able to integrate into the society?
Growing up in a family that valued education, I knew that coming to Canada, I needed to continue my education and I chose to do that in the health field - so I decided to go to nursing school and I did a three years of nursing education. After being a registered as a nurse, and working full time, I decided to push my education further by having degree in nursing.
After completing that, I proceeded to have my masters in nursing. Currently, I’m into my doctorate in health policy and health education, I am currently working on my dissertation. So education has been something I valued based on my upbringing.
So in the cause of getting yourself trained in schools, were there challenges in terms of racism?
When I came to Canada over twenty years ago few things were new to me. I had to adjust to, specifically, the whether. I came to Canada in January – a winter season. It was very challenging for me to properly dress up and cope with it. I wouldn’t say it was that a freezing time, but coming from a hot weather into an extremely cold whether, it was only natural that one would definitely feel the difference.
In your profile you were sometimes honoured with an award, what motivated that?
The former mayor of Toronto, Mayor Roth Ford gave me an award. I represented Toronto public health during his time. Then there was this crisis in Toronto tagged occupy Toronto. So I was the coordinator for the community crisis support team. What that meant, as a responsibility, was that any crisis in the community in Toronto, I would have to lead public health nurses, social workers and some other departments in Toronto public health to provide support, counseling and all that for the people. So during that period, Toronto public health took over the support leadership in which I was honoured by Mayor Ford for meritorious service.
How has the government of Canada been managing mental health issues?
In Canada, government is really trying taking care of citizens with mental health issues - there are lots of initiatives that are taking place. Having said that, there are still many areas needed to be worked on and I am sure there the areas are being worked on right now. For example, there are shelter in place where people that are homeless can go, there are also lots of mental health facilities, rehabilitation centres that people can go to.
It may be in form of getting support and going back home, but if there is need for people to be admitted they will be with no stress. In other cases, there are some people that choose not to go for support for many reasons; and there some people that refuse to receive support because of the stigma. We all know that mental health is something that is being stigmatised all over the world.
So there are so many other reasons why people are not getting support, finance is part of it. Despite that, Canada’s has put in place measure to augment this. There are so many preventatives measures in place. I have been involved in providing teaching, workshops, trainings and technical supports in the area of how to prevent, manage mental health.
How can you use your yeas of experience to intervene at home?
One of the things that I have done to the Nigerian community hereas one of the executive members of the Nigerian Canadian Nurses Association was the provision of support and teaching to our people. We used to have the Nigerian Canadian barbeque event in which we would set up our banners for awareness through resources made available by supporting organisations. So one of the things that I do, as earlier stated, is mental health promotion, and that can be replicated in Nigeria.And since it has been working here, it should also in Nigeria. So I am eager to use my professional knowledge and experience to enhance life in those areas of mental health promotion through teaching and workshops.
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Do you think there is an African solution to mental health problem?
I have read a few things about peoples’ belief in traditional medicine to cure mental sickness and researches have shown that practice and belief do have impact on health outcome. Sometimes, it is not what people think that causes mental health problem. For example, depression can cause serious mental issue. Bad relationship can also result in that. So everything is not spiritual attack as our people would want us to believe.
How do you think the health sector can be improved in Nigeria?
I think the health sector challenge in Nigeria is systemic. In terms of employment issues in the sector, that could be global. This is because even in the United States, some nursesfinished nursing school and don’t get a job or don’t get a full time job. So I think that is systemic issue - depending on the money that is available in the health care system; how much is allocated for nurses and how is it when managed.
So in general terms, what has been you experience so far?
It’s been a great experience and I am honoured to be part of this system. I have made some impacts and I thrive to be the best in what I do. So I look forward to more opportunities to enhance my knowledge and wisdom. I am always interested in using my acquired knowledge to give back to the community and that is what I’m doing right now in my church.
For example, every year, we do have picnic. During the picnic one of the things that I have done is to invite a few organizations. Like for example, I have invited the heart and stroke community, I have invited somebody from diabetics association, because for diabetes, I have discovered its preponderance in the black community here in Canada. So I have invited people to come and speak about it, I have provided resources from all these big organization, not only for my church members, but also the community at large.
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