By Lilian U. Okoro
As Nigeria celebrates Father’s Day 2026, many fathers are battling a silent, severe mental health crisis driven by crushing economic hardships and deep societal pressures.
They also decried the systemic gender bias and lack of support structures for men in Nigeria and Africa, urging immediate nationwide commitment to promoting mental health advocacy and institutional recognition for men.
Fathers also spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Sunday, highlighting their expectations for stronger family bonds and a more inclusive society.
NAN reports that 2026 Father’s Day is being celebrated on Sunday, June 21; it is an annual observance observed on the third Sunday of June.
Underscoring the psychological weight modern men carried, a Men’s Mental Health advocate, Ms Halima Layeni, emphasised that a severe mental health crisis, driven by relentless societal pressures and economic challenges, was quietly ravaging Nigerian fathers.
Layeni, the Founder and Executive Director of the Life Abuse Foundation (LAAF), presented a grim overview of key issues confronting men across the country, including underemployment, financial inadequacy, and alarming rates of unreported domestic violence against men.
To cushion the effects of this crisis, Layeni advocated for the urgent establishment of a Federal Ministry of Men Affairs to ensure that men receive the structural protection and psychological support necessary for their well-being.
“The establishment of the Ministry of Men Affairs is of immense importance. The ministry will provide focused attention on men’s unique issues, improve health outcomes through targeted campaigns, and create economic opportunities that enhance stability and reduce poverty among men,” she said.
Corroborating the advocate’s position, a civil servant, Mr Ferdinand Okoji, noted that the pressure to fulfil traditional roles as primary providers without receiving corresponding domestic appreciation induced severe psychological stress in men.
“Fathers toil day and night to ensure they put food on the table, take care of the family, provide, and make sure that everybody is happy. However, most women take it for granted. This comes with a lot of stress on men trying to meet up with daily obligations,” Okoji stated.
He added that instead of finding their homes peaceful sanctuaries for unwinding from economic anxieties, many men faced hostile, cold environments.
Also contributing, a 60-year-old father, Papa Ejima, decried how macroeconomic hardships like inflation, unemployment, terrorism, and kidnapping directly impacted paternal mental well-being, especially when children project societal failures onto their fathers.
Ejima lamented that the current hardship had triggered a massive wave of youth migration (Japa), leaving ageing parents, especially fathers, isolated and anxious about their future care.
