Nigeria Highlights Mental Health and Neurodiversity Inclusion Through Arts Advocacy

Progressive education discourse in 2025 is increasingly focusing on student well-being, marking a shift away from traditional attendance policies that often overemphasize perfect attendance records. Abi Clarke, founder of the parent coaching service SparkGuideGrow, advocates for primary school students to be granted designated mental health days. Clarke contends that compelling attendance when children are mentally or physically unwell can result in developmental harm and severe burnout, even in five-year-olds. She suggests parents permit one mental health day per semester, asserting that a stressed brain cannot effectively absorb lessons.

This perspective contrasts sharply with punitive attendance measures, which disproportionately affect neurodivergent children who experience exhaustion from "masking" their difficulties—a concept gaining traction in 2025 school avoidance discussions. Clarke, drawing on her background as a primary school teacher and Montessori coach, observes the current education system's failure to support all students equally, noting that children with dyslexia or ADHD are susceptible to fatigue from concealing their challenges throughout the day.

In a parallel development, advanced inclusion efforts in Nigeria are leveraging the power of the arts to advance neurodiversity awareness. On December 10, 2025, the Federal Government recognized the Kanyeyachukwu Autism Society for its commitment to employing art as an advocacy tool for disability rights and social welfare. The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Kunle Salako, affirmed the ministry's commitment to advancing inclusive health and social systems through multisectoral collaboration, supporting initiatives that utilize creative arts as a pathway to empowerment and community integration.

The event, centered around the exhibition 'Myth - An Exhibition for Inclusion' co-hosted by the National Assembly Library in Abuja, featured the work of Kanyeyachukwu Tagbo Okeke, a 16-year-old autistic artist. Okeke previously set a Guinness World Record in November 2024 for the largest painting on canvas, an achievement the Director-General of the National Art Gallery described as a "global and historic event." Art was explicitly highlighted as a potent non-verbal communication method, particularly for autistic individuals, enabling them to communicate, heal, and be understood without verbal barriers. Okeke's piece, titled Impossibility is a Myth, spanned 12,303.87 square meters, symbolizing boundless creativity on a global scale.

Advocates used the forum to press for legislation guaranteeing access to therapy, education, and employment opportunities for autistic Nigerian citizens. Kanyeyachukwu’s father, Tagbo-Okeke, stated the exhibition is part of the family’s ongoing effort to use his son’s talent as a foundation for autism advocacy, underscoring the urgent need for laws ensuring access to affordable healthcare and interventions. This unique approach emphasizes the importance of fostering resilience through gentler methods and ensuring inclusion becomes a supported "lived experience" backed by policy reform. The Federal Government's commitment, also recognized at a mental health and disability inclusion event in November 2025, signals a move toward acknowledging art as a crucial catalyst for social change and the recognition of neurodiverse talent in national development.