• Praises royal couple for working with military on mental health
Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu yesterday received the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, at the State House in Marina.
The British royal couple arrived about 1pm in the company of Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa and his wife, Lilian. They were received by Governor Sanwo-Olu; his wife Dr. Ibijoke, and some members of the Executive Council.
The Duke and Duchess are on a three-day visit to promote the Invictus Games in Nigeria. Prince Harry founded the games in 2014 as a way to raise funds and support serving members of the military and veterans to overcome their physical and mental illness or injuries, which would help them develop a sense of belonging, as well as increase their self-esteem.
Sanwo-Olu, who addressed reporters after a meeting with the royal couple, praised them for their work with the military, especially on mental health.
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He said: “We are honoured to receive Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at the Lagos House, Marina. We are excited about the ideas and what they are planning to do, especially with the office of the Chief of Defence Staff.
“It has been a very interesting and informative trip for them. They have seen a lot, and part of the things we are hoping they will take away is the diversity and largeness of our country, how we continue to live together in peace and harmony, and what role Lagos plays in the whole conversation.
“They have been to Kano, Abuja, and now Lagos. I am sure they have their own experience of what Nigeria looks like. We have extended an additional invitation to them that they can always come back when they want to.
“We are indeed happy for what they are doing, especially for our military men on the conversation around mental health issues and how they can galvanise their various NGOs to ensure that people who require their support, both in the military and private, can get it.
“Mental health issues are all around us. Denial and stigmatisation are some of the things we talked about. And, more importantly, at what point in Nigeria we have the Invictus Games that Prince Harry is known for so that the true Nigerian competitiveness can also be reflected in those games.”
