By Damiete Braide
In a country where mental health remains heavily stigmatized and vastly underfunded, one woman is breaking through systemic neglect to bring hope and healing to communities long overlooked. Dr. Nelyn Akunna Okoye, a physician, public health advocate, and recovery specialist, is reshaping the future of mental health and addiction care in Nigeria—one underserved village at a time.
Through her leadership at the Miracel-Forte Foundation, Dr. Okoye has launched a groundbreaking initiative to provide mental health counseling, substance use recovery services, and essential screenings across Rivers and Benue States. What sets her work apart is not just the passion behind it, but the methodology, a powerful combination of telehealth technology and mobile clinic units designed to reach Nigeria’s most isolated and vulnerable populations.
Reaching the Unreachable
For decades, entire communities in Nigeria have had no access to behavioral health services. In many rural areas, the closest psychiatric care is several hours away, if it exists at all. Through mobile outreach programs, Dr. Okoye’s team travels directly into these regions, setting up temporary wellness centers that offer everything from depression and trauma counseling to drug addiction recovery planning and HIV screenings.
Complementing these in-person services is a rapidly growing tele-mental health platform, allowing trained professionals to provide remote consultations, follow-ups, and emergency interventions to clients who would otherwise be out of reach.
“People shouldn’t have to choose between hunger and healing,” Dr. Okoye says. “Every Nigerian deserves access to compassionate, competent mental health care, no matter where they live.”
Breaking Barriers, One Conversation at a Time
A key aspect of the foundation’s mission is to combat stigma through education and community engagement. At each outreach event, Dr. Okoye and her team host open forums where residents can learn about mental health in their own language, share their experiences, and ask questions in a safe, non-judgmental space.
These forums have proven effective in challenging long-held myths and cultural taboos. “When a local chief stands up and says, ‘I was depressed once, and I got help,’ that shifts the conversation,” Dr. Okoye explains. “That gives permission for others to seek support.”
Faith, Healing, and Recovery
Dr. Okoye’s approach also blends faith-based values with medical science. Having served for years as a Mental Health Specialist at the Aruka RCCG Drug Rehabilitation Centre, she integrates spiritual resilience and holistic care into her outreach model. Her team often partners with churches and mosques to provide counseling in trusted spaces, ensuring that recovery is as accessible spiritually as it is clinically.
“People don’t heal in isolation. They heal in relationship, with family, with community, and yes, with faith,” she says.
Impact by the Numbers
Since the program’s inception, hundreds of individuals across both states have received treatment, with many entering long-term recovery or being referred for specialized psychiatric care. The foundation’s telehealth service now supports dozens of patients monthly, with plans to scale across Nigeria’s other geopolitical zones.
Health workers trained by Dr. Okoye have also gone on to launch similar initiatives in their own communities, creating a ripple effect of healing and awareness that continues to grow.
A National Model in the Making
The recognition by The Sun Newspaper is more than a personal accolade—it’s a public endorsement of a model that works. As Nigeria continues to grapple with the mental health burden exacerbated by poverty, conflict, and displacement, Dr. Nelyn Akunna Okoye’s approach offers a replicable, scalable path forward.
In a landscape where mental health is still whispered about in hushed tones, Dr. Okoye is raising her voice—and inviting others to do the same. Her mission is clear: to make healing not just a possibility, but a right for all Nigerians.
As she puts it: “Mental health isn’t a privilege, it’s public health. And we must treat it as such.”