Dare Akinrodoye Swims Across Lagos Lagoon To promote Mental Health Awareness

Akinrodoye Samuel, the Nigerian athlete better known as Coach Dreh, has swum across 11.8 kilometres-long water of the Third Mainland Bridge, Lagos, to raise awareness on mental health. 

On Saturday morning, the professional swimming coach embarked on the task from Oworonshoki, Mainland, to Adeniji Adenle on the Island.

Coach Dreh, the CEO of Ocean 28 Swimming Academy, swam for 2 hours 33 minutes to complete his breath-taking exercise.

Coach Dreh was accompanied by some of his friends and colleagues who cheered him throughout the process.

Speaking before the exercise, Coach Dreh said his 10-year career as a swimmer could “help me do anything and become anything”.

He also urged people battling with their mental health “to ask for help”.

“I am going to be swimming the entire length of the Lagos Third Mainland Bridge to raise awareness and sensitize the public on mental health, suicide, and depression. It is 11.8 kilometres from Mainland, Oworonshoki to Island to Adeniji Adenle. My years of experience in the aquatic realm is over a decade. And swimming for me, I can do anything and become anything I want to do with it,” he said.

“Mental health is a course that I am passionate about. Life can be very tough and I think it is okay to ask for help. Your life can stay positively within a twinkle of an eye. Stay alive to witness it.”

Research published in 2021 declared Nigeria, the seventh-largest country in the world, as having Africa’s highest caseload of depression and ranks 15th in the world for the frequency of suicide.

The report further stated that there are less than 150 psychiatrists in the country of over 200 million people, with fewer than 10% of mentally ill citizens having access to the care they need.

In 2023, Nigeria was rated the fifth most suicide-prone country globally, accounting for about 15,000 out of every 100,000 cases of mental illness-induced deaths around the world.

The exercise was supported by the Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA).