As soon as the Duke of Sussex Prince Harry and his wife Meghan touched down in Abuja, the Nigerian capital early Friday morning, they straight off commenced their visit by riding to a primary school in the Wuse II district for a talk about mental health.

Their arrival at the Lightway Academy was fun-filled because there had been entertainment waiting. A local group of dancers had already mastered their steps prior to the royal couple’s visit and they were well poised to send a clear message about Nigeria’s warm hospitality.

After this, the duke and duchess would then go on to meet the students and partake in a two-day mental health summit. This set the stage for strong advice from the prince about coping with mental health.

It’s okay, not to be okay, Prince Harry had rounded up his speech to the Lightway Academy listeners according to the BBC. The more you talk about it, says Prince Harry the more you can kick it in the long grass.

The duke’s reassuring message was cushioned by his wife’s efforts to familiarise herself with the host community. Meghan had told the students that she sees herself in them just as she does with her 2-year-old daughter Lilibet.

All that confidence building, helping the summit to believe in themselves when it concerns their confrontation with mental health had its benefits.

Both boys and girls have feelings and emotions they bottle up because they can’t really express it, says a student Brian who shared the stage with the royals during the engagements. The danger of bottling up emotions could lead to suicide Brian makes the point.

Joyce Agbese is the Lightway Academy school director who thinks the duke’s presence has helped to direct the students to a more positive and realistic approach anytime they find themselves confronting mental health issues.

He nailed it, basically yes. We want to encourage them to speak out, speak up, express their emotions in the right way, the director told the BBC.

She adds that when somebody this popular or this famous speaks about mental health it makes people realise that it’s normal and so they don’t have to be afraid to talk about it.

In 2014, Prince Harry who is an ex-serviceman started the charity the Invictus Games. This is not the regular sporting event where the participants jostle for points or medals – the Invictus Games is to assist armed forces veterans in their recovery after getting immobilised out of service due to their injuries.

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Catering to this initiative is what will lead the duke and his wife to Kaduna where he will be received by the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa and also be able to meet with injured servicemen.

After this will be the trip down to Lagos to watch the Nigeria Unconquered Foundation train and there will be a fundraiser in favour of the Invictus Games-related non-profit following this.

The last time a British royal visited Nigeria for an engagement was the prince’s father, King Charles III back in 2018. It marked the fourth time of Charles’s visit although he was consistently a prince in all the occasions.