“How body?”
“I dey.”
“How far?”
“We thank God.”
For many men, na so the conversation dey end.
But if we’re being honest, sometimes “I dey” no really mean say everything dey alright.
Sometimes, the man wey everybody dey call strong dey tired.
The man wey dey provide for family dey worried about bills.
The man wey always dey encourage others dey secretly need encouragement too.
The man wey dey smile for office, church, or social gatherings fit dey battle pressure wey nobody knows about.
As men, we’ve become experts at carrying things quietly. We carry responsibilities. We carry expectations. We carry stress. Sometimes, we even carry pain.
And because we’ve been taught to “man up,” many of us keep everything inside.
But here’s the truth: nobody is meant to carry life’s weight alone.
But here’s the truth: nobody is meant to carry life’s weight alone.
This Men’s Mental Health Month, let’s normalize checking in on one another—not only when things fall apart, but while we’re still holding things together.
Send that message.
Make that call.
Ask that question.
Not “How market?”
Not “Work dey?”
Not “Family nko?”
Ask:
“Brotherly, are you okay?”
And if you’re the one being asked, know that it’s okay to be honest.
It’s okay to say you’re tired.
It’s okay to admit things have been difficult.
It’s okay to seek support.
Because strength isn’t pretending everything is fine.
Strength is knowing when to speak up.
At AIICO Capital, we believe that a secure future is built not only on financial wellbeing, but on personal wellbeing too. After all, the man building the future deserves care as much as the future he’s building.
