The swimming instructor spent over two hours under the water to achieve the amazing feat.
A Nigerian swimming enthusiast, identified as Dare Akinrodoye, has swum the entire 11-kilometre length of the Third Mainland Bridge to raise awareness about mental health issues among youths.
Fondly called Coach Dreh, the swimming instructor, embarked on the daring task on the morning of Saturday, March 30, 2024.
Accompanied by his close teammates, supporters, men of the press, and essential medical personnel, Coach Dreh jumped into the water at around 9:28 am and swam for 2 hours, 33 minutes at a stretch, to complete the journey.
He was later pulled out of the water, looking physically exhausted but with fulfilment written all over his face.
Before the commencement, he had earlier met the Lagos State Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Mobolaji Ogunlende, who shared the government's support of his quest.
Before the quest, Coach Dreh had stated in a post on his Instagram page his intention to extend a helping hand and pull everyone along in their struggles with mental health and suicidal thoughts.
"In a world where mental health struggles can feel isolating, we offer hope, extend a helping hand, and show that no one is alone in their struggles with mental health and thoughts of suicide," he said.
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.
