We Came, We Taught, We Sparked a Movement — Recapping Brain Awareness Week 2026 in Ibadan

By Nosarieme Abey |  Published: March 2026

“Protect your brain. Own your future.” — The rallying call that echoed through Ibadan Business School on Tuesday, 10th March, through Omoluabi FM Radio on 12th March and Idikan Community outreach on 13th March 2026.

It began with a proposal, envisioned by Nosarieme Abey PhD, Adeola Folorunsho _{MPH, MHA, FRSPH, FAPH}, and Olubunmi Bakare, a shared conviction, and a community that deserved better. Proposal became a an awarded grant. On the 10th of March 2026, SaneDrive, in partnership with MaterMental and the Adolescent Health and Wellness Foundation (AHWF) — hosted Brain Awareness Week 2026 in Ibadan, Oyo State, as part of the global IBRO/Dana Brain Awareness Week initiative.

The theme: The Brain and Addiction: Understanding the Science.

What followed was one of the most energising, moving, and impactful days we have had the privilege of creating. And we want to tell you exactly what happened.

WHAT WAS ENVISIONED AND WHY IT MATTERED

Oyo State is facing a silent emergency. Over one million residents are affected by substance use, and Nigerian data shows adolescents are initiating drug use as early as age 12. Yet across communities, addiction is still largely seen as a moral failure — a character flaw — rather than what the science clearly shows: a brain disease.

SaneDrive exists to close that gap. We believe that neuroscience education is not a privilege for laboratories and lecture theatres. It belongs in schools, in community halls, in Yoruba, in English, and in every space where people are making decisions about their health and their futures.

Brain Awareness Week 2026 was built on that belief.

WHAT HAPPENED ON THE AWARENESS DAYS

The programme opened with the national anthem, performed with pride by student representatives — a moment that grounded everything that followed in its rightful context: this was for Nigeria, for Oyo State, for the next generation.

An electrifying opening speech by Dr. Folorunsho, cushioned beautifully by Oluwabunmi Bakare, set the intellectual and emotional tone for the day. Our moderators, Mrs. Oladipo and Ms. Obasekore Demilade, held the programme together with grace and precision from start to finish.

Schools were formally recognised and welcomed. Participants completed a pre-test a bilingual cognitive and substance awareness assessment designed to give every person in the room a moment of honest self-reflection before the science began.

THE SPEAKERS WHO CHANGED THE ROOM

Four world-class speakers delivered presentations that were, by every measure, exceptional.

Dr. Temitope Farombi, Consultant Neurologist at University College Hospital Ibadan, opened the scientific programme with Lecture 1: “How Addiction Changes the Brain — From First Use to Dependence.” Paired with interactive brain model demonstrations showing reward pathways and addiction circuits, Dr. Farombi made neuroscience viscerally real for every person in the room.

Dr. Olayiwola Zaccheaus, Neuropharmacologist at the University of Ibadan, followed with “The Brain on Substances” — an interactive presentation that deepened the audience’s understanding of exactly how psychoactive substances disrupt normal brain chemistry and behaviour.

Mr. Emmanuel Udofia, Psychologist and Founder of the Savanna Junior Care Foundation, brought the human story into sharp relief — exploring the psychosocial and socioeconomic conditions that predispose individuals to addiction. His session reminded every teacher, parent, and community leader in the room that before anyone reaches for a substance, life has usually already prepared the ground.

Arowosegbe Obafemi of the Nightingale Legacy Project facilitated a myth-busting panel — “Myths and Facts About Addiction in Nigeria” — that sparked honest, at times uncomfortable, and deeply necessary conversation.

THE NDLEA: LAW, REHABILITATION & REALITY

One of the standout moments of the day came from Mrs. Godwin of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, who delivered a frank and unflinching talk on the legal consequences of drug use and the question of rehabilitation. The NDLEA’s presence was not merely symbolic — it was a statement that the conversation about addiction belongs at every level: medical, social, psychological, and institutional.

Brain Awareness Week 2026 was not a lecture series. It was a living, breathing community event. The Ore-Ore Schools delivered a 10-minute playlet that drew audible gasps, laughter, and reflection from the audience — proof that young people, when given the right information and the right stage, can communicate truth more powerfully than any expert.

From the beginning of the programme, school-submitted infographics were on display throughout the hall. By the time the formal presentations concluded, they were evaluated, graded, and celebrated — with certificates and awards presented to recognise the brilliance and effort of every participating student.

📊	THE NUMBERS TELL A STORY

200+ Direct Participants

4 Expert Speakers

1,000+ Community Reach

5 Partner Organisations

Students, teachers, healthcare workers, community leaders, parents, and online participants from across Nigeria gathered — physically and virtually — around one shared purpose: understanding the brain, protecting the future.

Taking the Science to the Streets — Community Outreach & Radio

Brain Awareness Week 2026 did not stay within the walls of Ibadan Business School. In the days surrounding the event, SaneDrive and our partners took the message directly into the heart of local communities — to the people who may never attend a conference, but who are often the most affected by the consequences of addiction.

Community outreach sessions were held in local areas, delivered in Yoruba — not as a translation, but as a conversation. When neuroscience is spoken in your mother tongue, something shifts. You stop feeling like the information belongs to someone else. You start owning it. That was the intention, and that is exactly what we witnessed — community members asking questions, sharing experiences, and recognising in the science the story of someone they love.

Our radio programme, broadcast on a local Oyo station, extended that reach even further — into homes, market stalls, motorcycle parks, and kitchens where people were going about their day and suddenly found themselves learning about dopamine, about the addicted brain, about why their neighbour or their child or their brother is not weak — their brain is sick, and their brain can heal.

This is what culturally grounded neuroscience education looks like. Not a textbook. A dialogue.