Module 10 Session 4 Materials
Mrs. Fatima Akilu,
Executive Director of the NEEM Foundation,
Dr. Fatima is the Executive Director of Neem Foundation, Nigeria. She is also a university educator and an advocate for marginalized groups working in the area of psychology and health for more than two decades. Akilu has had extensive experience working with forensic, dually diagnosed mentally retarded women, violent offenders, and sex offenders. Previously head of communication for the Senior Special Assistant to the President on the Millennium Development Goals, she was Chairman of the Editorial Board of Leadership Newspapers. Until recently, Dr. Akilu was the director of the Behavioral Analysis and Strategic Communication unit at the Office of the National Security Adviser, which has developed a multi-pronged approach to countering violent extremism (CVE) that consists of prison de-radicalization, counter-radicalization geared at building community resilience, and a strategic communication effort including public diplomacy and messaging. Nigeria’s CVE program, which she has designed, also includes policy changes in the areas of education and mental health through the provision of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) counseling. Akilu is also a children’s writer and hosts a weekly radio show, Radio Psych, which discusses social and psychological issues. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English, a master’s in research methods in psychology, and a Ph.D. in psychology from Reading University in Berkshire, U.K.
Dr Akilu has authored more than 17 children’s books and has published articles on homelessness and mental health.
