The Association of Psychiatrists in Nigeria (APN) has renewed its call for the Federal Government to fully implement the country’s Mental Health Act, warning that the gap between legislation and actual service delivery is continuing to weaken mental healthcare.
The association said Nigeria already has a legal framework capable of transforming mental health services, but that much of the framework has yet to translate into functioning institutions, adequate funding and accessible care.
In a statement signed by APN President Dr Veronica Oluyemisi Nyamali and Secretary-General Prof. Kingsley Mayowa Okonoda, the psychiatrists argued that government should concentrate on making the existing law work rather than rushing to create another one.
The association questioned whether all the institutional structures required under the law had been fully established and adequately resourced.
It also asked what practical improvements people living with mental health conditions and their families had experienced since the law came into force.
Why implementation remains a concern
Nigeria’s National Mental Health Act, 2021 received presidential assent on Dec. 28, 2022. The legislation replaced the country’s outdated Lunacy Act framework and established a legal basis for protecting the rights of people with mental health conditions.
Among other objectives, the Act provides for a Department of Mental Health Services within the Federal Ministry responsible for health and seeks to promote integrated, community-based and rights-focused mental healthcare.
However, independent research published in 2026 found continuing gaps in implementation, including weak financing, limited coordination between federal and state authorities, inadequate monitoring and a shortage of mental health professionals.
The researchers found that Nigeria’s policy journey has moved considerably from the custodial approach associated with the 1916 Lunacy Ordinance and later 1958 Lunacy Act towards a rights-based framework, but that implementation has not kept pace with legislative reform.
Psychiatrists oppose premature amendment
The APN also expressed reservations about attempts to amend the Mental Health Act before its existing provisions have been adequately implemented and evaluated.
The association’s position comes amid a separate Federal Government initiative to amend the legislation to decriminalise attempted suicide.
The Federal Executive Council approved the government’s position on the proposed reform in 2026, with the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare saying the change would shift the response to attempted suicide from punishment towards care, support and timely intervention.
The APN had welcomed that proposed reform in August but simultaneously called for full implementation of the existing Act and greater access to affordable mental healthcare.
What the Act was designed to change
The legislation was introduced after years of criticism of Nigeria’s previous mental health law, which had been widely regarded as outdated and inconsistent with contemporary human-rights standards.
The reform process dates back more than two decades. Efforts to replace the old Lunacy Act began in the early 2000s, while a new bill was reintroduced in 2013. A further legislative effort culminated in the Mental Health and Substance Abuse Bill of 2019 and eventually presidential assent to the National Mental Health Act in December 2022.
The Act seeks to promote humane treatment, protect fundamental rights, improve access to care, support rehabilitation and encourage community-based mental health services.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has described the legislation as an important foundation for Nigeria’s mental health reform, while noting the need to translate the legal framework into practical action.
Funding and access remain major challenges
A 2026 review of Nigerian mental health policy found that mental healthcare continues to face substantial financing and workforce constraints.
The review estimated that only about 10–15 per cent of people requiring mental health treatment receive adequate care, while Nigeria has a severe shortage of psychiatrists and other specialised professionals.
The researchers identified inadequate financing, fragmented federal-state coordination, weak monitoring systems and insufficient integration of community-based providers as important obstacles to implementation.
The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, meanwhile, says the government is working to strengthen mental healthcare, integrate services into the wider health system and improve financial protection for people requiring treatment.
APN calls for action
The psychiatrists are calling for government agencies to identify and remove administrative, financial, regulatory and coordination barriers preventing the effective implementation of the Act.
They also want mental healthcare to be treated as an issue extending beyond hospitals, noting its consequences for families, schools, workplaces, communities, productivity and social stability.
The association said the ultimate test of the law should not be the existence of legislation on paper but whether Nigerians can obtain accessible, affordable and rights-based mental healthcare when they need it.
Background: How the issue started
Nigeria’s modern mental health reform effort grew out of dissatisfaction with the country’s old Lunacy Act of 1958, which remained in place for decades and was criticised for its custodial approach and inadequate protection of the rights of people with mental health conditions.
Efforts to replace the outdated framework began in the early 2000s. A proposed bill was withdrawn in 2009 before renewed legislative efforts emerged in 2013.
The reform process gained further momentum after the 2019 Mental Health and Substance Abuse Bill, with technical support from stakeholders including the WHO. The bill eventually passed through the National Assembly before receiving presidential assent in December 2022.
The new law was intended to shift Nigeria away from a predominantly institutional and custodial model towards rights-based, integrated and community-oriented mental healthcare.
The central problem now identified by psychiatrists and researchers is the familiar gap between passing a law and building the institutions, funding mechanisms, workforce and services required to make the law work.
