Psychiatrists in Nigeria have called on the Federal Government to fully implement the Mental Health Act three years after its enactment.
The experts warned that delays in putting the law into effect could continue to limit access to mental healthcare and the protection of people living with mental health conditions across the country.
The Association of Psychiatrists in Nigeria made the call in a statement to commemorate World Mental Health Day 2026, themed ‘Lived Experiences Heard: Real Voices, Real Change’.
The statement was jointly signed by the APN President, Dr. Veronica Nyamali, and APN Secretary, Prof. Kingsley Okonoda.
PUNCH Healthwise reports that in January 2023, former President Muhammadu Buhari signed the harmonised Mental Health Bill into law.
The Bill, which was harmonised by the Senate and House of Representatives in 2021, replaces the Lunacy Act of 1958.
With the non-implementation of the Act three years later, the APN stressed that passing the legislation was only the first step towards improving mental healthcare in Nigeria, noting that enactment without effective implementation makes the Act just a “statute book”.
According to the psychiatrists, three years is a long time in the life of a person living with mental illness.
“It is a long time for a family carrying the emotional, financial, and social burden of care. It is a long time for psychiatrists and other mental health professionals working within a system that remains fragmented, insufficiently harmonized, and without the unified structure needed to provide consistent and coordinated care,” the APN said.
The psychiatrists argued that a law cannot transform a health system while it remains largely confined to the statute book.
“The non-implementation of the law is a paradox, as all laws in the statute book are meant to be active!” they said.
The APN urged the FG to urgently move the Act from legislation to implementation.
“We do not necessarily need another law. We need the law we already have to work. The priority should be to identify the barriers to implementation and remove them,” they said.
The experts stressed that “Mental health is not a peripheral issue; it is beyond health. Mental health is part of Nigeria’s social capital. It affects families, communities, workplaces, schools, productivity, social stability, human dignity, and the ability of people to participate fully in society.
“When people with mental health conditions can access timely, appropriate, rights-based, continuous care, families are strengthened, communities are stronger, and society benefits. When the system is fragmented, under-coordinated, and difficult to navigate, the cost is ultimately carried by everyone.”
The psychiatrists added, “We should not be comfortable with having a Mental Health Act that exists principally as a document in a statute book. A statute book is not a mental health service.
“A law is meaningful when people experience its protections, when institutions perform the responsibilities it establishes, when professionals can work within the structures it provides, and when patients and families see tangible improvements in the care they receive.
“If we are serious about building a better society, how much longer can we afford to leave mental health reform waiting on the statute book? The implementation gap is the central issue, and avoiding suggesting a new law by amending what has not been tested is necessarily the solution.
“It also gives you a strong platform for asking government and relevant institutions to identify the specific administrative, statutory, funding, regulatory, or accountability barriers preventing implementation.”
Recent findings by the World Health Organisation show that mental health conditions affect nearly 150 million people across Africa, yet care services remain severely under‑resourced, fragmented, and largely inaccessible, especially in rural and underserved areas.
WHO warns that despite the widespread need, most African countries allocate less than $1 per person per year to mental health, resulting in a chronic shortage of trained professionals and limited infrastructure for prevention, treatment, and psychosocial support.
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