World Mental Health Day: NHRC seeks inclusion of human rights focus in strategic plan

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Monday said it was working with the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare to embed human rights in Nigeria’s National Mental Health Strategic Plan (NSP) 2027-2032.

The Executive Secretary of the commission, Tony Ojukwu, said this at the event held at the NHRC’s head office in Abuja, in commemoration of World Mental Health Day.

“This is the first time Nigeria will be developing a consolidated National Strategic Plan (NSP) on mental health.

“The commission, in collaboration with stakeholders such as the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, is working to mainstream human rights into Nigeria’s NSP on mental health 2027-2032, a five-year plan developed under the Federal Ministry of Health,” Mr Ojukwu said.

Mr Ojukwu tied the necessity of the plan to the country’s mental health challenges resulting from existential issues such as poverty and insecurity.

He called on the government to make mental health a priority and “provide adequate funding for mental-health services at all levels.”

World Mental Health Day is observed annually on 10 October. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), this year’s theme, “Lived experiences heard: real voices, real change,” is an opportunity to engage with people with lived experience of mental health conditions so their voices can shape the policies, services and decisions that affect their lives.

WHO said more than a billion people live with a mental health condition. Mental health is important because it helps people cope with stress.

Mr Ojukwu said that beyond being a medical condition, mental health is also a human rights concern because it is linked to the right to health.

Ameh Zion, a mental health advocate and founder of the Mandate Health Empowerment Initiative, identified persons susceptible to mental health conditions.

Mr Zion said survivors of violence, terrorism, displacement and abuse “often carry invisible psychological wounds that are not bleeding blood but are impacting not only their functionality but also the capacity that they should have as Nigerians to contribute to the national growth and development of this dear country.”

Despite the Mental Health Act, issues persist

Nigeria signed the National Mental Health Act (2021) in January 2023, repealing the Lunacy Act of 1958. The new Act introduced a modernised way to handle mental health care, replacing the outdated 65-year-old Act.

However, despite this move, Mr Zion said the problems persist.

He stated that over 90 per cent of persons in Nigeria who come down with mental health illnesses, mental health disorders, mental health conditions or drug use disorders do not have access to mental health care, and this is not supposed to be so.

Mr Ojukwu said stigmatisation exists, even though the new Act discourages discrimination.

He called on Nigerians not to stigmatise those living with mental health conditions because this makes them vulnerable, especially if families and institutions lack the knowledge to support them.

“A mental-health condition does not reduce a person’s worth, dignity or human rights. Encouraged Nigerians not to define people by their mental health condition,” he said.

Mr Ojukwu also pleaded with the media to promote mental-health awareness and report accurately and sensitively.

Ogechi Ogu, executive director of the Public Awareness on Rights and Rehabilitation of Vulnerable Persons Initiative (PAR-RVPI), also called for continued awareness regarding mental health.

“That’s why all of us need to understand and go back to our communities to enlighten people on this. It’s not a spiritual problem; this is what bars people from accessing services. When they are talked down on, they find it difficult to locate a psychiatrist or any other counsellor that can help in situations like that,” Ms Ogu said.

Mental health, childhood trauma, violence and gender

The Executive Director of Equity Advocate, Ene Ede, drew connections between childhood trauma, gender disparities and mental health.

Also pointing out the link between mental health and violence, James Komolafe, a mental health expert and psychotherapist, said research has shown “it is violence within for violence without.”

“We need to check up from the neck up so that we can be good neck down and be great legs forward,” he said.

Mr Ojukwu called on the government to provide “accessible and affordable community-based mental-health services, stronger health-insurance coverage, and increased training and deployment of qualified professionals, including psychologists, psychiatrists, counsellors, psychiatric nurses and social workers.”

He added, “We also urge the full implementation of the National Mental Health Act and Policy, with clear accountability.”

He also called for support for victims of human rights violations, including survivors of conflict, terrorism, gender-based violence, displacement, torture, and trafficking.