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Mental health advocates and other stakeholders have advocated for the protection of people experiencing mental health conditions, making treatment more affordable, and integrating psychological support into maternal, child, and community healthcare
They made the call at the 2026 edition of the World Mental Health Day held in Maitama, Abuja.
At the event, speakers highlighted gaps in mental healthcare, the financial burden of treatment, harmful cultural beliefs, and the need for stronger protection for vulnerable people.
Health experts and resource persons, who made vital contributions at the programme stressed asked that mental health should be treated as a fundamental human right rather than a privilege, calling for practical measures to improve access to care and protect people from discrimination, neglect and abuse.
Giving a remarks at the event, the founder of The Mandate Health Empowerment Initiative (MHEI) and convener of the Association of Mental Health Reform Organisations in Africa (AMHROA) Network, Dr Ameh Zion Abba, noted that mental health requires action beyond legislation noting: “mental health was central to human dignity, public health, social justice and national development.”
He argued that mental healthcare should not be reserved for wealthy Nigerians or treated as a concern limited to hospitals.
According to him, inadequate funding, shortages of trained professionals, high treatment costs, limited community services, and persistent stigma continue to prevent many Nigerians from receiving appropriate care.
Abba also highlighted Africa MAMA CARE, a maternal mental health initiative described by its organisers as an African-led campaign intended to improve awareness, early identification, psychosocial support, and referral services for women and families.
The proposed campaign, according to him, is aimed at engaging communities, primary healthcare facilities, maternity units, faith-based organisations, women’s groups, and other trusted institutions.
Abba then called for stronger implementation of Nigeria’s National Mental Health Act, alongside sustainable financing, effective oversight, and accessible community-based services.
He also urged the federal government, National Assembly, judiciary, and state governments to strengthen protections for people experiencing mental health conditions and address legal provisions that undermine access to care.
He stressed that people who survive suicide attempts should receive medical attention, psychosocial support, and follow-up care rather than punishment.
Abba further called for people with lived experience of mental health conditions to participate meaningfully in decisions concerning legislation, funding, research, and service delivery.
A psychologist and counsellor, Dr Mrs Henrietta Okechukwu, Madam Ene Obi and other stakeholders while speaking on major barriers associated with the cost of mental healthcare said it placed financial pressure on families seeking treatment for loved ones.
Okechukwu emphasised that protecting mental health rights must translate into dignity, confidentiality, respect, and compassion for people experiencing psychological difficulties.
She questioned what the country’s human rights commitments meant in practical terms if people could not access affordable treatment or were subjected to degrading treatment because of their conditions.
Okechukwu described mental healthcare as unaffordable for many Nigerians, recounting an experience involving a treatment facility where a family was quoted hundreds of thousands of naira for a week of care.
Obi, on her part, highlighted concerns about maternal health, the experiences of women in communities, and the importance of strengthening healthcare delivery at the grassroots.
Her contribution underscored the need for functional health facilities capable of providing timely care to pregnant women and other vulnerable members of the community.
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