Vanguard summit: Nigeria risks losing gains of Mental Health Act, experts warn

As Vanguard Newspapers holds its fourth Mental Health Summit in Lagos, stakeholders have warned that Nigeria’s Mental Health Act is dying from neglect, with critical provisions of the law remaining largely unimplemented amid a widening treatment gap and a severe shortage of mental health professionals.

The 4th Vanguard Mental Health Summit, scheduled for October 9, 2026, at the Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos, will focus on the state of mental healthcare in Nigeria, particularly the growing mental health challenges confronting young people.

The summit is themed, “Advancing Youth Mental Health in Nigeria through Access, Action and Advocacy,” with the sub-theme, “Mental Health in a Digital Age: Navigating Social Media, Technology and Wellbeing.”

One of the speakers at the summit, renowned psychiatrist, Professor Taiwo Lateef Sheikh, who has repeatedly called for urgent implementation of the Mental Health Act, warned that its passage was only the beginning of the reforms required to transform mental healthcare delivery.

In a recent Vanguard report, Sheikh disclosed that fewer than 300 psychiatrists were available to serve a population of more than 200 million Nigerians, identifying the shortage of professionals, inadequate funding and poor access to community-based services as major gaps in the country’s mental health system.

Sheikh, a Professor of Psychiatry and Psychopharmacology at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, said: “Legislation provides the skeleton, policy provides the direction, and financing provides the muscle. Closing the mental health systems gap requires all three to move together.”

The psychiatrist said the Mental Health Act, signed into law in December 2022, represented a major milestone but warned that the law would have limited impact without adequate funding, trained personnel, functional services and effective implementation.

“The Mental Health Act is a major achievement, but the real test is implementation,” he said.

The Act replaced the country’s colonial-era mental health legislation and established a modern framework for protecting people living with mental health conditions, including provisions relating to rights, dignity, consent, appropriate treatment and community-based care.

However, experts have expressed concern that several of the structures and mechanisms envisaged by the law have yet to translate into a fully functioning mental health system.

For Sheikh, one of the major priorities is to take mental healthcare beyond specialist psychiatric hospitals and bring basic services closer to Nigerians through primary healthcare.

“Treat at the lowest level. Integrate into primary healthcare. Task-shift. No discharge to nowhere,” he said.

He explained that people discharged from psychiatric facilities should not be left without follow-up care, stressing the need for community-based services and referral systems to ensure continuity of treatment.

He also called for mental health to be integrated into education, employment and social protection, arguing that the challenge could not be left to the health sector alone.

“Protecting the rights of persons with mental illness is not optional,” Sheikh said, advocating rights-based care, respect for autonomy and consent, and access to appropriate services.

The concerns over implementation come at a time when Nigeria is also taking steps to reform its approach to suicide.

In September, the Federal Executive Council approved the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare’s position on the decriminalisation of attempted suicide, with the matter expected to proceed to the National Assembly for the necessary legislative process.

The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Adekunle Salako, said the reform was intended to replace punishment with care, support and timely intervention for people experiencing mental health crises.

The Ministry, however, acknowledged that legislation alone would not prevent suicide, stressing the need for sustained investment in mental health services, early identification and intervention, community support and public awareness.

Against this background, the Vanguard Mental Health Summit will provide a platform for stakeholders to examine whether Nigeria’s existing mental health policies and legislation are translating into accessible services.

Youth mental health takes centre stage

The summit will focus particularly on young Nigerians, with a major panel asking: “Who is Responsible for the Mental Health of Young People in Nigeria?”

The discussion will examine the roles of government, families, healthcare professionals, schools, communities, civil society organisations and young people themselves in prevention, early intervention and access to care.

Issues expected to feature prominently include youth addiction, suicide prevention, treatment gaps, early intervention and the growing influence of social media and digital technology on young people’s wellbeing.

The summit will bring together psychiatrists, policymakers, public health experts, civil society leaders, advocates and people with lived experience of mental health challenges.

Dr Veronica Oluyemisi Nyamali, President of the Association of Psychiatrists in Nigeria and Chief Consultant Psychiatrist at the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Yaba, will deliver the keynote address.

Sheikh will speak on “Mental Health as Our Social Capital,” while Prof. Mashudat Abiola Bello-Mojeed will examine the impact of social media on young people.

The President of the Nigerian Medical Association, Prof. Afekhide Ernest Omoti, will address “Making Youth Mental Health Everyone’s Business: From Policy to Practice,” while Dr Daniel Ikpechukwu will examine youth drug addiction and the justice system, with emphasis on treatment, rehabilitation and recovery.

The summit will also build on Vanguard’s continuing coverage of Nigeria’s mental health crisis. Previous Vanguard reporting has highlighted the shortage of psychiatrists, limited access to specialist care and the need to integrate mental health services into primary healthcare.

The experts further noted that the challenge is no longer simply whether Nigeria has a mental health law or policy, but whether the country can translate those frameworks into functioning services that Nigerians can access before mental health conditions become severe.

As stakeholders gather for the 2026 summit, implementation of the Mental Health Act, financing, manpower, community-based care and youth mental health will remain central to the national conversation.