Nigeria TV Info — Experts Warn as 50 Million Nigerians Battle Mental Health Challenges

Lagos, Nigeria — Psychiatrists and medical professionals have sounded the alarm over Nigeria’s escalating mental health crisis, revealing that nearly 50 million Nigerians are currently living with mental health conditions, with over 75 percent lacking access to professional care or treatment.

The revelation came during a closing-gong ceremony held at the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) in Lagos to commemorate the 2025 World Mental Health Day, observed globally every October 10 to promote mental health awareness and advocacy.

Speaking at the event, consultant psychiatrist, Dr. Vincent Udenze, expressed deep concern over the non-implementation of the National Mental Health Act, almost four years after its passage.

Nigeria’s National Mental Health Act 2021, signed into law in January 2023, marked a historic milestone as the country’s first comprehensive mental health legislation since independence, replacing the colonial-era Lunacy Act of 1958.

The Act is designed to protect the rights of individuals with mental health conditions, ensure community-based care, and promote equal access to services by outlawing discrimination in employment, education, and housing.

It also provides for the establishment of a Department of Mental Health Services and a Mental Health Fund, creating a legal and institutional framework for the regulation of mental health and substance abuse services nationwide.

Experts have urged the federal government to prioritize implementation and funding, warning that without immediate action, Nigeria risks facing a full-blown mental health epidemic.