The National Human Rights Commission has called for urgent improvements in mental healthcare funding, insurance coverage and protection against abuse, warning that stigma and limited access to treatment continue to affect Nigerians living with mental health conditions.
The commission said fewer than three per cent of people with mental health conditions in Nigeria were covered by health insurance, leaving many individuals and their families to shoulder treatment expenses amid shortages of services and trained professionals.
It also disclosed cases involving children and adults with psychosocial disabilities who were subjected to solitary confinement in Kano State. In a separate case in the Federal Capital Territory, a child was reportedly rescued from a woman living in an extremely distressing and inhuman condition associated with her mental state.
Executive Secretary of the NHRC, Chief Tony Ojukwu, raised the concerns in Abuja on Monday while commemorating the 2026 World Mental Health Day.
He urged the Federal Government to increase investment in mental healthcare, expand access to treatment and strengthen the enforcement of laws protecting people with mental health conditions.
“A mental-health condition does not reduce a person’s worth, dignity or human rights,” Ojukwu said.
Citing estimates from the World Health Organisation, he noted that nearly one in seven people globally lives with a mental disorder. He said the need for accessible mental health services was particularly pressing in communities affected by terrorism, abductions, armed violence and displacement.
Nigeria enacted the National Mental Health Act in 2021, which received presidential assent in December 2022. However, Ojukwu stressed that legislation and policy commitments would have limited impact unless they translated into affordable treatment, accessible services and accountability for rights violations.
He called for mental health services to be expanded through primary healthcare centres and for insurance coverage to be strengthened so that more people could obtain treatment without facing prohibitive costs.
The commission also highlighted the need to recruit and retain more mental health professionals, including psychiatrists, psychologists, counsellors, psychiatric nurses and social workers.
Ojukwu said the NHRC had handled cases involving solitary confinement in Kano and established a Counselling Unit at its headquarters as part of its response to issues affecting vulnerable people.
The commission is also collaborating with the Federal Ministry of Health on a proposed National Mental Health Strategic Plan covering 2027 to 2032.
The concerns raised by the NHRC point to the need to address both access to healthcare and the treatment of people living with mental health conditions. While medical support is essential, the commission’s position also underscores the importance of protecting affected individuals from degrading treatment, discrimination and unlawful restrictions on their freedom.
Expanding insurance coverage, strengthening community-based services and ensuring that complaints of abuse are investigated would be important steps towards improving access to care and protecting the dignity and rights of affected Nigerians.
