.... Demand wider insurance coverage, coordinated action to tackle drug abuse
Mental health experts have called on the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency on substance abuse and urgently expand access to mental healthcare across the country.
The experts warned that the worsening economic hardship, unemployment, insecurity, poverty and other social challenges were fuelling substance abuse and pushing more Nigerians into mental health crises.
They also called for improved health insurance coverage for mental healthcare, noting that many patients still paid out-of-pocket for treatment because mental health services remained inadequately covered under existing insurance schemes.
A Consultant Psychiatrist at the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Aro, Abeokuta, Dr Abayomi Oluseyi Olajide, made the call on Wednesday during a mental health awareness walk organised by the hospital to mark the 2026 World Mental Health Day.
Olajide, who is also the Chairman of the Mental Health Action Committee, Ogun State, said the country’s mental health situation had reached an alarming level, particularly as economic difficulties continued to worsen.
He said, “The mental health issues in Nigeria have gone to an epidemic level, particularly with the downturn of the economy.
“We used to talk about one in four persons living with mental health challenges. But with all these economic challenges, kidnapping, poverty, lack of employment and all these social vices, I think the incidence has increased, and more people are now living with mental health challenges.”
The psychiatrist stressed that the crisis required a coordinated response involving the government, healthcare institutions, schools, families and communities.
He lamented the limited access to mental healthcare, particularly for Nigerians unable to afford treatment from their personal resources.
Olajide said expanding health insurance coverage would help reduce the financial burden on patients and enable more people living with mental health conditions to access timely and appropriate care.
He also warned that the growing abuse of drugs and other substances was worsening the country’s mental health burden, calling for urgent measures to address the trend.
The psychiatrist urged the government to strengthen prevention, early intervention, treatment and rehabilitation programmes while increasing public awareness about mental health and substance abuse.
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