A medical expert told the House Committee on Specialty Healthcare that the non-implementation of the Mental Health Act is discouraging foreign donors from partnering with the country’s health sector
The Provost and Medical Director of the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Aro, Abeokuta, Professor Afis Agboola, has warned that Nigeria’s failure to implement the Mental Health Act is discouraging foreign donors from partnering with the country’s health sector.
This is even as mental health institutions struggle with rising costs and inadequate funding.
Professor Agboola raised the alarm while presenting the hospital’s 2026 budget proposal during the budget defence session organised by the House of Representatives Committee on Specialty Healthcare in Abuja.
He disclosed that the hospital has spent close to ₦1 billion from its internally generated revenue to cater for abandoned mental health patients, describing the situation as unsustainable and a direct consequence of poor policy implementation.
According to him, although the Mental Health Act was passed by the National Assembly and signed into law by former President Muhammadu Buhari more than two years ago, it has remained largely unimplemented.
“The issue of patient abandonment is a major challenge. Unfortunately, despite having a Mental Health Act that clearly spells out the responsibilities of the federal, state and local governments, there has been no execution of the law to date,” he said.
Professor Agboola explained that repeated engagements with the Federal Ministry of Health had produced little result, with funding constraints often cited as the reason for the delay in implementing the law.
He stressed that the absence of a properly established Department of Mental Health within the Ministry has also limited Nigeria’s access to international funding, as most foreign donor agencies prefer to engage with clearly defined statutory institutions.
“There are international partners, including agencies in the United States, that are ready to support Nigeria’s mental health sector. However, they keep asking whether we have a functional mental health agency or department. Without such a structure, they cannot relate to us or release funds,” he noted.
He added that several donor organisations were willing to support mental health care in Nigeria, but the lack of a designated agency or department continued to frustrate such partnerships.
The medical director, therefore, appealed to the House Committee to prevail on the Federal Ministry of Health to fully implement the Mental Health Act, particularly the provision for the creation of a Department of Mental Health.
“This is not optional; it is the law. Failure to implement it is to the detriment of mental health patients across the country,” he said.
Earlier, the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Specialty Healthcare, Rep. Alex Egbona, assured specialised health institutions of fair, realistic and adequate budgetary allocations in the 2026 fiscal year.
Egbona said the committee is constitutionally mandated to provide oversight over specialised hospitals and institutions, including orthopaedic and psychiatric hospitals, obstetric fistula centres, eye and ear hospitals, oral and dental institutions, complementary and alternative medicine centres, blood transfusion services and laboratory science technology institutions.
“These institutions occupy a critical position in Nigeria’s healthcare system. They provide specialised and referral services, manage complex medical conditions, and serve some of the most vulnerable segments of our population,” he said.
He noted that many specialised health institutions continue to operate under severe funding constraints, which affect infrastructure, manpower, equipment and service delivery.
According to him, the budget defence session was aimed at allowing institutions to justify their 2026 proposals while also accounting for the implementation of the 2025 Appropriations Act.
“The Committee is particularly interested in understanding how released funds, or lack of releases, have affected performance and how adequate funding can translate into improved healthcare delivery,” Rep. Egbona said.
He assured stakeholders that the committee would continue to engage relevant authorities and the Committee on Appropriations to advocate improved funding for specialised healthcare institutions, guided by transparency, accountability and national health priorities.
