The harmonised Mental Health Bill has been signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari.
The Lunacy Act of 1958 will be replaced by the Bill, which was harmonized by the Senate and House of Representatives in 2021.
Prof. Taiwo Obindo, President of the Association of Psychiatrists of Nigeria, who confirmed the signing, called it a huge relief for the nation’s mental health profession and care.
Vanguard newspaper quoted him saying, “A final culmination to over two decades of several efforts by the Association of Psychiatrists of Nigeria now has an Act/Law on Mental Health governance and we are now part of the global space with best global practice.”
Prof. Taiwo Shielk, a former president of the APN, expressed gratitude to God for the Mental Health Bill’s passage into law.
Thanking key players in the process, Shielk said, “Our profound gratitude to Senator Dr. Ibrahim Oloriegbe, Senator Ahmad Abubakar, Dr. Ibrahim Gambari, CBM International, Johnson & Johnson, and all our partners. After several attempts, by His Grace, we finally reached the milestone.”
With the new law, the 1958 Lunacy Act, which experts denounce as antiquated and barbaric, will no longer be in force.
Some of the elements of the National Mental Health Bill include the creation of a Mental Health Fund and a Department of Mental Health Services within the Federal Ministry of Health.
