Global and local partners back new framework to deliver counselling and crisis support nationwide
By Dr. Nafisat Makinde
Nigeria’s health authorities and international partners have renewed their commitment to expanding access to mental-health care and strengthening crisis-response systems. The pledge came on Friday as the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare commemorated the 2025 World Mental Health Day in Abuja, themed “Access to Services: Mental Health in Catastrophes and Emergencies.” The event brought together senior officials, development partners, and advocacy groups to outline new strategies for integrating mental-health services into humanitarian and national health frameworks.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, in an address written by him and delivered on his behalf, reaffirmed the Federal Government’s determination to build a resilient health system where mental well-being receives equal priority with physical health. “We must ensure that mental health is treated with the same urgency and dignity as physical health,” he said. According to him, ongoing reforms are embedding mental-health services in primary-health-care centres nationwide through community-health-worker training and improved access to essential medicines. “Our goal is to build a Nigeria where no one is left behind not in times of peace and not in times of crisis,” Prof. Pate added.
Representing the Permanent Secretary, Daju Kachollom mni, Dr. Jimoh Olawale Salaudeen mni, Director of Hospital Services, described the year’s theme as “timely and relevant.” She noted that emergencies from conflict to pandemics “leave deep emotional and psychological wounds that demand structured national response.” She emphasized that mental health must be fully integrated into emergency preparedness and national policy implementation, in line with the UN Political Declaration on Non-Communicable Diseases and Mental Health, which calls for universal access and the elimination of stigma.
The World Health Organization (WHO) praised Nigeria’s progress, describing it as evidence of renewed political will to safeguard psychosocial well-being. “I commend the Coordinating Minister, Prof. Ali Pate, and his team for their leadership and commitment to the prevention and management of mental-health conditions in Nigeria,” the WHO Representative said. She added that “mental health must be safeguarded before, during, and after crises.” Citing the World Health Assembly’s 2024 resolution on mental-health and psychosocial support (MHPSS), she explained that WHO continues to work with the government to train health workers, renovate facilities, and expand community-based care, particularly in the North-East.
CBM Global Nigeria Country Director Abdulazeez Musa commended the Ministry’s inclusive, rights-based approach to reform. “This year’s theme underscores the urgent need to strengthen responses for those living in fragile and emergency-prone contexts,” he said. He highlighted joint initiatives such as mhCAP-NTDs, which have “restored hope, dignity, and strengthened local capacity to respond effectively to mental-health needs during emergencies.” Musa also praised Nigeria’s leadership of the National Task Force for the Decriminalization of Attempted Suicide, describing it as “a compassionate, evidence-based reform that humanizes national health policy.”
During a media interaction, officials explained that the government is collaborating with the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) to include mental-health care among essential services, making counselling and treatment more affordable. In the Minister’s words, “When a citizen in any community can walk into a primary health centre and receive mental-health care without fear or financial hardship that is the real impact.” They noted that the reforms are anchored in the National Mental Health Strategic Framework, which defines funding and accountability mechanisms to ensure long-term sustainability.
The event ended with a united call from government representatives, partners, and the media for sustained investment and public awareness to combat stigma. “Together, we can ensure that mental-health support is not only available but truly accessible when it is most needed offering hope, healing, and dignity to all communities,” the WHO Representative concluded.
