Expert Raises Alarm Over Nigeria’s Failing Mental Healthcare System

Nigeria is facing a silent emergency in mental healthcare, and unless urgent action is taken, the nation could face devastating social and economic fallout, warns Consultant Psychiatrist, Prof. Taiwo Sheikh.

Speaking to our correspondent Prof. Sheikh, who also coordinates the Suicide Advocacy Working Group, delivered a stark message: mental health is dangerously neglected, and millions are paying the price in silence.

While government and private hospitals catering to maternal health number in the thousands, he said, mental health facilities are scarce and nearly non existent outside state capitals. “We are failing millions of Nigerians living with mental illnesses,” he declared. “Access to treatment is a luxury, when it should be a right.”

He called the situation a national gap in care that leaves those in rural and underserved areas especially vulnerable. With 75 to 95 per cent of people in low and middle income countries lacking proper mental health care, Nigeria is no exception, he warned.

Prof. Sheikh lamented the chronic underfunding of mental health services and research, which has left countless Nigerians without support. He stressed that neglecting mental wellbeing doesn’t just affect individuals , it damages families, communities, and the economy at large.

“The consequences of ignoring mental health are massive,” he said. “We need more than sympathy we need action, funding, and policy enforcement.”

He urged the government to scale up investment in mental health, establish grassroots level services, and tackle the deep rooted stigma that keeps patients from seeking help.

Calling for a united front, Prof. Sheikh challenged NGOs, religious leaders, and communities to join hands in the fight for mental health reform. Without collective action, he warned, Nigeria risks being overwhelmed by a crisis no one wants to talk about but everyone will feel.