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By Tracy Moses
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 scaring away foreign donors from partnering with the country’s health sector.
Professor Agboola made the disclosure on Saturday in Abuja during the 2025 budget performance review and 2026 budget defence session organised by the House of Representatives Committee on Specialty Healthcare, chaired by Hon. Alex Egbona.
He revealed that the hospital has spent close to N1 billion from its internally generated revenue to care for abandoned mental health patients, describing the development as unsustainable.
According to him, although the Mental Health Act was passed by the National Assembly and signed into law by former President Muhammadu Buhari, it has remained largely unimplemented more than two years after its enactment.
“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 on the matter have yielded little progress, with funding constraints often cited as the main reason for the delay.
He stressed that the absence of a properly established Department of Mental Health within the Ministry has limited Nigeria’s ability to access international funding, as most foreign donor agencies insist on engaging 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 with us or release funds,” he noted.
He added that several other donor organisations are also willing to assist in alleviating the suffering of mental health patients in Nigeria, but the lack of a designated agency or department continues 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.
Speaking on the 2025 budget performance, Professor Agboola disclosed that the hospital recorded zero capital budget implementation due to the non-release of appropriated funds.
He explained that although the institution received Authority to Incur Expenditure (AIE) of about 25 to 30 per cent, it has been unable to meet several financial obligations, forcing some psychiatric hospitals to disengage non-regular staff, including consultants, due to unpaid salaries.
He further noted that while overhead costs for about ten months were eventually released, rising energy costs and irregular funding continue to place significant pressure on hospital operations.
In his response, Chairman of the House Committee on Specialty Healthcare, Hon. Alex Egbona, assured stakeholders that at least 30 per cent of the capital component of the 2025 budget allocation would be released before the end of February 2026, next year.