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By Cosmas Omegoh
Mental health issues in Nigeria will be on the table for discussion when members of the Board of Fellows (BOF), Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), converge on Lagos on Wednesday, July 2, 2025, to mark their two-day 2025 Mid-year Meeting, an event which incorporates their 7th Annual Public lecture. At the occasion, members will vigorously appeal for increased support for endowment fund for the promotion of excellence in pharmaceutical research, and education in the country.
The BOF meeting which will hold at Festival Hotel, formerly Golden Tulip Hotel, Amuwo-Odofin, Lagos, will come under the chairmanship of Rt Hon Mudashiru Obasa, Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly. The Chief Executive Officer of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Brigadier General Buba Marwa (rtd) who will represented by Commander Abubakar Liman Wali, will feature as a panelist alongside Dr Gbonjubola Babalola Abiri, keynote speaker. Other panelists at the event will include Dr Lucas Koyejo, a rights activist and Mrs Veronica Modupe Okugbeni, who will deal with mental health pharmacy practice.
In attendance at yesterday’s press conference to herald the event were BOF executive members among the Chairman, Mr Uchenna Akpakama; Secretary, Mr Damian Izuka, and Chairman, Events Planning Committee, Gbenga Falade. Others included Mr Gbolajade Iyiola, Lawunmi Peters, Ike Ugwu Dr Rametu Momodu and Dr Magaret Obono.
In his opening remark, Izuka disclosed that the theme of the event was “Mental Health: A Basic Human Right Crucial to Personal, Community and Socio-Economic Development.” He warned that mental health “is a growing concern,” lamenting its significant impact on the society. He remarked that “everybody is concerned,” contending that “it should be every body’s business” but pharmacists were already playing a big role to address it.
While addressing the press, Akpakama reiterated that “mental health is a growing concern in our country with a significant impact on individuals, families and communities.” He revealed that the issue is now “found in every tribe, religion and culture, affecting the young, old, poor and rich,” recalling also that “mental health is everyone’s business.”
He emphasised that it was necessary to talk about the challenge at the Fellows’ gathering because “pharmacists play crucial roles in providing accessible and comprehensive care to patients with mental health condition.”
The BOF boss identified mental health as depression, anxiety, drugs and substance abuse which he lamented have been on the rise globally, warning that “Nigeria is facing a significant mental health crisis with alarming statistics that highlight the need for urgent attention.”
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Advancing figures to back up his claim, he noted that “approximately 40 million Nigerians or 20 per cent of the population are affected by mental illness,” disclosing that “one in four Nigerians or over 50 million people experience mental health issues at some point in their lives. Around seven million Nigerians (3.9% of the population) had depressive disorders and 4.9 million Nigerians (2.7%) had anxiety disorder in 2017.”
He further disclosed that in the face of the ugly statistics, “unfortunately, it was reported that there were fewer than 250 psychiatrists in Nigeria translating to a ratio of one psychiatrist per one million people,” a record he said falls “far below WHO’s recommended ratio of one psychiatrist per 10,000 people.”
He further lamented that “sadly, about 80 per cent of people in Nigeria with severe mental health needs are unable to obtain care due to stigma, negative social attitudes lack of facilities, resources and mental health professionals.”
He said because BOF takes mental health seriously and is working to promote more inclusive and supportive society, this year’s lecture would focus on the current state of mental health in Nigeria, the situation of drugs and substance abuse, the role of pharmacists in mental health care and strategies for promoting mental health awareness.
He noted that BOF’s call to action was to seek to increase awareness, support mental health initiatives, prioritise self-care, promote establishment of more treatment centres and research.
He expressed the hope that BOF would leverage the event to engage all stakeholders, share knowledge and develop strategies to promote mental health knowledge awareness and care in the country.
