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From Jude Dangwam, Jos
Nigeria cannot achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC) without deliberate and sustained investment in mental healthcare, a Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Jos, Taiwo James Olubunmi Obindo, has warned.
Obindo gave the warning while delivering the 126th inaugural lecture of the University of Jos, where he raised the alarm over Nigeria’s growing mental health burden and the low level of funding for the sector.
He said mental health conditions account for about 20 percent of the global disease burden, yet mental health receives less than five percent of health funding in most countries and less than two percent in Nigeria.
The psychiatrist attributed the worsening mental health crisis in Nigeria to mounting socio-economic pressures, including poverty, insecurity, violence, banditry, kidnapping, unemployment, underemployment, malnutrition, maternal and child mortality, childhood infections and the rising cost of healthcare.
He also identified the growing number of out-of-school children, recruitment of children by insurgents and increasing abuse of psychoactive substances as major threats to the mental wellbeing of Nigerians.
Obindo said the pressures confronting citizens had gone beyond what could reasonably be regarded as normal stress.
“The high cost of living, depreciating standard of living, multi-dimensional poverty and the astronomical increase in the cost of care have all made the life of an average Nigerian a living hell.”
He warned that the early onset of many mental disorders made children and young people particularly vulnerable, noting that more than 34 percent of mental health conditions begin before age 14, while over 62 percent occur before age 24.
According to him, untreated mental health conditions can disrupt schooling, employment and productivity, eventually imposing a wider economic burden on society.
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“Since mental illness commonly begins much earlier, it disrupts schooling, work and long-term economic contribution,” he said.
Obindo also warned that prolonged exposure to stress could have serious physical health consequences, explaining that chronic stress activates cortisol, which can weaken the immune system and increase susceptibility to infections and other illnesses.
To reverse the trend, he called for the mandatory integration of mental health screening into primary healthcare, particularly for patients living with chronic conditions such as diabetes, hypertension and HIV/AIDS.
He also urged the government to fully implement the National Mental Health Act 2021 and establish the committees required to coordinate mental health services across the country.
He advocated a dedicated Mental Health Fund to expand access to treatment, reduce the rising cost of medicines and address the migration of mental health professionals.
He further called for greater use of artificial intelligence to improve diagnosis, expand access to online mental healthcare in underserved communities and strengthen research.
He urged increased research funding for universities and teaching hospitals through TETFund and corporate organisations, as well as the creation of comprehensive mental health data repositories at the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare to guide policy and planning.
He said mental healthcare must be treated as an integral component of the country’s health system if Nigeria is to achieve meaningful universal health coverage.
Vice Chancellor of the University of Jos, Tanko Ishaya, represented by the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Administration, and Chairman of the Senate Inaugural and Valedictory Lecture Committee, Charles Onwochei, commended Obindo for the lecture, describing it as another contribution to the academic standing of the university.
