Senate seeks to establish agency for mental health

Date: 2019-11-27

The Senate is seeking the establishment of an agency to cater for mental health and substance abuse.

The Senate has considered a bill seeking to establish the National Agency for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services.

The agency, when established, shall be charged with effective management of mental health and psychosocial disabilities in Nigeria.

Sponsor of the bill, Senator Yahaya Oloriegbe (APC, Kwara Central), in his lead debate, said the bill among others, also seeks to criminalize abuse of persons with mental health and psychological disabilities.

According to him, if passed into law, the bill will decriminalize substance abuse disorder and increase funding for mental health and psycho-social programmes.

Making a case for the bill which scaled second reading on the floor, Oloriegbe said: "According to the World Health Organization (WHO), about 50 million people are suffering from some sort of mental illness in Nigeria.

"As the seventh-largest country in the world, Nigeria has Africa's highest rate of depression, and ranks fifth in the work frequency of suicide."

According to Oloriegbe, there is no mental health law in Nigeria besides the Regional Lunacy Law of 1958 which, he noted, violates fundamental Human Rights of persons with mental and psychosocial disabilities.

The lawmaker, therefore, advocated that persons living with mental health and make special provisions for them in all spheres of their lives".

Oloriegbe said if passed into law by the National Assembly, the bill would protect persons with mental and substance abuse disorder from discrimination, victimization and unfair treatment by employers, academic institutions and other agencies.

Contributing to the debate, Senator Matthew Urhoghide (PDP, Edo South) said as a way of reducing cases of substance abuse, the Federal government must ban the importation of drugs and substances into the country.

The Senate Leader, Yahaya Abdullahi, said in the United States of America, a lot of cases of gun violence and killings were carried out by patients of mental health disabilities.

He warned that in order to avoid such happenings in Nigeria, government must swing into action by identifying and caring for people with mental health challenges.

Adam Aliero (APC, Kebbi Central) while supporting the bill said, "the incidence of drug abuse is very alarming. No zone is excluded.

"There is need for a commission to be established to take care of people with mental illness."

The Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, after consideration of the bill, referred same to the Committee on Health for further legislative work.

Source

 

Cloud Tag: What's trending

Click on a word/phrase to read more about it.

Joseph Offorjama     College Of Arabic And Islamic Legal Studies     Kwara State Infrastructure Development Fund     Olabanji Orilonishe     Samuel Olusegun Adedayo     Eleyele     Shuaibu Yaman     Agbarere     Yusuf Ali     Monthly Sanitation     Shero     Umar Bayo Abdulwahab     Law School Scholarship     Fatimoh Lawal     Sa\'adu Gambari     Ishola Abdullahi     Paul Odama     Muideen Olaniyi Alalade     Umar Adelodun     Sanusi Abubakar     Umar Saro     N-Power     Oke-Ogun     SSUCOEN     Millennium Development Goals     Abdulrasheed Na\'Allah     Tunji Moronfoye     Ganmo     College Of Education     Yomi Ogunsola     Fatai Garuba Labaka     Ajasse-Ipo     Abubakar Baba Sulaiman     Edu     Dogara     Bank Of Industry     Kwara State Pension Board     Tunji Ajanaku     Garba Dogo     CACOVID     Adijat Adebiyi     Wahab Olasupo Egbewole     Muritala Olarewaju     Razaq Ayobami Akanbi     Kudirat Arinola Lawal     Taibat Ayinke Ahmed     Muhammed Danjuma     Talaka Parapo     Theophilus Oyebiyi     Oluwole Dupe     Raliat Islamic Foundation     Kwara Coalition Of Business And Professional Associations     Salihu Jibril Garbi     Oluwarotimi Boluwatife Adenike     Lateef Fagbemi     Woro     Olawuyi     Aisha Abodunrin Ibrahim     Labaeka     Jimoh Lambe Abdulkareem     Bolaji Nagode     Jimoh Saadudeen Muhammed     Mohammed Kamaludeen     Yusuf Babatunde Abdulwahab     Ahmad Lawan     Senior Ibrahim Suleiman     Funmilayo Oniwa     Odolaye Aremu     Yakubu Dogara     Tayo Awodiji     Kayode Ishola     Anilelerin     Ahmed Ayinla Jimoh     Tunde Yusuf     Abdulwahab Ololele     National Union Of Road Transport Workers     Aliyu Adebayo    

Cloud Tag: What's trending

Click on a word/phrase to read more about it.

Mary Arinde     Convocation Ceremonies     Saka Asiat Ayinke     Jimoh Bashir     Yekeen Alabi     Oba David Oyerinola Adedunmoye     Abdulmumin Yinka Ajia     NULGE     Adamu B. Yaqubu     Ayobami Akanbi     Jimba Babatunde     Isiaka AbdulRazaq     Arik     COVID-19 Palliatives     Femtech     Umar Yakubu Jaja     Muhammed Taofeeq Abdulrazaq     Ike Ekweremadu     Ndama Al-hassan     Alaiye     Salihu Alhaji Musa     Pategi     Medinat Folorunsho Salman     Kayode Ogunlowo     Temitope Ogunbanke     CELF     Monthly Sanitation     Dogara     Sanitation Exercise     Idowu Laro     Ahmad Olayiwola Kamaldeen     Omu-aran     Seni Saraki     Ayo Opadokun     Ophthalmological Society Of Nigeria     Alabere     Ahmed \'Lateef     YAKOOYO     Labour Party     Abdulmumini AbdulRazaq     Rex Olawoye     Dauda Adesola     Olaoye B. Felix     Kwara 2023     First Lady     Taofik Mustapha     Adamu Attah     Sherif Shagaya     Senate Presidency     Ajakaye     Lanwa     Tosho Yaqub     Shuaib Abdulkadir     Afeyin-Olukuta     Yakub Ali-Agan     Junior Secondary School Certificate Examinations     Folorunsho Erubu     Oba-Solagberu     Muideen Olaniyi Alalade     Clement Yomi Adeboye     Islamiya Abdulraheem     Lateef Ademola Olatunji     Ibrahim Jawondo     Okanlawon Musa     John Kehinde Salako     Senior Staff Union Of Colleges Of Education     Imodoye Writer’s Enclave     KWACOBPA     Labaeka     Abdulkadri Ahmad Alaiye     Sa\'adu Salahu     Hassan A. Saliu     Musa Aibinu     Salaudeen Oyewale     Afetu Of Alabe     Ajike People Support Centre     Femi Agbaje