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.

Shagari     Bayer AG     Abdulrahman Abdulrasaq     Ojuekun Sarumi     Abdulganiyu AbdulAzeez     Borgu     Yakubu Dogara     Olatunde Michaels     Onilupeju Of Ilupeju     BECE     Aishatu Ahmed Gobir     John Kehinde Salako     Kola Adesina     Abdulrazaq Akorede     Iponrin     Bature Bello     AbdulHakeem Ajibola Akanbi     Ghali Alaaya     Sulu Babaita Isiaka     Muhammed Abdullahi     Ibrahim Abdulkadir Abikan     Abdullahi Imam Abdullahi     Student Learning Support Helpline     Iyabo Dupe Adekeye     Ilorin Central Mosque     Dasuki Belgore     Adijat Adebiyi     Abdulkadir Jimoh     Students Union Government     NAWOJ     Sa\'ad Alanamu     Abdullah Janet Amudat     Bello John Olanrewaju     Adaramaja     Chikanda     Saeedat Aliyu     Mukhtar Shagaya     Kwara Apc     Bashirat Bola Bello     Kayode Bankole     Babatunde Ajeigbe     Gwanara     School Of Nursing     Titus Suberu-Ajibola     AGILE Programme     Gbugbu     Stephen Fasakin     Www.Kwarareports.com     Kale Kawu     Siddiq Adebayo Idowu Salawu     Ahmed Idris Mohammed     Local Government Pension Board     Elerin Of Adanla     Park     CACOVID     Busari Toyin Isiaka     United Nigeria Airline     Ajia-Bako     Jaiz Bank     Law School Scholarship     Omar Bolaji Gambari     Fatima Abolore Jimoh     Voices Of Tomorrow     Kwara South     Ajike People Support Centre     All Confederation Of Principals Of Secondary Schools     Turaki Of Ilorin     Talaka Parapo     Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital     Atiku Abubakar     Solomon Edoja     Lanre Issa-Onilu     Haruna Olawale Sulaiman     Dankaka     AbdulHamid Adi     Edu     Joseph Yemi Ajayi    

Cloud Tag: What's trending

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

Rebecca Bake     Hausa     CCB     Esuwoye     Bukola Saraki     HYPPADEC     Adam Abdullahi Al-Ilory     Ijagbo     Adamu Jemilat-Baki     NFAI     Jebba     Pilgrims Board     ASUU     Ijakadi     Moses Adekanye     James Ayeni     Transition Implementation Committee     Otunba Taiwo Joseph     Laduba     Afolasade Opeyemi Kemi     Bahago     Alfa Modibo Belgore     Joseph Bamigboye     Alfa Yahaya Road     Funmilayo Oniwa     Abdulazeez Uthman     Omar Bolaji Gambari     Odolaye Aremu     Kwara Central     Maryam Nurudeen     Ademola Kiyesola     Ogbondoroko     Abdulwaheed Musa     Kazeem Adekanye     David Oyedepo     Yashikira     Bilikisu Gambari     Wasiu Onidugbe     Oye Tinuoye     SAPZ Project     Peter Obi     Taofik Mustapha     Akume     NNPP     LABTOP     Press Release     Olabimpe Olani     Abdulrazaq Akorede     Adekunle David Dunmade     Grillo     Ilorin Like-Minds     Mansurat Amuda-Kannike     Saka Abimbola Isau     National Broadcasting Commission     Junior Secondary School Certificate Examinations     IYA YUSUF     Geri-Alimi Split Diamond Interchange     NSCIA     Saraki     Economic And Financial Crimes Commission     Ilorin Curfew     KFA     NULGE     Rafiu Ajakaye     Ajibola Ademola Julius     SUBEB     Wasiu Odewale     Matthew Babaoye     Amule     COVID-19 Palliatives     Bolakale Kawu Agaka     Afusat Nike Ibrahim     Aishat Sulu-Gambari     Noah Yusuf     Ilorin Muslim Community     Ramadhan     2017 Budget