The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved a proposed amendment to Nigeria’s mental health legislation to decriminalise attempted suicide and replace prosecution with treatment, care and psychosocial support.

Minister of Health and Coordinating Minister of Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, disclosed this Wednesday while briefing State House correspondents after the FEC meeting presided over by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Pate said the proposed amendment to the National Mental Health Act would be presented to the National Assembly as an executive bill.
He explained that the reform seeks to end the application of colonial-era provisions that classify attempted suicide as a criminal offence and recognise the problem primarily as a public health issue requiring professional intervention.

According to the minister, suicide claims more than 7,000 lives annually in Nigeria, while an estimated 300,000 attempts are recorded each year, citing World Health Organisation figures.

He said more than 450,000 Nigerians require psychosocial support annually, adding that suicide is globally the third leading cause of death among young people.

Despite the scale of the problem, Pate said attempted suicide remained criminalised under Section 327 of the Criminal Code Act and Section 231 of the Penal Code, placing people experiencing severe psychological distress at risk of being treated as offenders rather than patients.

He argued that the provisions discouraged vulnerable people from seeking assistance and conflicted with the treatment, protection and support contemplated under the National Mental Health Act.

“The idea is that attempting suicide should not be treated as a crime,” Pate said, explaining that those affected required medical attention and psychosocial care rather than punishment.

He compared the current approach to prosecuting someone for experiencing an illness, insisting that mental health conditions should receive the same treatment-oriented response as other health challenges.

“So, it is about changing the approach to one in which affected people receive care and support,” he said.

Pate said the Federal Government expected the reform to help reduce suicide and suicide attempts by 15 per cent by 2030.

He explained that the proposal emerged from extensive consultations with mental health advocates and a task force established after a resolution by the House of Representatives supporting the reform.

The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare subsequently worked with the Federal Ministry of Justice to prepare the amendment approved by FEC for transmission to the National Assembly.

Pate said its enactment would remove legal barriers that discourage people in psychological distress from seeking professional help and strengthen Nigeria’s response to the growing burden of mental ill-health.

FEC also approved an executive bill for the establishment of a National Centre for Oral Health as the country’s principal referral, training and research institution for oral healthcare.

Pate said the National Centre for Oral Health Establishment Bill 2026 would be transmitted to the National Assembly for passage.

He traced efforts to establish the institution to 1982, when an international congress on oral health research held in Lagos recommended the creation of an Intercountry Demonstration, Training and Research Centre for the African region.

The minister said although the Federal Ministry of Health subsequently established a centre, it had operated without the necessary statutory foundation.

He said the proposed legislation will provide a comprehensive legal and institutional framework for the centre, enabling it to address the country’s increasing burden of oral diseases and related medical conditions.

Pate said oral healthcare remained a major gap in Nigeria’s specialised health system despite the existence of teaching hospitals, federal medical centres and dedicated institutions for orthopaedic, eye, ear, nose and throat services.

He stressed that oral healthcare was essential because several medical conditions could manifest in the mouth and be identified through early examination.

He said the FEC also approved N255.66 billion for a major overhaul of the National Hospital, Abuja, including new administrative, clinical, surgical and specialised facilities.

Pate said the hospital was established about 25 years ago with the vision of becoming a quaternary healthcare institution but had not received the level of infrastructural and equipment investment required to fulfil that objective.

He said the latest approvals followed President Tinubu’s directive for substantial investment in modern health facilities and equipment.

He said the Coucil also approved about N18.74 billion for the construction of a new administrative and management block, with the contract awarded to Visible Construction Limited.

He said the council also approved approximately N64.92 billion for the construction of modular clinics and operating theatres for different medical specialties.

Pate said much of the hospital’s existing infrastructure had become outdated and was no longer suitable for a leading national referral institution in the Federal Capital Territory.

“We need a modern National Hospital in Abuja where Nigerians from every part of the country, as well as residents of the Federal Capital Territory, can receive quality services in a befitting environment,” he said.

He said FEC approved N103 billion for the construction of a high-end wing at the hospital, with a completion period of 24 months.

He said another N69 billion was approved for the construction of a Neuroscience Institute that will provide specialised diagnostic, surgical, interventional and rehabilitative services for conditions affecting the brain and nervous system.

“Ultimately, quality healthcare is not cheap. To build the health system Nigeria needs, the country must invest in it,” he said.

He described the cumulative investment in the National Hospital under the Tinubu administration as unprecedented when compared with interventions received by the institution during much of its existence.

The minister said the FEC also approved the development of a flagship National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment to expand Nigeria’s capacity for cancer research, diagnosis, treatment, innovation and professional training.

Pate recalled that President Tinubu had earlier approved the establishment and upgrading of world-class cancer centres, with facilities in Katsina, Benin and Enugu already completed.

He said the latest project would establish a major national cancer research and treatment institution under the National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment.

He said the council approved approximately N302.3 billion for the design, construction, furnishing, equipment, supervision and commissioning of the centre, which is scheduled for completion within 36 months.
He said the contract was awarded to CBC Global Civil and Building Construction Nigeria Limited.

Pate said funding provisions for the project were contained in the 2025 and 2026 budgets, while the procurement processes for the cancer institute and National Hospital projects were reviewed by the Bureau of Public Procurement.