Vice-Chancellor of Nasarawa State University, Keffi, Prof. Sa’adatu Hassan Liman, has decried the rising incidence of mental health disorders in the country and called for evidence-based interventions and policies.

She lamented that millions of people in Nigeria and globally suffer from mental health disorders, resulting in substantial economic losses and social problems, adding that the situation in Nigeria was particularly dire, with limited access to mental health services and a lack of awareness about mental health issues.

Speaking at the 55th Inaugural Lecture of the University, Liman emphasised the need to prioritise mental health to unlock the potential of citizens, enhance productivity, and create a more resilient and compassionate society.

Delivering the lecture with the theme, ‘From Mental Health to National Wealth: Psychology as a National Development Imperative’, a professor of Organisational Psychology at the University, Prof. Emmanuel Onu Alhassan, lamented that Nigeria’s mental health burden was higher than global averages, with estimates indicating that approximately 20 per cent of the population experiences a diagnosable mental disorder.

Alhassan noted that recent statistics showed that no fewer than 20 million Nigerians are grappling with mental health issues in 2025 alone, adding that depression and anxiety are among the most reported conditions in Nigerian prevalence studies, further highlighting the nation’s urgent public health challenge.

He observed that the integration of mental health services into primary care remained limited and fragmented, with sporadic local efforts often hindered by poor infrastructure, inadequate health information systems, and a lack of political commitment to sustaining comprehensive services.

According to him, underfunding of the mental health sector exacerbates the situation as only around 3.3-4 per cent of Nigeria’s total health expenditure is allocated to mental health.