By Cross Udo, Abuja
The Federal Government has moved to decriminalise attempted suicide in Nigeria as part of a major shift in the country’s response to its growing mental health crisis, with the government setting a target of reducing suicide cases by 15 per cent by 2030.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof Ali Pate, disclosed this on Wednesday while briefing journalists after the Federal Executive Council meeting presided over by President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Pate said the council had approved an amendment to the National Mental Health Act to remove the criminalisation of attempted suicide, arguing that people who attempt to take their lives should be treated primarily as persons in distress requiring care, rather than as criminals.
The proposed reform is expected to fundamentally alter the government’s approach to suicide attempts by shifting emphasis from arrest and prosecution to early intervention, psychological support, treatment and rehabilitation.
Pate said the existing criminal provisions were rooted in colonial-era laws that allowed people who attempted suicide to be arrested and prosecuted, despite the circumstances often being associated with severe psychological distress or mental illness.
He argued that criminal sanctions could discourage vulnerable people and their families from seeking help, thereby making early intervention more difficult.
“Within the context of those colonial-era laws, you can arrest them and, in fact, prosecute them for breaking the law. While these are people who are actually ill,” the minister said.
He said the government was therefore seeking to change the paradigm towards providing care and support to people who attempt suicide, with the expectation that early intervention would help prevent both further attempts and completed suicides.
The scale of the challenge, according to the minister, underscores the urgency of the proposed reform.
Pate said World Health Organisation estimates indicate that suicide accounts for more than 7,000 deaths annually in Nigeria, while approximately 300,000 suicide attempts are recorded every year.
He further disclosed that more than 450,000 Nigerians require psychosocial support annually, highlighting what he described as a significant but often inadequately addressed mental health burden.
*FG targets 15% cut, seeks shift from punishment to care
The minister said the Federal Government had set a target of achieving a 15 per cent reduction in suicide cases by 2030.
He explained that the proposed amendment was intended to bring Nigeria’s criminal justice framework into greater alignment with the National Mental Health Act, 2021, which provides for protection, treatment and supportive care for people experiencing mental health challenges and those at risk of self-harm.
Pate said extensive consultations had preceded the decision, involving mental health advocates, the Attorney-General’s Office, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and a task force constituted to examine the issue.
“After extensive deliberation, including by mental health advocates, there was consensus actually to make this amendment,” he said.
He added that the government believed the proposed legislation, with the support of the National Assembly, could significantly strengthen Nigeria’s public health response to mental illness.
With FEC approval secured, Pate said the amendment would now be transmitted to the National Assembly for consideration and legislative action.
The reform is expected to place greater emphasis on identifying people at risk, improving access to psychosocial services and ensuring that individuals experiencing suicidal distress are connected to appropriate care.
*Mental health burden goes beyond suicide
The minister’s announcement comes against the backdrop of broader concerns about access to mental healthcare in Nigeria, including inadequate services, limited psychosocial support and the stigma associated with mental illness.
The government has increasingly framed mental health as a public health and social development issue requiring intervention across healthcare, education, employment and community support systems.
Pate’s comments also suggest that the proposed legal reform is intended to form part of a wider strategy rather than operate as a stand-alone intervention.
By removing the threat of prosecution for attempted suicide, the government hopes to make it easier for people in distress to seek help and for families and communities to respond without fear of criminal consequences.
Pate also used the briefing to defend the procurement processes surrounding major health infrastructure projects approved for the National Hospital, Abuja, and the National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment.
He said the National Assembly had appropriated funding for the projects, which were being managed through the institutions responsible for their implementation.
According to him, the projects were not domiciled directly in the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare but were being implemented through the National Hospital and NICRAT.
He said both institutions followed the required procurement procedures and obtained necessary clearances through competitive processes overseen by the Bureau of Public Procurement.
Pate said the contractors were assessed based on their capacity to execute specialised hospital and health infrastructure within the stipulated timelines.
He added that the procurement processes remained open to scrutiny and that the Federal Executive Council reviewed the contracts without objection from the BPP.
The minister described the investments as a significant departure from Nigeria’s historical underinvestment in health infrastructure.
“This is unprecedented because, to be honest, Nigeria has not invested significantly or seriously in health infrastructure,” Pate said.
He said the challenge was no longer simply securing approvals but ensuring that funding was available and projects were executed to the required standards.
Pate said the projects were designed to address longstanding deficiencies in Nigeria’s healthcare infrastructure, including inadequate facilities, obsolete equipment and poor conditions in many primary healthcare centres and general hospitals.
The minister contrasted the level of government spending on roads and other economic infrastructure with the historically lower level of investment in health infrastructure.
He said roads remained critical to economic development but argued that healthcare infrastructure was equally essential to the wellbeing and productivity of Nigerians.
“If you look at roads, there are hundreds of billions that are being awarded every day for roads, and they are very necessary for the economic growth of this country. But when it comes to investing in health, we’re not used to those major investments,” he said.
Pate attributed part of the sector’s historical neglect to inadequate government revenue, saying both federal and state governments had struggled to devote sufficient resources to healthcare.
“When we did not have the revenue, health had oftentimes been neglected, both by the Federal Government as well as states,” he said.
He said improved government revenue should now translate into greater investment in healthcare, adding that the administration was committed to ensuring that available resources produced visible improvements in health facilities.
Pate said the Federal Government’s immediate objective was to ensure that approved resources were effectively deployed to transform the National Hospital and establish a modern cancer treatment and research facility at NICRAT.
He said the government would continue to monitor implementation to ensure that the projects delivered value and met the healthcare needs for which they were approved.
“So now we are on that path, and so long as the resources are available, our goal is to ensure that they are executed, and that Nigerians can be able to see the transformation of the National Hospital as well as a befitting cancer centre here at NICRAT,” he said.
*FEC approves revised Biotechnology Policy 2026
Meanwhile, the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Kingsley Udeh, SAN, announced another major decision by the council, saying that the FEC had approved the revised National Biotechnology Policy 2026.
Udeh said the policy would serve as Nigeria’s national framework for the development, application, regulation and commercialisation of biotechnology.
He said implementation of the policy would enable Nigeria to take advantage of the expanding global bio-economy, improve national competitiveness, attract investment and promote sustainable economic growth.
The minister also linked the policy to efforts to strengthen food and nutrition security by encouraging the application of biotechnology in agriculture, industry and other productive sectors.
According to him, the policy is expected to create a clearer regulatory and institutional framework for biotechnology while supporting innovation and commercial opportunities.
Udeh further disclosed that the FEC approved Nigeria’s participation in the Global Bioenergy Partnership by signing and adopting the Global Bioenergy Partnership’s Terms of Reference.
The council also designated the Energy Commission of Nigeria as the lead implementing agency for the Nigeria Bioenergy Partnership.
The Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology was assigned responsibility for coordinating periodic reports on the implementation of the policy and the partnership.
