The Nigerian Senate has urged the Federal Government to integrate mental health education into the national curriculum, citing the rising toll of psychological distress, substance use, and emotional exhaustion among students and teachers.
The call was made by the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Dr Ipalibo Banigo, during a mental health programme organised by the Mandate Health Empowerment Initiative (MHEI) in Abuja on Monday.
Delivering the keynote address, Senator Banigo—who also serves as Grand Patron of MHEI and the Association of Mental Health Reform Organisations in Africa—stressed that mental well-being was inseparable from discipline, learning, and national development.
“Education is more than the pursuit of grades; it is the shaping of character, values, and vision. Yet, we cannot expect excellence from a mind burdened by anxiety, depression, fear, or hopelessness,” she said.
The senator lamented what she called a “growing crisis” of academic burnout, youth substance abuse, and emotional distress across schools in Nigeria and much of Africa—problems that, she said, are often dismissed or “spiritualised,” leaving many to suffer in silence.
“We must move from silence to action—from stigma to support,” Banigo declared. “Schools must become spaces not just for intellectual development, but for psychological safety and emotional growth.”
She outlined a set of proposals aimed at embedding mental health awareness in Nigeria’s education system, including training for teachers and counsellors, establishing mental health desks in all institutions, and launching community-based awareness campaigns for parents.
“We must work closely with the Ministries of Education and Health to integrate mental health education into school curricula, empower teachers in emotional intelligence and crisis response, and invest in credible, youth-centred data to guide policy,” Banigo said.
The Abuja event featured two flagship activities by MHEI: a National Students–Parents–Teachers Roundtable and a continental webinar hosted under the Association of Mental Health Reform Organisations in Africa (AMHROA). Both gatherings explored the intersection between education and mental health reform.
The national roundtable, held at the Federal Ministry of Education Secretariat, drew over 120 participants — including students, teachers, parents, and government officials — while the webinar connected 54 participants from 14 African countries, including Kenya, Ghana, South Africa, and Uganda.
MHEI Founder and President, Dr Ameh Abba, said the initiative reflected a growing recognition that mental health must be treated as a development priority rather than a purely medical concern.
“For far too long, mental health has been confined to hospitals and institutions,” Abba said. “We now understand that mental well-being is central to academic success, national productivity, and thriving communities.”
He added that creating psychologically safe classrooms and emotionally aware teaching practices would be key to building resilience among Africa’s youth.
“What we are seeing is momentum — from schools, families, and governments — to treat mental health as both a right and a foundation for sustainable development,” he said. “This is just the beginning of a movement to embed mental well-being at the heart of education systems across the continent.”
