The Federal Executive Council has approved a proposed amendment to Nigeria’s mental health legislation aimed at removing attempted suicide from the country’s criminal laws and replacing punishment with medical treatment, psychological care, rehabilitation and support.
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The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Ali Pate, disclosed this on Wednesday while briefing State House correspondents after the weekly Federal Executive Council meeting.
Pate said the proposed amendment would now be transmitted to the National Assembly for consideration and passage, stressing that the reform would not take legal effect until approved by lawmakers.
According to the minister, attempted suicide remains criminalised under provisions inherited from Nigeria’s colonial-era Criminal Code and Penal Code, despite the mental health law providing protections and access to treatment for persons experiencing mental health crises and risks of self-harm.
He said the existing situation means a person who survives a suicide attempt could potentially face arrest or prosecution at a time when such a person requires urgent medical and psychological intervention.
“The idea is attempted suicide is not a crime,” Pate said.
He maintained that persons who attempt suicide, particularly where mental health challenges are involved, should be treated as people requiring care and support rather than as criminals.
Pate explained that the proposed reform followed consultations involving mental health advocates, the Federal Ministry of Justice, the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation, the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, a task force and the National Assembly.
He said the objective was to fundamentally change Nigeria’s approach to suicide attempts from criminal punishment to treatment, rehabilitation and support.
According to him, the Federal Government believes that removing the threat of prosecution could encourage people experiencing mental health crises to seek assistance and enable families, health professionals and relevant institutions to intervene before situations deteriorate.
The government also expects the policy change to contribute to a reduction in both attempted and completed suicides in Nigeria.
“Our goal is to reduce by 15 per cent by 2030,” Pate said.
The proposed amendment will, however, require the approval of the National Assembly before attempted suicide can effectively be removed from the relevant criminal provisions.
At the same FEC meeting, the council approved the National Centre for Oral Health Establishment Bill 2026 for transmission to the National Assembly.
Pate said the legislation would establish a national institution dedicated to specialised oral healthcare, research, professional training and referrals.
According to him, the proposed law would provide the legal and institutional framework necessary to strengthen Nigeria’s response to oral diseases and expand access to specialised dental and oral health services.
The minister traced the initiative to recommendations made during the 1982 International Congress of Oral Health Research in Lagos, where participants called for the creation of an inter-country demonstration, training and research centre for the African region.
He said the Federal Ministry of Health subsequently established a centre, but the institution had continued operating without the statutory foundation required for it to function fully as a national institution.
The newly approved bill, Pate explained, is intended to address that gap by providing the centre with a clear legal mandate and strengthening its capacity to undertake specialised treatment, research and professional training.
He noted that Nigeria already operates specialised national health institutions dealing with areas including orthopaedic care, eye care, ear, nose and throat services, as well as snake-bite treatment.
The proposed National Centre for Oral Health, he said, would become another specialised component of Nigeria’s healthcare system.
Both the proposed mental health amendment and the National Centre for Oral Health Establishment Bill will now proceed to the National Assembly for legislative consideration.
Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu has approved the establishment of a drafting committee to develop a five-year Strategic Defence Cooperation Plan for Nigeria.
Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, announced the decision while briefing State House correspondents after the FEC meeting chaired by the President at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Idris said the committee would comprise representatives of the Office of the National Security Adviser, the two Ministers of Defence, the Chief of Defence Staff and all the service chiefs.
Other members will include the Director-General of the State Security Service, the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency and the Special Adviser to the President on Homeland Security, who will provide the secretariat for the committee.
“The council today also approved the establishment of a drafting committee for a five-year strategic defence cooperation plan,” Idris said.
“It will have membership as follows: the Office of the National Security Adviser, the two Ministers of Defence, the Chief of Defence Staff, and all the service chiefs, the Director-General of the SSS, the Director-General of the NIA, and of course the Special Adviser to the President on Homeland Security, who will provide the secretariat for this council.”
The committee has been given 90 days to complete its assignment and submit its report to President Tinubu.
“They have 90 days from today to submit their report to Mr President,” Idris said.
The decisions therefore span health, mental-health law reform and national security, with the mental health and oral health proposals requiring further legislative action by the National Assembly, while the defence committee has immediately commenced a 90-day process to develop the proposed five-year strategic framework.
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