Akwa Ibom Assembly Passes Law To Check Mental Health Menace

Worried by the eyesore constituted by the proliferation of mentally -deranged persons, especially in the capital, Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly has passed into law a bill establishing a Mental Health Services Department (MHSD) to regulate and improve mental healthcare delivery in the state.

The legislation, considered a major step toward modernising the state’s healthcare system, followed the presentation of a report by the House Committee on Health chairman,  Hon. Moses Essien, during the plenary session.

The bill had earlier passed the second reading during the March 10, 2026, plenary, before being referred to the Committee for detailed scrutiny.

In adherence to legislative procedure, the committee, LEADERSHIP, gathered, held a public hearing on March 23, 2026, inviting memoranda from stakeholders in the health sector.

Presenting the  report during the plenary of the House held at the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs Chamber, Government House, Uyo, Essien, who doubles as the House Committee on Nutrition and Food Security, explained that “the law provides for a coordinated framework for mental health services in the state.”

He, therefore, expressed optimism that “the new law will safeguard the rights of persons with intellectual, psychosocial, and cognitive disabilities while also improving access to quality mental healthcare, rehabilitation, and community-based treatment.”

According to the Ibiono Ibom lawmaker, key provisions of the legislation included “guidelines for obtaining consent for treatment, empowering the Commissioner for Health to formulate necessary regulations, and repealing the outdated Lunacy Law of 1916.”

Essien commended Speaker Udeme Otong (Abak) and members of the House for their support, and urged his colleagues to adopt the Committee’s recommendations.

Following deliberations, the House dissolved into the Committee of the Whole for clause-by-clause consideration of the Bill and the subsequent adoption of the Bill to pass the Third Reading.

Thereafter, Speaker Otong announced its passage into law after a motion for adoption was moved by Hon. Jerry Otu (Ikot Ekpene/Obot Akara) and seconded by Hon. Prince Aniefiok Attah (Ibesikpo Asutan), and subsequently directed the Clerk, Mrs Nsiakak Abasi Orok, to transmit the resolution to the State Governor for assent.

Speaking on the anticipated positive impacts of the law, Essien said, “The new law is expected to usher in a more humane, structured, and rights-based approach to mental healthcare delivery in Akwa Ibom State.”