FG Approves Decriminalisation Of Attempted Suicide In Nigeria

The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved an amendment to the National Mental Health Act to decriminalise attempted suicide in Nigeria.

The amendment, which will be transmitted to the National Assembly for legislative consideration and enactment, is aimed at shifting the treatment of people who attempt suicide from punishment to care and support.

Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, disclosed this while briefing State House correspondents on the decisions of the Federal Executive Council.

Pate said the proposed amendment was necessary because attempted suicide remains criminalised under colonial-era provisions of the Criminal Code Act and the Penal Code, despite the National Mental Health Act 2021 providing for supportive care, protection and treatment for people at risk of self-harm.

He explained that under the existing legal framework, a person experiencing mental health illness who attempts to harm himself or herself could be arrested and prosecuted.

“The idea is attempted suicide is not a crime,” Pate said, stressing that people who attempt suicide because of mental illness should be treated as persons requiring care and support rather than as offenders.

He said the amendment followed extensive deliberations involving mental health advocates, the Ministry of Justice, the Attorney General’s Office, the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, a task force and the National Assembly.

According to him, the objective is to change the paradigm from criminalisation to treatment and support, with the expectation that the reform would help reduce both successful suicides and suicide attempts.

“Our goal is to reduce by 15 per cent by 2030,” the minister said.

Pate said the reform would also help Nigeria address the broader burden of mental ill-health in the country.

The Federal Executive Council also approved the National Centre for Oral Health Establishment Bill 2026 for transmission to the National Assembly.

Pate said the proposed centre would provide a national referral and research institution for oral health services and establish a comprehensive legal and institutional framework for addressing oral diseases and other oral health-related conditions in Nigeria.

He said the initiative had its roots in a 1982 International Congress of Oral Health Research held in Lagos, which recommended the establishment of an inter-country demonstration, training and research centre for the African region.

According to him, the Ministry of Health had established a centre, but it lacked the necessary legal backing.

The proposed legislation is expected to provide that legal foundation and strengthen Nigeria’s institutional capacity in oral health.

Pate said the development would fill a major gap in the country’s health infrastructure, noting that Nigeria already has specialised institutions in areas including teaching hospitals, federal medical centres, orthopaedic care, eye care, ear, nose and throat services and snake-bite treatment.

The Council also approved a number of contracts for major infrastructure upgrades at the National Hospital, Abuja.

Pate said the hospital was established about 25 to 26 years ago with the ultimate vision of serving as a quaternary healthcare centre, but had not received the requisite infrastructure and equipment upgrades over the years.

He said the approvals were in line with President Bola Tinubu’s direction to transform the country through infrastructure upgrades and improved equipment in the health sector.

The approved contracts include the refitting of the administrative and management block of the National Hospital, awarded to Visible Construction Limited for N18,740,038.

The construction of modular clinics and a theatre complex was awarded to Strabbing Construction Limited for N64,917,827,000.

Pate said the project would provide modular clinics for different specialties as well as theatres.

Another contract for a high-end wing at the National Hospital was awarded to CBC Global Civil Construction Limited for N103 billion, with a completion period of 24 months.

The Council also approved the construction of a Neuroscience Institute at the National Hospital in favour of CBC Global Civil and Building Construction Limited for N69 billion.

Pate said the neuroscience facility would provide dedicated infrastructure for neurosurgical, radiological, interventional and rehabilitative services.

He said such specialised infrastructure was particularly important for patients suffering from conditions including stroke, brain tumours and other diseases affecting the brain and nervous system.

The minister said the scale of the approvals reflected the need for Nigeria to make significant investments in healthcare infrastructure.

“Quality healthcare is not cheap. To have the healthcare system we need, Nigeria has to invest in it,” he said.

According to Pate, the cumulative investment approved for the National Hospital under the present administration was greater than the investment made in the institution over the previous 27 years.

The Federal Executive Council also approved a major project for the National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment (NICRAT).

The project covers the design, construction, furnishing, equipment, supervision and commissioning of a National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment Centre.

The contract was awarded to CBC Global Civil and Building Construction Nigeria Limited for N302,304,243,000, with a completion period of 36 months.

Pate said the project was part of the federal government’s broader effort to strengthen cancer research and treatment infrastructure in the country.

He noted that President Tinubu had previously approved the upgrade of cancer centres and equipment, with facilities in Katsina, Benin and Enugu already completed and launched.

He said the new centre at NICRAT would serve as a flagship institution for cancer research, treatment, innovation and capacity building.

Pate said appropriations had already been provided for NICRAT in the 2025 and 2026 budgets.

He also explained that the contracts for the National Hospital and NICRAT were funded through resources appropriated by the legislature to the relevant agencies and entities, rather than being located in the Federal Ministry of Health.

According to him, the agencies followed due process and obtained clearances through competitive procurement procedures involving the Bureau of Public Procurement.

He said the contractors selected were assessed for their capacity to undertake specialised hospital and health infrastructure projects within the stipulated timelines.

Pate said the procurement processes and relevant matrices were open to scrutiny and had been reviewed by the Federal Executive Council without objection from the Bureau of Public Procurement.

The minister described the scale of the health infrastructure approvals as unprecedented, saying Nigeria had historically not invested sufficiently in health infrastructure.

He said the poor condition of many healthcare facilities across the country demonstrated the need for greater investment in the sector.

Pate said while Nigeria routinely makes major investments in road infrastructure because of its importance to economic growth, the country had not traditionally made comparable investments in healthcare.

“We’re beginning to change that, and thanks to His Excellency, Mr. President,” he said.

He added that as the Nigerian economy and government revenue grow, more resources would inevitably need to be devoted to healthcare.

Pate said inadequate revenue had contributed to the neglect of health infrastructure at both federal and state levels, resulting in poor infrastructure and inadequate equipment in many primary healthcare centres and general hospitals.

He said the government was now on a path to address those deficiencies.

“Our goal is to ensure that they are executed, and that Nigerians can be able to see a transformation of the National Hospital, as well as a befitting cancer center here at NICRAT,” he said.

The minister also said the investments were expected to reduce the need for Nigerians to travel long distances to access specialised healthcare and contribute to reducing medical tourism.