The New Nigerian Mental Health Act: A Huge Leap Before Looking Closely?

A new Mental Health law was recently enacted in Nigeria to replace the Lunacy Ordinance of 1958. The passage of the new law was a major leap from the old. It was received with excitement because the former law was not only outdated but failed to address core issues such as the promotion of mental health and the protection of the rights of the mentally ill. Though the new law adequately makes provisions for these, it has considerable flaws that may hinder implementation. Parts of it lack clarity and other parts are somewhat overzealous in safeguarding the mentally ill, thus potentially defeating its purpose. It appears that certain aspects were not well thought out, or there was no 'looking well' before leaping to legislate. This paper aims to critically review flawed aspects of the new law and make recommendations on the way forward.