|By Chinwendu Nwani
Governor Uba Sani has redefined mental health as a fundamental human right in Kaduna State, signing the Kaduna State Mental Health Law on September 18, 2025, to replace the outdated Lunacy Act of 1958. The landmark legislation protects residents with mental health conditions from discrimination, guarantees access to quality care, and restores dignity to those long marginalized.
Deputy Governor Dr. Hadiza Balarabe announced the milestone on Friday while delivering a keynote address at a public lecture marking the 2025 World Mental Health Day, organized by the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Kaduna.
Dr. Balarabe disclosed that Governor Sani had also transformed the former Bureau for Substance Abuse into the Kaduna State Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Agency (KADSAMHSA). The agency, she said, now coordinates mental, neurological, and substance use care “in a unified, humane system,” describing the move as “not just administrative reform, but a moral statement.”
Highlighting the state’s progress, the Deputy Governor revealed that 100 clinicians, including doctors, nurses, and pharmacists from 10 General Hospitals, had completed training under the WHO Mental Health Gap Action Programme. She noted that Kaduna has shifted its mental health approach “from isolation to integration, from centralization to community, and from exclusion to inclusion.”
Recalling earlier interventions, Dr. Balarabe pointed out that in 2024, the government established a Technical Working Group on Perinatal Mental Health, integrating mental health screening into maternal and child health services. “This initiative is saving lives, restoring families, and giving voice to many who once felt invisible,” she stated.
She praised the collaboration between KADSAMHSA, the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, the Ministry of Health, and the State Primary Health Care Board, calling it “proof that progress is possible when policy, professionalism, and compassion move in the same direction.”
Dr. Balarabe further announced plans to extend mental health services to all 30 General Hospitals and every ward-level Primary Health Centre, including 23 designated Centers of Excellence. She added that the state is partnering with KADCHMA to make mental health care affordable under the Contributory Health Scheme.
The Deputy Governor also applauded Dr. Aisha Yushau Armiyau, Chief Medical Director of the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, for her “visionary leadership and professionalism,” describing her as a role model for women in healthcare. She equally lauded Dr. Joe Ike, Director General of KADSAMHSA, for his “purposeful leadership and shared spirit of compassion and professionalism.”
With the enactment of the Mental Health Law, Kaduna State has positioned itself as a national model for inclusive, compassionate mental health reform, ensuring that every citizen has the right to care, dignity, and hope.
