The Kaduna State Government has expanded access to mental health care by integrating services into primary healthcare centres across the state.
The Director-General of the Kaduna State Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Agency (KADSAMHSA), Joseph Ike, disclosed this on Monday during an interview in Kaduna.
Ike said the initiative is in line with recommendations by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to close gaps in mental healthcare and reflects Governor Uba Sani’s commitment to addressing mental health and substance abuse in the state.
He explained that mental health challenges are widespread, with research indicating that about one in four people may experience a mental health condition at some point in their lifetime.
According to him, about one in eight people currently lives with an active mental health challenge, while a large majority of those requiring treatment remain unable to access adequate care.
Ike said taking mental health services beyond specialised psychiatric facilities to general hospitals and primary healthcare centres would improve early detection and make treatment more accessible to residents.
On efforts to tackle drug abuse, he said the state operates rehabilitation facilities linked to some primary healthcare centres. One of the facilities, he noted, has attended to more than 200 people since it began operations in 2024.
He said Governor Sani had directed the agency to place greater emphasis on prevention, rather than relying mainly on treatment, as part of efforts to reduce substance abuse.
As part of the strategy, KADSAMHSA has established centres in seven local government areas, with programmes targeting children and adolescents through education and life-skills training designed to discourage early involvement in drug use.
Ike also announced plans to introduce a “Mental Health in Schools” programme aimed at identifying and addressing factors that could contribute to mental health challenges and substance abuse among students.
The agency is also implementing an alternatives-to-incarceration programme in partnership with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
Ike explained that the programme allows people who commit minor, non-violent offences linked to substance use disorders to receive treatment instead of being sent through the conventional criminal justice system.
He said the approach is designed to address the underlying causes of substance-related offences and help break the cycle between addiction and incarceration.
Speaking on the wider drug abuse situation in Nigeria, Ike cited a 2018 survey which found that approximately one in seven Nigerians had used drugs, while noting that the difference in drug use between men and women was narrowing.
He stressed that substance abuse affects families and communities across the country, but expressed concern that many people struggling with drug-related problems still cannot access the treatment they need, including those who actively seek help.
