NAFDAC Leader Champions Mental Health as Essential Right and Fights Back Against Prejudice

The head of Nigeria’s food and drug regulatory body has urged tougher controls on mind-altering drugs to foster confidence among the public and guarantee secure treatment options for those facing emotional struggles.

Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, director general of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, made these remarks during a key forum on emotional well-being in Lagos last Friday. She underlined the need for robust monitoring of these sensitive medications to curb misuse while making sure people can get hold of reliable remedies without fear.

Emotional health, she explained, means having the inner strength to handle life’s pressures. Beyond just enforcing rules, the agency’s role centres on safeguarding everyday lives, she added.

Professor Adeyeye insisted that caring for one’s mind is a fundamental entitlement for all Nigerians, and nobody ought to face barriers to support or endure shame for reaching out. “Caring for one’s mind is a core right—every Nigerian deserves it,” she declared.

She highlighted how widespread prejudice continues to block many from pursuing help, even though proven treatments exist for issues like low mood, worry, and related troubles. “Folks steer clear of remedies for emotional woes because of the backlash. Yet effective options are out there for gloom, unease, and more,” she observed.

Lax oversight risks sparking widespread misuse and harm, whereas firm guidelines protect communities and strengthen faith in such care, she cautioned. “Weak controls breed misuse and danger. Solid ones deliver security,” she noted, calling for teamwork among various groups to meet the country’s aims on curbing drug problems and raising awareness about emotional health.

To drive this home, the agency runs an initiative dubbed “Catch Them Young”, which involves visiting schools nationwide to educate pupils on spotting and speaking against drug risks and bias. It also partners with religious communities to nurture spaces free from judgement around emotional support. “Teamwork across fields is crucial. We join forces to meet our shared duty to halt drug harm,” she said.

By easing prejudice and urging the young to voice their needs and seek aid, society can grow stronger and more supportive overall, she affirmed. The agency remains dedicated to open, evidence-led controls and joint efforts with both public and private players to ensure all Nigerians can access safe mind-altering drugs.

Nigeria grapples with a quiet surge in emotional distress, where conditions like persistent sadness, constant fear, addiction, past traumas, and mood swings are on the rise, yet proper help stays out of reach for most. Health experts estimate that one in four people here—around 50 million—deals with some form of mind-related issue, but fewer than one in ten get any kind of treatment.

Such troubles often get dismissed as personal failings, supernatural woes, or character flaws. Countless endure alone, dreading scorn from loved ones, bosses, worship groups, or even doctors. For many more, solutions simply cost too much or cannot be found, particularly away from big cities.