Korede Abdullah 
Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Professor Akin Abayomi
LAGOS, Nigeria – Nigeria lacks sufficient mental health specialists and treatment beds to meet growing needs, the Lagos State Government has warned, calling for greater investment in prevention and early support, particularly for young people.
Lagos Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, raised the concern on Friday through the Director of Special Projects and Mental Health at the state Ministry of Health, at the fourth Vanguard Media Limited Mental Health Summit in Lagos. “We don’t have enough beds to manage mental illnesses. We don’t have enough specialists to manage mental illnesses. Even when you expand the number of providers, it will still not be enough to match the bodies,” Abayomi said.
The warning highlights concerns about the capacity of Nigeria’s mental health system to provide timely and accessible care to people who need it.
Abayomi also expressed concern about the influence of excessive screen time and online content on young people, warning that digital exposure could distort their expectations and affect how they understand and navigate their immediate environments.
He urged parents, schools and other stakeholders to help young people develop emotional resilience, social intelligence and practical knowledge that would enable them to cope with everyday challenges. “Our children are lacking social intelligence and local intelligence. The people who are supposed to teach them are no longer teaching them. And so, they will get teachings from those who are available to them,” he said.
The commissioner stressed that poor mental health should not automatically be equated with mental illness, noting that the broader objective should be to promote psychological wellbeing and reduce vulnerability to more serious conditions. “Our goal is to promote good mental health,” he said.
He called for accessible support systems, mentorship and appropriate services to help young people manage emotional and psychological challenges before they escalate.
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