Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, on Tuesday, April 7 has passed into law a bill establishing a Mental Health Services Department to regulate and improve mental healthcare delivery across the state.
This followed the presentation of a report by the House Committee chairman on Health, Hon. Moses Essien at the plenary plenary.
Essien explained that the law will provide a coordinated framework for mental health services in Akwa Ibom State and safeguard the rights of persons with intellectual, psychosocial and cognitive disabilities, while improving access to quality mental healthcare, rehabilitation, and community-based treatment.
According to him, key provisions of the legislation include guidelines for obtaining consent for treatment, empowering the Commissioner for Health to formulate necessary regulations, and repealing the outdated Lunacy Law of 1916.
Essien commended the Speaker and the members of the house for their support and urged his colleagues to adopt the committee’s recommendations.
Following deliberations, the House dissolved into the Committee of the Whole for a clause-by-clause consideration of the bill. The report was subsequently adopted, and the bill passed through third reading.
The Speaker, Rt. Hon. (Elder) Udeme Otong, thereafter, announced its passage into law after a motion for adoption was moved by Hon. Jerry Otu and seconded by Hon. Prince Aniefiok Attah.
The Speaker directed the Clerk of the House, Mrs. NsiakakAbasi Orok, to transmit the resolution to the State Governor for assent.
Meanwhile, the bill had earlier scaled second reading during March 10, 2026, before being referred to the committee for detailed scrutiny.
In adherence to legislative procedure, the committee conducted a public hearing on March 23, 2026, inviting memoranda from stakeholders in the health sector.
