NSUK’s 55th Inaugural Lecturer links mental well-being to economic growth, calls for government action and private sector investment in mental health reform.
Renowned scholar and organisational psychologist, Professor Emmanuel Onu Alhassan, has called on the Nigerian government, private sector, and civil society to translate mental health awareness into concrete national policy and investment, warning that “a nation that neglects the mind cannot prosper in wealth.”
Delivering the 55th Inaugural Lecture of the Nasarawa State University, Keffi (NSUK), titled “From Mental Health to National Wealth,” on Wednesday, October 29, 2025, at the university’s main auditorium, the event drew a cross-section of academics, policymakers, mental-health advocates, students, family, friends, and members of the public.
Prof. Alhassan emphasised that mental health is not just a personal concern but a strategic economic resource that fuels innovation, productivity, and sustainable national development.
“Our level of openness to mental health issues remains low,” he lamented, adding that Nigeria continues to underestimate the cost of untreated mental disorders on its workforce and economy. “Poor mental health is silently draining our national productivity,” he said.
Citing both empirical evidence and decades of practice, Prof. Alhassan noted that more than one in four Nigerians suffer from some form of mental health challenge, many of which go untreated due to stigma, ignorance, or lack of access to care. He warned that this mental health gap directly translates into lost man-hours, reduced innovation, and poor governance outcomes.
He argued that mental health must be repositioned as a pillar of national development, not an afterthought within the health sector. According to him, healthy, emotionally stable citizens are the true drivers of wealth creation, productivity, and civic responsibility.
“We cannot talk of national prosperity when our minds are impoverished,” he declared. “The health of the nation’s mind is the wealth of its people.”
Prof. Alhassan proposed a multi-sectoral framework to transform Nigeria’s mental health landscape, urging collaboration among universities, government institutions, private enterprises, the media, and faith-based organisations.
He called on universities and research institutions to broaden their psychological programmes to train the next generation of professionals and to prioritise interdisciplinary research that informs national policies in technology, security, and economics.
The private sector, he said, must invest in workplace wellness, support mental health startups, and apply psychological insight to innovation and workforce productivity.
He also charged the media and civil society to promote the destigmatisation of mental illness and improve psychological literacy through sustained awareness campaigns and public education programmes.
Prof. Alhassan further urged faith and traditional leaders to use their influence to encourage followers to see it as normal and acceptable to seek help when facing mental, emotional, or psychological challenges by collaborating with psychologists to deliver culturally grounded, community-based mental health interventions.
In his call to action, the NSUK professor appealed to both Federal and State Governments to take decisive steps in institutionalising mental health as a key aspect of Nigeria’s development strategy.
He recommended the inclusion of psychology and mental health education in school curricula, increased budgetary provisions for mental health, and the full implementation of the Mental Health Act to ensure protection for persons with mental health challenges.
He also proposed the establishment of psychology departments or units in all ministries, departments, and agencies to integrate behavioural insights into public policy and service delivery.
“The most important thing is to have these thoughts and words translated into action,” Prof. Alhassan stressed, adding that positive policy signs are beginning to emerge from some leaders and policymakers.
He concluded with a passionate call for a national mindset reset:
“Government alone cannot fix the nation’s mind. Every institution, every community, and every individual must play their part in building a psychologically healthy Nigeria.”
The lecture, which ended with a standing ovation, saw the Vice-Chancellor of Nasarawa State University, Keffi, Professor Sa’adatu Hassan Liman, praise Professor Alhassan for an intellectually engaging and evidence-based presentation that placed psychology at the centre of Nigeria’s development agen
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