Mental Health: Sani sets new record with internationally acclaimed Kaduna model — D-G

 Gov. Uba Sani of Kaduna State has redefined the landscape of mental health and substance abuse treatment in Nigeria with the development and implementation of what is now internationally recognised as the Kaduna Model, a comprehensive public health framework.

The Director-General of the Kaduna State Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Agency (KADSAMHSA), Dr Joseph Ike, disclosed this at a press briefing on Wednesday to mark the 2025 World Mental Health Day.

According to him, the Kaduna Model had transformed substance use and mental health care from a punitive system to a proactive, integrated, and compassionate approach rooted in human rights and international best practices.

“Gov. Uba Sani had dismantled archaic structures and replaced them with a rights-based, community-first system that is now a national reference point,” Ike said.

He revealed that the Kaduna State Mental Health Bill, which repealed the colonial-era Lunacy Act of 1954, has become the legal backbone of this transformation.

According to him, the law ensures that mental health is treated as a fundamental human right in the state.

Ike highlighted several key achievements under the administration, including the inauguration of Kaduna’s first Community-Based Treatment and Recovery Centre in May 2024, which had already rehabilitated 116 individuals, with three more centres underway.

He added that 20 Drop-In Centres had been established within primary healthcare facilities across the state, offering free services to over 20,000 clients in the last year alone.

The director-general also pointed to the Alternatives to Incarceration (ATI) programme, implemented in collaboration with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

According to him, it diverts individuals with substance use disorders from prison into mandatory treatment and rehabilitation.

“Kaduna is the first and only sub-national in Sub-Saharan Africa to implement a full ATI programme.

“This shift from punishment to treatment is breaking the cycle of addiction and incarceration,” Ike stated.

As part of preventive efforts, he announced that Sani had launched several Literacy and Vocational Skills Centres to equip affected individuals with life skills and livelihood opportunities.

“For example, 200 children recently graduated from the Rigasa foundational literacy programme.

“In Unguwan Muazu, we run urban agriculture schemes, while in Kawo, we are training 90 adolescents in jewellery making and hardware repair,” he said.

Ike added that thee administration had also adopted the World Health Organization’s Mental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP), training 100 frontline healthcare workers from 10 general hospitals to diagnose and manage common mental health conditions.

The Kaduna Model, he explained, rests on four foundational pillars expanding the Frontiers of Care: A Community-First Approach.

Ike stated: ”They are; Investing in Our Future: Proactive Youth Prevention

A Paradigm Shift in Justice: The Alternatives to Incarceration

“From Stigma to Support: Institutionalising Modern Mental Healthcare.”

He said these strategies had earned formal recognition from the UNODC and placed Kaduna at the forefront of mental health and substance abuse reform in Nigeria and Africa.

Ike also announced that Kaduna would host the first North-West Governors Forum on Drug Abuse and Security, in collaboration with the UNODC, NDLEA, and other development partners.

To further tackle youths vulnerability, the state had pioneered the Kaduna Children Amplified Prevention System (Kd-CHAMPS), adapted from UNODC’s global prevention framework.

Ike said, “The initiative targets every child under 18 with at least two evidence-based resilience-building interventions.

“Additionally, over 200 teachers have been trained under the “Unplugged” school-based drug prevention programme, reaching over 17,000 students, while the LULU sports-based initiative had engaged 960 at-risk adolescents through 32 trained community coaches.

“We have created a model that is scalable, evidence-based, and deeply compassionate.

“It addresses root causes while investing in the future of our children and communities.”

He described the Kaduna Model as “a replicable blueprint for the continent,” and reaffirmed the administration’s commitment to ensuring no one is left behind in the mental health and recovery process.