Yaba Psychiatric Hospital Nurses Demand Better Pay, Welfare and Better Working Conditions
By FNA NEWS, 15th Of September, 2026
Nurses at the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Yaba, Lagos, have called for improved pay, staff welfare and working conditions, as concerns grow over the demands placed on healthcare workers providing specialised mental-health services.
👉 Join Fellow Nurses Africa on WhatsApp
The nurses are also seeking adequate resources to enable them to provide effective and quality care to patients at the federal psychiatric facility. The concerns were reported by PUNCH Healthwise and Daily Post on September 15, 2026.
The development comes at a time when mental-health services are facing increasing demand, placing greater pressure on the professionals responsible for patient care.
Growing pressure on mental-health services
The Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Yaba, is one of Nigeria’s specialist mental-health institutions and provides care to patients with a range of psychiatric and psychological conditions.
In December 2025, the hospital’s Medical Director, Dr Olugbenga Owoeye, said its emergency unit was receiving between 25 and 30 new patients daily.
He also disclosed that the hospital’s 535-bed facility attended to between 400 and 500 patients on clinic days, which run on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. According to Owoeye, the increase in patient numbers was linked partly to greater awareness of mental-health conditions, reduced stigma and increased willingness among Nigerians to seek treatment.
That growing demand makes the availability of adequately trained, motivated and supported nurses particularly important.
Why psychiatric nurses need adequate support
👉 Join Fellow Nurses Africa on WhatsApp
Psychiatric nursing involves far more than routine bedside care.
Nurses working in mental-health settings may be required to monitor patients closely, administer medicines, identify changes in behaviour, manage emergencies, provide therapeutic support and work with other professionals to reduce risks to patients and others.
A recent call at the hospital’s 2026 Nurses’ Week celebration further highlighted the specialised role of psychiatric nurses.
Professor Fatai Badru, a former clinical nurse specialist and psychiatric nurse at Yaba, urged greater investment in continuous training, adequate equipment, improved welfare and leadership opportunities for psychiatric nurses.
He said psychiatric nurses play important roles in identifying early signs of relapse, assessing suicide risk, managing acute psychosis and providing therapeutic support.
The message is significant because better patient outcomes depend not only on medicines and hospital infrastructure, but also on the people delivering care.
Welfare remains a key issue
👉 Join Fellow Nurses Africa on WhatsApp
The latest concerns from nurses also come against the backdrop of previous discussions about staff welfare at the hospital.
In December 2025, Owoeye said staff welfare and capacity building had been among the priorities of his administration. He pointed to regular promotions, annual recruitment and welfare support for staff as part of efforts to maintain an effective workforce despite healthcare workers leaving the country. ([Punch Newspapers][2])
The hospital’s Health Promotion Unit also says its staff wellness programmes are designed to reduce stress, prevent burnout and promote a healthier work-life balance.
However, the latest appeal from nurses indicates that questions around remuneration, welfare, working conditions and access to essential resources remain relevant.
For healthcare workers, welfare is not simply an employment issue. Poor working conditions can affect morale, retention and the ability of health professionals to consistently provide high-quality care.
A wider Nigerian healthcare challenge
The concerns raised at Yaba reflect a broader issue facing Nigeria’s health sector: how to retain skilled healthcare professionals while ensuring that those who remain have the resources and conditions required to work effectively.
The challenge is particularly important in mental-health care, where continuity of care and specialised nursing skills are essential.
Nigeria continues to face a significant gap between the need for mental-health services and the resources available to meet that need. As more people become willing to seek professional help, hospitals must also ensure that their workforce is sufficiently supported to meet rising demand.
What happens next?
👉 Join Fellow Nurses Africa on WhatsApp
The nurses’ call places renewed attention on the responsibility of health authorities to ensure that frontline healthcare workers receive fair remuneration, appropriate welfare support and safe working environments.
It also raises an important question for policymakers: if Nigeria wants to expand access to mental-health care, can it do so without investing adequately in the nurses and other professionals delivering that care?
Supporting psychiatric nurses should therefore be viewed not only as a staff-welfare matter, but as part of Nigeria’s wider strategy for improving mental-health outcomes.
👉 Join Fellow Nurses Africa on WhatsApp
Fellow Nurses Africa is the independent voice of African nursing, we educate, inform and support nurses across Africa.
Durowoju Abisola is a registered nurse, nurse writer and On-Air Correspondent at Fellow Nurses Africa (FNA), passionate about nursing leadership, health education and advocacy.
Through journalism, storytelling and content creation, she amplifies important conversations around nursing, healthcare and the experiences of nurses in Nigeria. She is committed to using her voice and professional knowledge to educate the public, challenge misconceptions and inspire the next generation of nurses.
