By Lilian U. Okoro
Some participants at a mental health summit organised by the Vanguard Media Ltd., have recommended new paths for promotion of mental health and suicide prevention in Nigeria.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the summit, held on Friday in Lagos, has the theme: “Taming the Rising Tide of Suicide in Nigeria” and sub-theme: “Substance and Silence: Unmasking the dual crisis of addiction and suicide”
Speaking, the Representative of Cross River South Senatorial District, Sen. Asuquo Ekpenyong, decried that thousands of Nigerians continue to die by suicide, saying that about 16,000 people die by suicide each year.
Ekpenyong, also a special guest of honour at the event, described the development as a staggering and heartbreaking reality, emphasising the needed for suicide prevention.
According to him, these are not just numbers, but lives that could be saved with compassion, care, and timely action.
“It is this conviction that led me to sponsor the Suicide Prevention Bill 2024.
“A legislation that seeks the decriminalisation of attempted suicide, and the rehabilitation and reintegration of individuals who survive suicide attempts, alongside the provision of mental health and psychosocial support for relatives of those who died by suicide or survived a suicide attempt.
According to him, the reality on the ground, especially as highlighted by the summit’s sub-theme, is that we cannot address suicide without addressing the co-existing crisis of substance addiction.
He noted that the challenge of ‘Substance and Silence’ was one to be taken seriously, as many young Nigerians were trapped between despair and dependence, saying that our response must be both compassionate and comprehensive.
On his part, the Continental Representative for Lifeline International, Prof. Taiwo Sheikh, called for the implementation of the suicide decriminalisation agenda to advance suicide prevention and support in Nigeria.
In his Keynote Speech, Sheikh said it had become imperative for Nigeria to decriminalise attempted suicide, saying that major barrier to suicide prevention and control was the law that criminalises attempted suicide.
He frowned at efforts to move suicide bill that is before the National Assembly and subsume it into the National Mental Health Act, saying it was wrong.
He said the objectives of the National Mental Health Act was about those who have mental illness.
He said: “That law is for people under the body of mental health condition.
“So, if you subsume suicide prevention law into the Mental Health Act, it means if you do not have a diagnosis of mental illness, that law will not protect you. That is what it means. And we tell those who are doing this that it cannot work.
“We need to stand the law, a comprehensive suicide prevention law in Nigeria that takes care holistically of anything about suicide, including post-prevention.
“Care for relations of those who have died of suicide or attempted suicide and decriminalisation of attempted suicide – that is what the draft before the National Assembly contains.
“So, the people who are saying we should move the suicide bill that is before the National Assembly and subsume it into the National Mental Health Act, this is wrong”.
Speaking, the Chairman, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Mr Buba Marwa, said that plans toward conducting a new National Drug Survey alongside the formulation of a new National Drug Control Master Plan (NDCMP) 2026–2030 were underway.
Represented by Mr Femi Babafemi, Director of Media, NDLEA, Marwa said the agency equally invested substantially in intelligence gathering.
He explained that core component of the agency’s reform was not merely to track drug trafficking networks but also to serve as an early warning and surveillance system for substance use and related mental health commodities.
According to him, the country is running in a circle because there are a lot of arrests without treatment, incarceration without rehabilitation and enforcement or prevention merely keep us running in circles.
He said: “As an agency, we have been actively and systematically collating data from our various operations.
“This process has enabled us to map patterns of drug use across Nigeria, a task we shall continue to pursue as we expand our reach and deepen our presence within communities nationwide.
“As the next phase of our reform, we shall, in the months ahead, scale up our community policy through the deployment of NDLEA community liaison offices in every local government area.
“These offices will work in close partnership with local structures and stakeholders.
“NDLEA is undergoing a profound transformation.
“We aim to become not merely a shield against drug trafficking but also a partner in healing, prevention and strengthening of community resilience against the scourge of illicit substances,” he said.
The Training Coordinator of Suicide Research and Prevention Initiative (SURPIN), Ms Titilayo Tade, identified stress and depression as factors that could lead to suicide if not properly managed, urging Nigerians to develop the habit of checking on one another.
Tade, who spoke on the title: “How Are You”, said that suicide and other outcomes of mental ill health were on the increase in Nigeria.
She said that the first line for managing life challenges or depression was counselling and therapy, adding that it could be from family members, friends, religious leaders and medical experts.
She warned that an individual should not wait till he or she was battered, violated, injured or close to committing suicide, before seeking for help.
“We are dealing with a lot of issues in the country; businesses are falling, things are expensive, cash is hard to come by and the basic amenities are lacking.
“There is need for people to speak out; let us not be intimidated to bottle up our anxieties, challenges and frustrations. Even considering suicide should not be an option for life challenges of any sort.
“We should learn to check on one another, share our worries, speak out and always access the SURPIN helplines for help any time,” Tade said. (NAN)(www. nannews.ng)
Edited by Vivian Ihechu
