Dr Adekola Aminu of the Department of Political Science and Conflict Resolutions, Al-Hikmah University, Ilorin has appealed to Nigerians to shun suicidal tendencies.
According to Vanguard, Aminu said this on Thursday in Ilorin that though, the country was facing hard times, people should be optimistic that things would get better.
Aminu explained that there was no need for anyone who had tasted the good side of life in the past, and because of the difficult economic situation in the country to contemplate suicide. He urged this class of people to be optimistic for better tomorrow as efforts were ongoing to get the nation out of the economic recession. The don, however, expressed disappointment at “the daring rate of suicide cases’’ in the country.
He identified poverty and frustration as the main causes for the increasing cases of suicide in the country. According to him, suicide is a catastrophe which occurs with untold hardship and stigma in a society to unfortunate victims. “The global suicide rate is 16 per 100,000 population and on average, one person dies by suicide every 40 seconds somewhere in the world,’’ he said.
He stated that 1.8 per cent of worldwide deaths were suicides, adding that global suicide rates had increased by 60 per cent in the past 45 years. Aminu said that the World Health Organisation (WHO) estimated that each year, approximately one million people would die from suicide. This, he said represented a global mortality rate of 16 people per 100,000 or one death every 40 seconds. “In the last 45 years, suicide rates have increased by 60 per cent worldwide.
“Suicide is now among the three leading causes of death among those aged 15 to 44; male and female,’’ he said. Aminu said that mental health disorders; particularly depression and substance abuse, were also associated with more than 90 per cent of all cases of suicide.
According to the expert, suicide results from many complex sociocultural factors and it is more likely to occur during socioeconomic, family and individual crisis. Others, he said were loss of a loved one, unemployment, sexual orientation, difficulties with developing one’s identity, disassociation from one’s community or other social/belief group, and honour. He implored the government to come up with palliative measures that could help reduce the hardship.
“Too much of worry and depression could push people to commit suicide.
“This is because there are those who think they cannot make it in life due to past failure, disappointment or poverty.’’
He also advised the government and law enforcement agencies to come up with diverse approach to help combat the factors that fuel suicide cases in the country. Aminu also urged the Federal Government to as a matter of urgency take steps to improve economy in order to reduce the rate of poverty and elevate the standard of living among Nigerians.
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