Lagos: 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.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, 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 need 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,” he noted.
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, noting that a major barrier to suicide prevention and control was the law that criminalises attempted suicide.
The Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Mr Buba Marwa, discussed plans toward conducting a new National Drug Survey alongside the formulation of a new National Drug Control Master Plan (NDCMP) 2026-2030. Represented by Mr Femi Babafemi, Director of Media, NDLEA, Marwa explained that a 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 issues.
The Training Coordinator of Suicide Research and Prevention Initiative (SURPIN), Ms Titilayo Tade, highlighted 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’, emphasized that the first line for managing life challenges or depression was counselling and therapy, which could come from family, friends, religious leaders, and medical experts.