The Continental Representative for Lifeline International, Prof. Taiwo Sheikh, has called on the Nigerian government to declare suicide a national crisis, warning that the country is losing thousands of lives each year to a preventable tragedy.
Speaking as the keynote speaker at Vanguard’s 3rd Mental Health Summit held on Friday at the Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos, Prof. Sheikh described suicide as one of the most neglected public health emergencies in Nigeria.
“I’m standing here today as an advocate. Suicide everywhere is a preventable tragedy; it refers basically to self-inflicted death. It is a situation one is compelled to end one’s life because of the weight one is experiencing, believing that when one exits, things will be better. If you look at the number of those which are intentionally self-inflicted measures in 100,000 people… If we look at the scope of the problem, suicide has attained a global crisis. The UN has declared it as a global crisis. It takes 16,000 lives yearly — no other condition takes such lives, not Boko Haram, others — and yet Nigeria has not declared it as a crisis,” he said.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), one in every hundred deaths globally is due to suicide, with Africa recording the highest rate in the world. Suicide is the third leading cause of death among people aged 15 to 29 globally and the second in Africa, only behind road traffic accidents. WHO data suggests that around 15,000 Nigerians die by suicide each year, though the actual number is likely higher due to underreporting and criminalisation.
Prof. Sheikh further explained that while suicide is not a mental illness, most suicide cases are linked to mental health and substance use disorders.
“Suicide is not mental illness, but mental illness is part of suicide. We need a standalone comprehensive suicide prevention strategy in Nigeria, including decriminalisation of those who face the challenge. There should be a dedicated fund for suicide prevention — with access to that fund for those who have attempted suicide. Ninety per cent of suicide deaths are related to mental health conditions and substance use disorders, and over 70 per cent of such deaths are due to mental health conditions. Poor access to mental health treatment is a huge risk factor — and that is what is fuelling suicidality in our country,” he said.
He stressed that mental health must be treated as the foundation of national well-being.
“Our mental health is an aggregate of our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we feel and act, and it also helps determine how we relate to others, make choices, and handle stress. The fact is, we all have mental health — which we need to promote and protect in order to prevent mental distress and illness,” he added.
Experts at the summit echoed his call for a national suicide prevention policy, the decriminalisation of suicide attempts, and increased access to affordable mental health care across Nigeria.
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