PAUL OKAH in this piece looks at the increasing suicide cases across the country, what traditions, psychologists and organisations say about the trend as well as possible help for anyone with depression issues.
From time immemorial, suicide has been perceived by many as the way out of many predicaments. Whether it is due to unemployment, terminal illness, divorce or any negative development, many either hang themselves, drink poison, stab themselves, jump into the Lagoon or do anything that would lead to their untimely death. This is despite suicide being condemned in the Bible, in many cultures and many organisations willing to provide help.
Poor academic performance
Just as many Christians across the world were celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ on Sunday, April 21, this year, a student of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-ife, Kolapo Olowoporoku, committed suicide by swallowing a poisonous substance, after repeatedly failing some courses.
Olowoporoku was an ‘extra year’ Computer Science student, who ought to have graduated two sessions ago, but was delayed, as a result of two outstanding courses, though his mates graduated in the 2016/2017 academic session.
A very close friend of Olowoporoku, who preferred to be identified only as Mayowa, spoke of the possible connection of his death with the failure in some courses as rumoured by many.
He said: “He was not the only one that had issues with some courses. I also had, but I have passed them. He wrote the course as an extra-year student. That was first semester last session. The result came out late because of ASUU strike, but was released in the second semester. So, when it was eventually released, he failed that one again.
“So, he said they were going to the department to beg the lecturers. Out of six of them who took the course as extra year students, only one passed. So, I feel that contributed to his depression. I could remember in Part Four, he told me that there’s pressure from home and that the parents don’t know what he is facing in school. They wanted him to graduate with a first class or second class upper division.”
Relationships
Also, barely a week before the death of Olowoporoku, on Wednesday, April 17, this year, a 20-year-old 100-level student of the Kogi State University, Ayingba, Miss Rebecca Michael, committed suicide after her boyfriend reportedly broke up with her. The victim recently gained admission into the varsity’s Department of Philosophy.
The undergraduate drank local insecticide, Sniper, after her boyfriend, a prominent DJ in Lokoja, met her and said he was no longer interested in the relationship.
After drinking the substance, she was said to have been rushed to the Federal Medical Centre, where she gave up the ghost and was later buried at the Lokongoma Cemetery, Lokoja, Kogi state.
Wife
Again, on January 3, this year, just as many people across the world were thanking God for the New Year, a Lagos-based disc jockey (DJ), Seun Omogaji, popularly known as DJ XGee, committed suicide by gulping an insecticide, ‘Sniper’ after unresolved marital crises that led to his wife packing out of her matrimonial home.
Omogaji, hours before the incident, posted a cryptic note on his Instagram account, saying: “Okay, there is a twist to this last respect people give to their loved ones when gone. Black as signs of sadness, but in my case; please rock white because I love the colour so much.
“To all that I have made to smile and to those I have pissed off, trust me, I’m only being human. Enikorewa, I love you so much; Eriayo, your name sums it all up; you are truly the reason for my joy. Omobolanle Ajoke, you know I care, Moradeke, my mum, may my God heal you; and to my in-laws, stay blessed always.”
Though many celebrities and fans trooped to his page to drop their condolence messages, others blamed him for not speaking out or seeking professional help. However, no matter the divergent views that trailed his action, it did not bring back the deceased; neither did others learn from his “inaction.”
Inability to feed family
Also, on Monday December 3, 2018, a middle aged, unidentified man was run over by a train at the Phikwore Area of Kubwa, a suburb of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The incident happened at about 12:45 p.m., a kilometre away from the Kubwa Railway Station, but the victim, was earlier sighted lying down on the rail track waiting for the train, shortly before the train killed him.
The victim left behind a suicide note in a bag containing some clothes by the side of the railway track. Some of the eyewitnesses, who spoke with reporters, said the note contained a short message, supposedly to his wife and kid, which read, “Please forgive me for I do not have funds to take care of you.”
The spokesman to the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), Niyi Ali, who confirmed the incident, said an investigation would be launched to unravel the real motive behind the act.
“We will like to find out what will warrant a young man to lay in wait on a train track to take his life,” he said.
Unpaid salaries
Perhaps, the most disturbing of all suicide cases is that of a 54-year-old director in the Kogi State Civil Service, Mr Edward Soje, who committed suicide by hanging himself in Lokoja, the state capital, on Monday, October 16, 2017, barely 10 days after his wife of 17 years gave birth to a set of male triplets in a private hospital in Abuja. The couple had been childless before then.
The dangling body of Soje, who hailed from Ogori town in Ogori -Magongo local government area of the state, was found on a tree behind the mammy market at the Maigumeri barracks, the Nigeria Army Command Record.
Soje, a Grade Level 16 officer in the Kogi State Teaching Service Commission, was being owed 11 months’ salary arrears as at the time he took his life.
The suicide note read, “Psalm 121:3 God will not suffer your foot to be moved: He that keepeth you will not slumber. Amen. You and the three boys, the God Almighty will keep you and prosper you, amen. I love you.”
Confirming the incident, the state police command public relations officer, ASP William Aya, said the dangling body of Soje was found on a tree behind the barracks at about 5:55pm on October 16 and that the divisional police officer in charge of Area D Division received information about the incident from the military intelligence office in the barracks.
Attempted suicide in Abakaliki
While others have not been lucky to be rescued from suicide, the Police in Ebonyi on Monday, April 22, rushed a 37-year-old man to the Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki, for treatment after he set himself ablaze.
The man, identified as Chinedu Nweze, set himself ablaze beside a classroom block at St. Patrick’s Primary School, Kpirikpiri, Abakaliki, after tying his own legs and dousing himself with petrol before setting himself ablaze.
Nweze, who hails from Umuogharu, Ezza North local government area of the state, had complained to his neighbours of frustration and inability to feed himself a day before the incident.
Ebonyi state police command spokesperson, Mrs. Lovett Odah, said the command was investigating the incident to ascertain whether it was a suicide attempt or not, but that the man “is now recuperating at the hospital.”
The above are just few cases of suicide taking place in Nigeria on a daily basis, with many cases going unreported in the media. However, suicide, in whatever form, has been condemned by traditionalists, religious leaders, organisations, psychologists, among others.
‘Alien to Gbagyi people’
Reacting to the incessant suicide cases across the country, the Esu 1 of Jahi 1, Alhaji Adamu Dogo, said the Gbagyi people are not known to embrace suicide as a panacea for life problems, but that association and bad influences have exposed people to negative thoughts.
In an exclusive chat with Blueprint Weekend, Dogo said Gbagyi people are known for their outspoken nature and that they always share their troubles with their neighbours and advised people to always speak out when they are going through tough times so that they can get help, instead of dying in silence or committing suicide.
He said: “It is lack of patience or endurance that leads people to commit suicide. It is alien to the people of Gbagyi tribe. Except now that civilisation and negative association is being embraced by many, no Gbagyi man has been known to consider suicide as an option. What we usually do as a people is to share our problems among friends and family members and find a possible solution.
“Besides, what anyone contemplating suicide should ask himself is whether he or she has fulfilled God’s purpose of bringing him into the world. Some people were born by poor parents, but they eventually became rich. Likewise, some people die at birth, so whenever there is life, there is hope. You must not take your life because of financially issues. Things always get better with time.”
Yoruba tradition condemns suicide – Lecturer
Also, according to a staff of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Oyo state, Aborisade Olasunkanmi, suicide is not favoured in Yoruba anthology.
“When a person dies young, for the Yoruba it is a bad death. Thus, they are not given full funeral rites. There is no happiness accompanying the burial. It is worst when a person commits suicide. There is no fitting funeral ceremony for someone who commits suicide, even at an old age. No one is allowed to cry or weep publicly for the deceased. There is no cooking or drinking.
“Finally, cleansing ceremonies are performed by the deceased’s family so that such an evil will not happen again. The elders would offer sacrifices for peace in the land and for the extinction of such thought from the land. Suicide is seen as the most evil thing a person can do. It is referred to as an abomination and as a sin against the earth. Thus, in the case of suicide, not only loved ones are offended, the divine is involved,” he said.
Taboo in Igbo culture
In a chat with Blueprint Weekend, the secretary-general emeritus of Afikpo Town Welfare Association (ATWA), Hon. Ogbonnia Nwachi, said suicide is prohibited in Igbo tradition and that the act itself is regarded as cowardice in the Igbo tradition.
He said: “In Afikpo, like in other Igbo tradition, suicide is a taboo. The victim’s corpse is, as a result, treated without honour because it amounts to sacrilege to take one’s life. Such a person is not given a burial; the body is thrown into the ‘evil forest’ to be devoured by vultures. That is the extent of disdain the remains of a victim of suicide suffers in Afikpo.
“In Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe captures the scenario vividly in the story of Okonkwo, who ended up committing suicide in spite of all his great feats in the land of Umuofia. However, due to the fact that suicide is strange to Afikpo tradition, the elders do not hesitate to consult the community diviners or native doctors, to ascertain the cause of such suicide and ways to nip future occurrence in the bud.
“Aside from that, relatives or families of a suicide victim are often stigmatised by the rest of the community, because it is an abomination for an Igbo man to take his own life. Suicide is equally generally perceived in Afikpo tradition as an act of weakness and cowardice. Even in contemporary times, when suicide has become very common, particularly among young people, the case is still very rare in Afikpo, because of the corresponding consequences.”
Not divine – Cleric
Also, speaking with Blueprint Weekend, the pastor of St. Barnabas Anglican Church, Jahi 1, Evang. Iliya Donatus, said contemplating suicide or actually carrying out a suicide act is against God’s instructions in the Bible.
Quoting 1 Peter 1: 3- 9, Donatus said there is “a new and living hope” for anybody who feels that he has been abandoned by God or society, as “God’s wish for everybody is that of good and not of evil.”
He said: “No matter what you may be facing in life, suicide is never an option. No human being alive has suffered what Job suffered in the Bible, yet he did not commit suicide. Personally, I faced a lot of challenges and was mocked by family and society for being poor, but I never contemplated suicide. I persevered and I am where I am today.
“Every great man you see today has a past. You may not know it, but whatever you may be passing through is a child’s play compared to what many others have been through, yet they never contemplated suicide. In a nutshell, suicide is never an option or a solution to life’s problems. When there is life, there is hope. When you feel depressed, the best person to run to is God. Cast your burden upon Him and He will see you through.”
NGO’s initiative
In an interview with Blueprint Weekend, founder of Help One Foundation, Mr Expensive James, who is also Head of Broadcast, Wazobia FM, Nigeria Info FM and Cool FM, said the Foundation is doing its best in eradicating suicide cases by providing humanitarian services.
“Suicide cases abound in Nigeria because government is not living up its corporate responsibilities. Imagine a situation whereby a widow with seven children and surviving on N1, 500 akara is harassed by government officials, locked up and forced to bail herself with N5, 000. The widow would feel helpless.
“Indirectly, government is encouraging suicide by its policies and inactions. However, at Help One Foundation, we provide succour for the less privileged. Though we can’t prevent everyone from committing suicide, we are helping the few we can. Nevertheless, suicide is not an option. Challenges are temporal and anyone facing challenges should have positive mindset to overcome them,” he said.
Not option for HIV patients – AHF
Also, in an interview with Blueprint Weekend, the Advocacy and Marketing Manager of AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), Mr Steve Aborisade, said being HIV positive does not translate to patients entertaining suicidal thoughts, but that the fear of stigmatisation was the greatest concern to HIV patients.
He said diseases like cancer and diabetes are known to be giving people more concerns than the prevalence of HIV, even as he said the Foundation is doing its best to make sure that HIV patients live life to the fullest and to combat the stigmatisation of HIV patients in Nigeria, which, according to him, is as a result of ignorance.
He said: “There is no record of anyone committing suicide in Nigeria as a result of being diagnosed of being HIV positive. Instead, what we are battling is to help people overcome the stigmatisation by society. There are diseases out there which give people more concern than being HIV positive.
“In fact, a HIV positive man known as the Libson Patient recently celebrated his 100th birthday. That is to show you that being HIV positive is not a death sentence. Patients can still live their normal lives, as long as they adhere to their medications. As an organisation, we are doing our best in the sensitisation of members of the public, but society must play its part by not stigmatising HIV patients. We cannot leave everything to government, because government is trying itself. Instead, religious leaders, NGOs, CSOs and everybody must join hands to combat stigma.”
We’re here to help – Psychologist
Speaking to this reporter, a clinical psychologist, Mr Ajeigbe Ayodele, who works with Olive Prime Psychological Services, Jahi 1, Abuja, said there are many underlying factors that may trigger off suicidal thoughts in an individual, but that the work of psychologists and psychiatrists is to help people get out of such situations by treating their mental illnesses.
He said unlike the misconception of many, psychologists sometimes offer free services or at cheap and affordable rates, as their intention is to help people overcome their issues and not to lay emphasis on money.
He said that there are different methods adopted by psychologists, especially his organization, in providing help to people who feel depressed, either online, through the phone or physical visit to the clinic, in case the patient wanted to remain anonymous, but that there is no situation that could not be handled by clinical psychologists.
He equally advised for people to always speak out and seek help whenever they are feeling depressed instead of keeping to themselves and feeling that they cannot be helped, even as he implored society to always recommend people for therapy sessions instead of mocking them whenever they complain of feeling depressed.
He said: “Suicide has a contagious effect. Once someone commits suicide at a particular time, many others tend to follow suit. However, suicide is different from depression. Several factors can precipitate suicide. It may be biological factor, imbalanced hormone, low mood, history of depression, sexual, physical, verbal or emotional abuse or even substance abuse. Even terminal diseases like HIV, cancer or loss of part of the body can lead to suicidal thoughts.
“However, the good news is that there is no kind of depression that cannot be overcome. Personally, I get more satisfaction when people visit me with a low spirit and leave with smiles. I don’t even look at the financial aspect. I focus more on helping people overcome their moods. Our services are affordable. You can even spend as low as N1, 000 or nothing at all in some cases to speak to a psychologist and get help, instead of dying in silence. It is your mental health first, not money. Therefore, I will advise anybody feeling depressed to visit a mental health expert for a counselling session.
“Government should establish more neuro-psychiatric facilities across the country. Religious leaders should also try and recommend people for psychiatric evaluation. It should not be all about prayers and “it is not your portion”, we all need medical help at different stages in life. Also, society should not laugh at people who complain of feeling depressed. This usually leads to people shutting up only to die of depression.”
