FG’s Crocodile Tears On Rising Suicide Cases

By Casmir Igbokwe
The middle-aged woman looked forlorn. With a cellophane bag in her hand, she packed some leftover food on the table without minding who was looking at her. In her front were some drummers who moved from one canopy to another, soliciting money under the guise of entertaining guests. There were some other beggars who laid ambush for guests at different car parks.
This reality of the hardship in Nigeria hit home last Friday at the convocation of the Covenant University in Ota, Ogun State. The Chancellor of the University, Bishop David Oyedepo, had expressed optimism about a brighter future for Nigeria. I have continued to wonder how many people will be alive to witness this new Nigeria.  
Incidentally, the Federal Government recently raised the alarm about rising suicide cases in Nigeria. According to the coordinating minister of health and social welfare, Professor Muhammed Pate, young people aged 15 to 29 are said to be more vulnerable, accounting for about 40 per cent of all suicide deaths.
Speaking at a news conference to commemorate the 2024 World Suicide Prevention Day last month, Pate quoted available data which indicates that the global suicide rate is 9.0 percent per 1,000 deaths, with men being twice more likely to die by suicide than women. “Annually, more than 700,000 people die by suicide, which is approximately one in every 100 deaths. The suicide rate in Africa is 11.2 percent, 100,000 deaths higher than the global average of 9.0 percent per 100,000, while the available data on suicide rate in Nigeria is at 12.9 percent per 100,000 deaths,” he said.
To the Minister, the rate was frightening as the cases were said to be even under-reported. He said his ministry had launched the National Suicide Strategic Framework (2023-2030) to enhance mental health and help in preventing suicide. Section 327 of the Criminal Code Act stipulates one-year imprisonment for any person who attempts to kill himself. Instead of punishment and ostracism, Pate said the Federal Government was working towards decriminalizing attempted suicide in the country.
By the time Pate is through with his plans, many more citizens who find it difficult to cope with the current life in Nigeria, may have killed themselves. Recall that a female marketer with one of the Nigerian banks in Ikorodu area of Lagos and a soldier committed suicide in January this year. In August 2023, a Lagos socialite, Farida Sobowale, attempted to plunge into Lagos Lagoon but passers-by rescued her in the nick of time. Many other cases of suicide and attempted suicide abound in Nigeria.
Ironically, the number one cause of the hike in suicide cases in Nigeria is the Federal Government of Nigeria. Within a space of 17 months, petrol price has jumped from less than N200 a litre to over N1,000 a litre. Before May last year, I could fill the tank of my car with N10,000. Today, even N40,000 will not bring the fuel level in my car to half tank. Many people can decide to limit the use of their cars and use public transport. But how many can afford to be in darkness at home for days especially when you need energy to power your appliances or even to work? Those who have the means use solar, but what percentage of people?
The estate where I live in Lagos is on electricity category called Band A. We are supposed to have at least 20 hours of electricity every day, though at a high cost. But in recent times, our distribution company, Ikeja Electric, has been telling us some cock and bull stories to justify erratic power supply. We have been burning fuel to power our generators. With the high cost of fuel, you can imagine how much we spend just to have light.  
Companies have similar problems. They spend fortune to run their operations and when they cannot cope, they shut down and disengage workers. This is partly why the rate of unemployment is on the increase. In fact, the rate of almost everything is on the rise in Nigeria.
Prices of essential commodities are the worst. A sizeable tuber of yam that cost less than N1,000 early last year is over N5,000 today. Is it a bag of rice or beans or noodles? The prices have quadrupled. Many Nigerians are tired and depressed. 
The effect of this is that the mental health of Nigerians has never been as bad as it is today. Incidentally, last Thursday was World’s Mental Health Day. About 60 million Nigerians are said to be suffering various types of mental illnesses. This number is even conservative. When people cannot feed themselves, what do you expect them to do? When parents cannot pay the school fees of their children, how do you expect them to feel? When a child is sick and dying and the parents cannot afford the cost of buying essential drugs not to talk of going to the hospital, what do you expect such parents to do? Why will people not have mental problems? Why will suicide cases not rise?
Psychiatrists reportedly recommend music, laughter and dance therapy as elixir to cope with mental ill-health. They have spoken well. But these measures may not have any serious impact on Nigerian patients whose cases appear chronic and irredeemable.
The tragedy of it all is that the people in power have continued to live in grand delusion and engage in unnecessary blame game. Last Thursday, the President’s wife, Mrs Oluremi Tinubu, implored Nigerians not to hold her husband responsible for the current hardship in the country. Speaking at the palace of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, Mrs Tinubu said they were just 18 months into their administration and that they were trying to fix the inherited problems and secure the future.
Hear her, “We give glory to God for our status, myself and my husband, we are not greedy but we thank God for what God has done for us. It is not common for rich people to get to this seat but I am grateful to God, we cannot disappoint Nigeria and with the help of God, we are getting to the promised land in no distant time.” Let us clap for the First Lady for not being greedy. Let us also clap for her for donating N1 billion for the development and advancement of her alma mater, the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ife. If one may ask, what is Mrs Tinubu’s source or sources of income? What type of business does she run? How did she make this humongous amount of money?
President Bola Tinubu was governor of Lagos State between 1999 and 2007. He has been along the corridors of power at the centre since 2015. He was the leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and he had the ears of the then President Muhammadu Buhari. Today, he is the President of Nigeria while Oluremi is the First Lady and former Senator. Could it be that their combined salaries and investments made it possible for the First Lady to donate this N1 billion? 
We may never know the full details. By way of calming our frayed nerves, Tinubu has told us that the reforms his government has embarked upon today will bear good fruits tomorrow. But the question remains, how many people will even be alive that tomorrow to enjoy the so-called benefits of the reforms?
Perhaps, only the ruling class and their cronies will remain to enjoy the fruits of their corrupt enrichment. They are already amassing great wealth for the 2027 election. They have gifted themselves exotic cars and houses. The newly bought presidential jet is functioning optimally, flying from France to New York and then to London and so on.
Invariably, any reform that does not improve the lives of the citizens is dead. The primary purpose of any government is to improve the welfare and security of the citizens. Section 14(2) (b) of the Nigerian Constitution makes it clear. Any government that fails to do this has failed woefully. Such a government should stop shedding crocodile tears about any hike in suicide cases.


Re: As Mr President cools off in London

Casmir, Tinubu promised through his renewed hope agenda to turn Nigeria into an eldorado! But unfortunately, Nigeria is now dodo (fried plantains) that he is cooling off with in London. Had he told the world that he would rather stay in Nigeria for his leave because Nigeria is now better than he met it in 2023, it would have marketed Nigeria rather than demarketing the country by eloping to London at the slightest opportunity as he has done. Tinubu and his sycophants are the only ones seeing light at the end of the tunnel. A year after, Tinubu has multiplied poverty in two folds as I expected because he missed it from day one in office, but pride is not allowing him acknowledge the mistakes. In what way has Tinubu improved himself since 2007 that he left office as governor of Lagos State? Which company/organisation did he manage? What we are seeing now are the results of an incompetent man in office as president. Those who dubbed Nigeria as poverty capital of the world would run out of adjectives to describe Tinubu’s Nigeria! They were certainly too hasty with the label/tag. Tinubu is the N1,000 plus president. Everything that was below N1,000 before he came, is now above N1000, namely exchange rates, price of fuel and cooking gas or LPG. Tinubu is only good at reminding Nigerians that he is the president. For example, “as your president.”