NAN-H-11
Suicide
By Fatima Mohammed Lawal
Ilorin, Sept. 22, 2016 (NAN) Dr Adekola Aminu of the Department of Political Science and Conflict Resolutions, Al-Hikmah University, Ilorin, has appealed to Nigerians to shun suicide tendencies in spite of hard times.
In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Ilorin, Aminu urged Nigerians not to give up hope of a better tomorrow.
He identified poverty and frustration as the main causes of suicide, regretting that some persons in difficult economic situations had considered suicide.
The don advised that suicide was not an option but optimism, hard work and patience.
He expressed the hope that Nigeria would soon be out of economic recession.
Aminu said that the World Health Organisation estimated that approximately one million people would die yearly from suicide.
According to the don, this represents a global mortality rate of 16 people per 100,000 or one death every 40 seconds.
“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 said that 1.8 per cent of deaths worldwide resulted from suicide, adding that global suicide rate had increased by 60 per cent in the past 45 years.
‘’Suicide is now among the three leading causes of death among those aged from 15 to 44 – male and female,” he noted.
Aminu added that mental disorders, particularly depression and substance abuse, were associated with more than 90 per cent of cases of suicide.
He said that suicide resulted from many complex sociocultural factors, and was more likely to occur during socioeconomic family and individual crisis.
According to him, some other causes of suicide are loss of a loved one, unemployment, sexual orientation, difficulty with developing identity, disassociation from community or other social/belief group.
“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 said.
Aminu implored the Federal Government to urgently revive the economy to reduce poverty, improve living standards and reduce suicide. (NAN)
FATY/DUA/IGO
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(Edited by Dada Ahmed and controlled by Ijeoma Popoola)