Dr Ogenna Walter Ekwubiri, founding father of the Motivating African Youths Initiative (MAY-I), has referred to as for the decriminalisation of tried suicide in Nigeria, urging the federal government to prioritise psychological healthcare, rehabilitation and financial empowerment over punitive measures.
Ekwubiri made the decision in a observation issued on Tuesday in accordance with remarks attributed to Senate President Godswill Akpabio throughout deliberations at the Suicide Prevention Invoice 2026.
She described the criminalisation of tried suicide as a topic of public well being, human dignity and accountable governance, arguing that survivors wanted care and improve moderately than condemnation or imprisonment.
“Suicide survivors want care, now not condemnation; rehabilitation, now not incarceration; hope, now not additional melancholy,” she stated.
Highlighting the socioeconomic demanding situations confronting Nigerians, Ekwubiri cited United International locations estimates indicating that Nigeria recorded roughly 5 suicide deaths in step with 100,000 other people in 2021.
She additionally referenced Nationwide Bureau of Statistics information appearing that 133 million Nigerians, representing 63 in step with cent of the inhabitants, have been multidimensionally deficient in 2022.
In keeping with her, a United International locations-supported meals safety evaluate additionally projected that 33.1 million Nigerians would face acute meals lack of confidence throughout the 2025 lean season.
She stated financial hardship, unemployment, meals lack of confidence and insufficient get admission to to healthcare required pressing and sustainable interventions.
“We can not frequently call for resilience from voters whilst failing to call for accountable stewardship, duty and measurable enhancements of their welfare from the ones entrusted with management,” she stated.
The MAY-I founder recommended Senators Asuquo Ekpenyong and Dayo Faduyile for advocating a healthcare-centred solution to suicide prevention, urging lawmakers to prioritise regulation that protects human dignity, promotes rehabilitation and strengthens improve programs for susceptible voters.
She recognized the decriminalisation of tried suicide, inexpensive psychological healthcare, more potent social coverage, adolescence employment and ladies’s financial empowerment as key measures had to deal with the underlying reasons of melancholy.
Ekwubiri, who may be the Nation President of International Girls Main Trade Nigeria, stated psychological well being, financial prosperity and responsible management have been interconnected pillars of sustainable building.
She famous that the proposed interventions aligned with the United International locations Sustainable Construction Objectives, in particular the ones addressing well being and well-being, gender equality, first rate paintings and financial enlargement, and powerful establishments.
In keeping with her, Africa’s building must be measured past financial enlargement figures to incorporate the glory, well-being, safety and alternatives to be had to its voters.
“Nigeria can not legislate away melancholy whilst neglecting the prerequisites that deepen human struggling. We will have to prevent asking our other people simply to continue to exist adversity and get started development programs that give them authentic alternatives to thrive,” she stated.
Ekwubiri prompt governments, civil society organisations, building companions and the non-public sector to paintings in combination to enlarge get admission to to psychological healthcare, empower younger other people economically, advertise ladies’s inclusion and reinforce public duty.
Via MAY-I, she stated, she persevered to champion adolescence management, ladies’s empowerment, entrepreneurship and sustainable neighborhood building.
“Management will have to by no means lose its humanity. The actual measure of governance isn’t simply the regulations we enact, however the lives we give protection to and the glory we keep,” she added.
She concluded: “A lifestyles stored is a long run preserved. A other people safe is a country bolstered.”
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