Metro

Hardship under Tinubu is fuelling mental health issues, suicide in Nigeria— Peter Obi

Published

2 months ago

October 11, 2024

The presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in Nigeria’s 2023 general elections, Peter Obi, has attributed the many cases of suicide and mental health issues in the country to the worsening economic situation under the President Bola Tinubu administration.

The former Governor of Anambra State, who bared his mind while commemorating this year’s World Mental Health Day on Thursday, lamented that many suicide cases in the country today were fuelled by anxiety and depression due to the hardship being experienced by many Nigerians who had lost hope.

In his message, Obi noted that mental health remained one of the critical health issues not given the due attention it deserved in Nigeria.

“Today, I join the Global Community in commemorating World Mental Health Day, on which we raise awareness of mental health issues while encouraging concerted efforts to support those experiencing mental health issues in our nation,” he wrote.

“Though not often well talked about, mental health remains a very critical component of our health sector, which if not given due attention, greatly impacts negatively on our productivity as a nation.

“A healthy nation, they say, is a wealthy nation. I dare say, a mentally healthy nation, is a more productive nation.

“In Nigeria, mental health remains one of the critical health issues not given the due attention it deserves.

“The worsening economic situation resulting from hunger, poverty, and income inequalities in the country, coupled with other socio-political issues affecting the nation, have continued to fuel a growing menace of mental health cases.

“The National Institute of Health reports that about 40 to 60 million Nigerians suffer various forms of mental ailment. This translates to about 1 in every 5 Nigerians, battling with mental health issues.

“Suicide cases in the country, fueled by anxiety and depression, have remained on the increase. It is reported that Nigeria has one of the highest rates of suicide and depression in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The current rate of suicide in Nigeria is 9.50% out of 100,000 people. Drug abuse is also another contributor to mental health decadence in our society.

“Nigeria is also ranked 3rd most stressful country in the world, which contributes to different mental illnesses in the nation.

“The above grim statistics reflect the lack of attention given to mental health, a critical contributor to national development in our society. A nation that truly wants to improve its productive capacity must pay attention to the health of its citizens.”

“We are also reminded as a people to always seek medical attention when faced with any mental health challenge and to show love and support to our people who are already contending with the challenge.

“We remain committed to building a New Nigeria where everyone’s well-being will be prioritized. A New Nigeria is POssible.”

Click to comment

Metro

Zambia: FOX report highlights persistent media harassment, calls for reforms

Published

9 hours ago

December 18, 2024

Isaac Dachen

A new Freedom of Expression (FOX) report by the Media Institute for Southern Africa (MISA) Zambia, has raised concerns over what it describes as the continued harassment of media professionals in the country despite collective efforts to safeguard freedom of expression.

The FOX Report serves as a call to action for all stakeholders to create a safer and more enabling environment for the media to operate without fear or intimidation.

Chairperson of the MISA-Zambia Board, Lorraine Mwanza, who raised the concerns while launching the report on Tuesday at the Pamodzi Hotel in Lusaka, highlighted that journalists and media practitioners in the country still faced intimidation, censorship, and violence for fulfilling their role of informing the public.

“The harassment of media professionals is a stark reminder of the threats posed to democratic values and the fundamental rights to seek, receive, and impart information without fear or hindrance,” Mwanza said.

She expressed solidarity with those who are targets of attack, and reaffirmed MISA’s commitment to defending journalists’ rights and protecting the integrity of the profession.

Mwanza further called on the government to address barriers preventing journalists from accessing public officials, emphasizing that public officials were custodians of critical information necessary for informed decision-making.

“When citizens have access to government data, they can better understand policies, monitor public spending, and advocate for change in their communities,” Mwanza noted.

She also appealed for the review and repeal of laws that undermine democracy, stressing the importance of enacting legislation that guarantees media freedom, freedom of expression, and digital rights, and commended the government for responding to calls from civil society organizations to withdraw the controversial Cyber Bills from Parliament.

Ministry of Information and Media Permanent Secretary, Thabo Kawana, in a speech read by Ministry Director Mordern Mayembe, reaffirmed government’s commitment to upholding media freedom and freedom of expression in Zambia.

Metro

Nigeria: 614,937 killed, 2.2m abducted in 1 year— Report

Published

18 hours ago

December 18, 2024

Isaac Dachen

A new report released on Tuesday by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has revealed that over 614,937 Nigerians were killed and 2,235,954 others kidnapped across the country in one year between May 2023 and April 2024.

The NBS report, titled, “The Crime Experienced and Security Perception Survey (CESPS) 2024”, says based on the surveys conducted between May 2023 and April 2024, the 2.2 million Nigerians who were kidnapped across the country paid a whopping N2.2 trillion as ransom, with an average amount of N2.7 million per incident.

The report also disclosed that murder rate was highest in rural areas with 335,827 incidents and 279,110 in urban areas.

A zone-by-zone analysis of the report showed that the North-West had the highest murder cases of 206,030, followed by the North-East which stood at 188,992, while the least was recorded in the South-West at 15,693.

The report also revealed about seven in 10 households reported murder cases to the police nationwide with 33 per cent of households responding that the killer was an unknown person, and 23.4 per cent confirmed that the murderer was a member of the household; while 1.0 per cent reported that the murderer was either a spouse or a lover.

The report said 1,668,104 persons were kidnapped in rural areas and 567,850 in urban areas with the North-West having the highest cases of kidnapping with 1,420,307 abducted, followed by the North-Central with 317,837 and the South-East at 110,432.

“Of the estimated amount of N2.2 trillion payments to free victims, the North-West reported the highest ransom paid with N1.2 trillion; while the South-East was the least with N85.4 billion.

“Disaggregated by zones, the North-Central reported the highest proportion of payment of ransom at 83.4 per cent, followed by North-East at 78.6 per cent.

“Households in urban areas paid an average of N3.7 million compared to N2.3 million in rural areas,” the report stated.

It added that about 91 per cent of kidnapping incidents were done for ransom in the form of money, goods or other benefits.

“While 2.4 per cent of cases were attributed to political, criminal, or terrorist objectives; 2.1 per cent were linked to personal or family disputes. Custody disputes accounted for 0.5 per cent of cases,” the report said.