Samuel Alonge, who attended a recent forum against suicide in Africa, reports that an Osun monarch and medic, Oba Folorunso Agboade Makanju, is ready to mobilise fellow traditional rulers to end the incidence of suicide in Nigerian communities.
Bedecked in his royal regalia, prominent medical practitioner and monarch, Oba Folorunso Agboade Makanju, was the cynosure of all eyes at the just-concluded conference organised by the African Project Against Suicide (APAS) at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State.
The monarch, who is the Aragberi of Iragberi, a community in Osun State, mounted the podium, not just for the revelry common with such an occasion.
Instead, he came to tell the audience the home truth: that, to truly stem the tide of suicide in Nigeria, traditional rulers have the greatest role to play, being the closest to the people in the communities.
Suicide, he intoned, is, ideally, un-African, stressing that “now, times are changing and new, home-grown measures have to be adopted to curb the evil trend.”
At the sidelines of the Nigerian version of the continental campaigns against suicide, which the OAU, Ile-Ife was privileged to host, the Aragberi, dwelling richly from his experience as a monarch and a medical doctor, told The Nigerian Express of his determination to rally other royal fathers in the country towards evolving measures in the communities, to put an end to incidents of suicide.
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“We are the closest to the people at the grassroots and we handle various problems daily. The truth is, the general hardship globally is placing a lot of pressure on the people. I had had occasions to advise people, who were on the verge of committing suicide, telling them that better days are coming; that they should see the hardship facing them as temporary.
“Suicide is un-African, but things are changing. Parents are faced with challenges of paying house rent, school fees, or can at times be out of job, thus resulting in grinding poverty. Under this condition, some people could contemplate suicide as a way of escape.
“Again, take the case of a university graduate, who out of inability to secure a job, is now forced to be riding okada (commercial motorcycle). If he sees his colleague, who is gainfully employed and is gliding in a sleek car, he takes to the extreme action of wanting to end his life.
“That aside, things, like I said, are fast changing. As a medic, I have handled cases of young people, who are these days given to the culture of taking hard drugs. There is what we call withdrawal syndrome: When a drug addict hasn’t got money to buy the stuff, he is crazy and at such a time, he decides to commit suicide,” Oba Makanju analysed.
The royal father, who applauded the novelty in launching a continental war against suicide by APAS, said he had set about the task of rallying other traditional rulers across the country, with a view to evolving local devices, which will also involve the native chiefs, who will monitor their respective localities, to curb suicidal acts.
On the role of the government, Oba Makanju appealed to the three arms of government in the country to give the needed support to Nigeria’s royal fathers, in this task.
Suicide, he further told The Nigerian Express, most times has remote causes.
“In medicine, they talk of father committing suicide, the son trying to do the same; that it could be hereditary, but such is not common in this clime. However, in psychiatry, as we often have here, there is the remote control aspect to someone trying to commit suicide, which we are all familiar with.
“The person trying to commit suicide starts to see many things that we cannot see; in that case, he is being remote-controlled. Yet, take the case of someone suffering epilepsy or that has leprosy; the attendant shame can lead him to commit suicide,” the monarch explained.
Speaking at the Ile-Ife conference, however, the international coordinator for the APAS, Pastor Honey Olawale, maintained that the royal fathers were targeted nationwide to assist in the crusade because they know the problems of people in their vicinities.
“Traditional rulers have a huge role to play in suicide prevention, as they act as the authority over their communities, and they can use this to influence their communities positively. For instance, traditional rulers can set up support groups within the community; they can organise town hall meetings from time to time, where the issues of suicide can be addressed.
“Still, traditional rulers can use their influence to bring empowerment programmes to their communities; things like free health programme and self-help projects, and this will directly reduce the rate of suicide,” Olawale stressed.
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Meanwhile, the APAS crusade against suicide was officially launched in November last year, in Polokwane, South Africa. Ten African countries are intended as launching pads, with Nigeria becoming the second place of call. Other African countries still to be visited for the crusade against suicide, this year, are: Kenya, Ghana, Ethiopia, Gambia, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Egypt and Mauritius.
At the Ile-Ife summit, discussants came to the conclusion that economic hardship and fear of failure are veritable factors responsible for the prevalence of suicide in Africa.
For instance, the Vice Chancellor, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, who was represented by Prof Adebayo Bamire, Deputy Vice Chancellor, Academics, described suicide as alien to Africa, even as he encouraged people to speak up when faced with challenges.
Also speaking, a clinical psychiatrist and another monarch, the Oloba-Ile of Oba-Ile, a community in Ondo State, Oba Adekunle Oyeyemi, said Nigeria lacked enough psycho-therapists, who could help suicide victims in their state out of depression, even as he called for more sensitisation programmes against suicide in the country.
Unveiling APAS Nigeria, the International Coordinator, Pastor Olawale, said the project was borne out of the need to interrogate and sensitise the people about suicide tendencies, and about the need to keep hope alive.
He maintained that the group would be moving to various schools to sensitise students against suicide.
The discussants, nonetheless, noted that the World Health Organisation (WHO) recently conducted a study and ranked suicides per 100,000 cases, with Nigeria having 15 per cent, per 100,000. By that token, Nigeria has placed fifth in the inglorious column of countries with jaw-dropping cases of suicide.
The list was topped by South Korea with 24,000,000 cases; followed by Russia with 18,000,000; India, 16,000,000, while Japan came fourth with 15,400,000 suicide instances.
A highlight of the event was the presentation of awards to four distinguished individuals and organisations for their outstanding performance in the society.
Among the awardees are: Oba Makanju, the Aragberi of Iragberi; Senator Ajayi Boroffice, and Ethiopian Airlines.
Delegates from Kenya, South Africa, Uganda and Ghana attended the inauguration.
Speaking at the event, APAS East African Coordinator, Mr. Daniel Madalanga, advised well-to-do Africans to develop “this continent with their wealth,” stressing that poverty could be reduced in Africa, if urgent steps were taken.
