A non-governmental organisation, Suicide Is No Solution, SINS, has said it has commenced an-anti suicide campaign comprising a series of advocacy activities, interactive events and counselling support.
These are to highlight the increasing tide of deaths by suicide amongst Nigerians and provide professional support to would be victims with a view to dissuading them from committing suicide.
The group also said a team of mental health practitioners, religious leaders, social workers and volunteers had joined hands to support the cause in order to achieve its objective.
The Project Lead of SINS, Mrs. Idy Toye-Arulogun, in a statement made available to journalists in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, said the group was a coordinated response to the increase in the rate of deaths by suicide in Nigeria, stating that the key task of the SINS campaign was the significant reduction in the rate of deaths by suicide in Nigeria through a strong public enlightenment and advocacy campaign that dissuades people from killing themselves.
She noted that with one person in the world dying by suicide every forty seconds and Nigeria’s 15th position in the world suicide ranking, there was a strong need to intensify the campaign against suicide especially giving the psychological effects of the COVID-19 global pandemic.
Toye-Arulogun stated further that the SINS campaign was made up of multi media communication messages for exposure in both traditional and new media platforms, a helpline and a back end professional counselling support structure to engage members of the public going through distress and depression.
She stressed that the was optimistic that the intervention of the group would contribute to the mental wellbeing of Nigerians and ultimately the reduction of deaths by suicide through various engagements.
