House of Representatives, on Wednesday, resolved to address the rising cases of suicides and suicidality in Nigeria through the prioritisation and implementation of the provisions of the Mental Health Law 2021.

It has therefore given the t Federal Ministry of Health a marching order to collaborate with relevant Health institutions to ensure that research on mental health was put into practice to ensure evidence-based care to Nigerian citizens.

The House also demanded the establishment of National Mental Health Counseling Centre and Mental Health Centres in at least all the federal constituencies in the country.

The resolutions followed the adoption of a motion moved by Hon. Uchenna Clement Nwachukwu from at the Plenary season presided over by the Deputy Speaker Hon Benjamin Kalu

While moving the motion, the lawmaker noted that on July 12, 2023, a teenager took her life after being raped in Oyo State, one out of many cases of suicide underreported and mostly unreported in Nigeria due to social stigmatisation.

He recalled that ThisDay Newspapers also reported an alarming rise in suicide deaths between 2022 and March 2023, saying that suicide was seen as a taboo in most parts of the country and hidden by families due to cultural factors.

The lawmaker lamented that the fresh cases of suicide as published in the print media have a greater proportion of youth as victims pouring out in January 2023, Joseph Olona, a 300-level student at FUTA, and 50-year-old Ojo Ogundeji both committed suicide on January 14 and 23, respectively.

He expressed worry that the risk factors for suicide such as mental health conditions, substance use, access to lethal means, prolonged stress, unemployment, financial crisis, and child abuse and neglect pose huge threats to Nigerians.

“Disturbed that there has not been adequate sensitisation of the provisions of the Act and guidelines on how people struggling with mental health problems can receive help.

“Cognizant that the awareness campaigns should reduce stigma and ensure the acceptability of the Regulations to protect the dignity of people struggling with mental health,” Nwachukwu stated.

While adopting the motion, the House mandated the Committee on Healthcare Services to evaluate the implementation of the content of the Mental Health Act and conduct a needs assessment of the full implementation of the Act. (Nigerian Tribune)

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