Top 5 Causes of Increased Suicide Rate in Nigeria

In the early hours of Tuesday, 3rd October 2018, an unidentified man reportedly jumped into the Lagos lagoon and took his own life. Newsmen gathered that the deceased jumped into the lagoon after trekking on the Third Mainland Bridge inwards Lagos Island. He was rescued and reported dead by some fishermen and officials of the Lagos State Waterways Authority.

Most Nigerians have become suicidal for time immemorial. Every average Nigerian citizen has one worry or the other ranging from financial to emotional or societal. The easy way out of all these worries for some Nigerians has become suicide. Recently, some Nigerians have even taken their lives for the most ridiculous reasons such as a relationship break-up. Suicide has also become very rampant in Nigeria lately especially as surviving in the country has continued to prove tougher. It should be recalled that this is not the first time Nigerians have taken their own lives by jumping into this lagoon. This, therefore, brings about the “Why Do Nigerians Commit Suicide” question.

Below are a few possible reasons why the suicide rate in Nigeria has increased over the years;

1. Depression is likely the major reason for suicide. People are depressed for various reasons ranging from loss of loved ones, marital, occupational, financial problems to frustration from things happening around.
2. The nation’s socio-economic environment is one of the factors that could lead to depression and possibly suicide. Societal expectations are getting higher by the day and the country’s economic environment contradicts these expectations.
3. Enormous emotional and financial stress as well as pervading poverty and hopelessness in the country is reason enough for some to commit suicide.
4. Unemployment crisis has created a lost generation of graduates who cannot find jobs with many of them are exasperated and sometimes bail on life.
5. The over-use of hard drugs like Indian hemp and cocaine are commonplace in the society and the adverse effects of these drugs can often time leads to suicide.