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Psychiatrist attributes suicide to social disintegration

Psychiatrist attributes suicide to social disintegration
By Ummul Idris
Suicide
Abuja, May 23, 2019 (NAN) Dr Ninyo Omidiji, a Psychiatrist with the Benue State University Teaching Hospital (BSUTH), has blamed the rising cases of suicide among Nigerians on social disintegration.
Omidiji told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Abuja that Nigerians must endeavour to be more kind and supportive of one another to reduce suicide.
The psychiatrist noted that the level of social disintegration in the face of hard times remained a contributory factor to the spate of suicide being witnessed in the country.
“It is only good that we are kind and supportive of one another, so if you think you may be battling depression, please feel free to talk to someone.
“In your very locality, someone might just be contemplating taking his own life as we speak, I wish there is a steady and holistic approach of supporting one another,” he said.
He stated that once in a while, ill-sustained approach would do very little in curbing the menace of suicide, adding that the citizenry must embrace a social integration approach to arrest the menace.
Ninyo said that suicide remained a silent killer and a poorly understood phenomenon, noting that it is usually shrouded in secrecy.
He said that victims of suicide hardly got the needed sympathy, especially in poorly developed nations of the world, stressing that underdeveloped societies were peopled by poorly developed minds which handled situations poorly and thus reflect in all they do.
According to him, “in my country the subsisting law of the land still stipulates one year jail term for a survivor of suicide attempt and for someone needing help, this is ridiculous!
“Apart from stigma, this is one other reason for poor reporting of cases.
“Depression is the commonest cause of suicide and it is not just a casual feeling of unhappiness, but a prolonged crippling feeling of sadness and lowliness”.
According to him, it is okay to feel unhappy when unpleasant things happen, however, it becomes a problem when you feel blue and you cannot snap out of it for weeks unending.
He noted that clinical depression was a sign of weakness or laziness and also a sign of a disease of the mind, adding that the way the body got sick is the way the mind could also get sick. (NAN)
UMD/AO/MST
Edited by Angela Okisor/Muhammad Suleiman Tola

Health

Nigerians constitute more than half of UNICEF’s social media platform – Official

Nigerians constitute more than half of UNICEF’s social media platform – Official
NAN-HG-9
Respondents
By Vivian Ihechu
Lagos, Oct. 17, 2017 (NAN) The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) says that U-Report, it’s unique social media platform to engage with communities on issues that affect them, have more than half of its global respondents in Nigeria.
According to UNICEF, the social media platform has surpassed two million registered respondents in Nigeria as at Oct. 16.
A statement issued by Doune Porter, Chief of Communication, UNICEF, Nigeria, U-Report uses simple Short Message Service (SMS) messages and social media to reach communities around the country.
It also provides an opportunity for community members to share their opinions and drive positive change.
It said that the U-Report relied on volunteer community members, mostly young people, serving as U-Reporters to provide information through conducting polls on issues that affect their communities.
“It is also an important tool for sharing information through message alerts.
“Including the more than two million Nigeria U-Reporters, the U-Report platform reaches communities in 39 countries around the world and has grown to almost 4 million since it was first launched in 2011.
“The first U-Report poll in Nigeria was sent out in April 2014 and since then.
“Also, 169 polls have been run and more than 150 alerts issued on the Nigerian U-Report platform in Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo, Pidgin and English.
“The topics include health, education, safety and security, Internally Displaced Persons, water and sanitation, and violence against children, with results disseminated to Government and other relevant agencies,’’ the statement said.
It quoted Mohammed Fall, UNICEF Nigeria Representative, as saying: “Reaching two million U-Reporters in Nigeria is a huge step in community engagement for improved service delivery.
“It provides an even greater opportunity for information sharing, increased stakeholder engagement and transparency as a direct channel of communication between leaders and the people they serve.
“I would like to thank and commend the work of Nigeria telecommunications service providers for their contribution to the establishment and growth of U-Report in Nigeria,’’ Fall is quoted as saying.
Also, Cynthia McCaffrey, Director of UNICEF’s Office of Innovation, said: “To see this level of adoption of U-Report in Nigeria is extremely encouraging.
“It enables UNICEF to realise what is possible if we allow ourselves to think big and strive to reach as many young people as we can.
“As Nigeria makes U-Report increasingly accessible, it also becomes increasingly relevant, as evidenced by the live chat last month on menstrual hygiene,’’ McCaffrey said.
The statement said that since its inception in Nigeria, UNICEF’s main partner on U-Report has been the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) which had been a key player in the recruitment of responders.
All states in Nigeria are represented on the platform, with the highest number of U-Reporters registered in Jigawa.
The Office of the Vice President, Nigerian Senators and members of the House of Representatives are using U-Report too.
“They use it to connect with their communities on important issues to find out what needs to be improved or where the focus needs to be in service delivery in their states.
“The most recent initiative is a partnership with the National Emergency Management Agency which was concluded on October 13.
“It will be using the platform to share life-saving information with communities in case of emergencies such as floods and disease outbreaks,’’ it said.
U-Report Nigeria also runs media campaigns where the bi-weekly poll results are shared and experts on the topic are interviewed during radio and television programmes for comment.
A live U-Report chat on menstrual hygiene management in September stimulated more than 10,000 questions from participants and the answers helped to empower girls with useful information.
To become a U-Reporter in Nigeria, one can register on social media by simply sending JOIN to U-Report Nigeria on Facebook or send JOIN as a direct message on Twitter @Ureportnigeria.
By text, send the word ‘JOIN’ to 24453 and voice your opinion. All options are free.
All U-Report polls can be accessed on the public website at “http://www.nigeria.ureport.in. (NAN)
VIV/MST
Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola

General news

Curb abuse in online media, new media – Expert

Curb abuse in online media, new media – Expert
NAN-H-12
Professionalism
By Desmond Ejibas
Port Harcourt, Sept. 21, 2017 (NAN) A media expert, Malam Isma’ila Funtua, has urged the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) to curb abuses in online and social media platforms in the country.
Funtua gave the task in his opening remarks as the Chairman of the 13th All Nigeria Editors’ Conference and Extraordinary Convention in Port Harcourt on Thursday.
Funtua, who is also the Chairman of the Nigerian Institute of Journalism (NIJ) Governing Council, said the media was being attacked by unqualified individuals.
He said that Nigeria was the only country where news published online was made available to readers free without charge.
“The leadership of the NGE should be focussed to advancing journalism practice as watchdog of the society.
“Nigeria is the only country where news online are free which is not so in many countries.
“The NGE should check abuse with focus to avoiding being unbiased and disassociate itself from collecting gratification,” he said.
Funtua also enjoined publishers and media owners to pay salaries of their workers, adding that prompt payment of salaries of workers will discourage gratification in the profession.
He said that the nation’s media industry was fiercely competitive and among the fastest growing sectors in the country. (NAN)
DES/MST
Edited by Jane-Frances Oraka/ Muhammad Suleiman Tola