A group, Youth Advocates for Peace, Justice and Empowerment Network (YAPJEN), has protested against the increasing rate of suicides in the country.
The group, which staged a walk from the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, through major streets of Awka, the Anambra State capital, chanted anti-suicide songs and urged youths to say no to suicide and strive to live out their dreams.
Leader of the group, Mr Timothy Nwachukwu, said the group was compelled to undertake the march to alert young people that it was a thing of pain to take one’s life, rather than the deadly act being seen as a trend.
The group’s members displayed placards with several inscriptions as they marched through the streets of Awka.
The inscriptions read, “Say no to suicide, say no to sniper, suicide is not fashionable, live your dream, don’t leave your dreams,” among others.
Mr Nwachukwu, who spoke to journalists at the end of the protest, said, “The sensitisation and walk had the theme; #inspirehope.
“Youths should not give up on their dreams. What we are doing is to condemn the act of young people taking their own life. Suicide is not an option, don’t allow depression to ruin your dreams, the nation needs you, Your family loves you, suicide is not an option.”
He identified depression and frustration as some of the reasons why young people take their life, recounting that over 13 young people and 42 others have taken to suicide in the last six months in Nigeria.
