Suicide has quietly emerged as one of the most pressing challenges facing Nigerian youths today. Recent reports have shown that suicide among the youths is no longer an isolated health concern; it has become a silent crisis with far-reaching implications for national development.
Globally, over 703,000 people die by suicide each year, and Nigeria contributes significantly to this troubling statistic. Officially, the national suicide rate stands at 6.9 per 100,000 people (2019), but the true figure is likely much higher due to stigma, cultural silence, and underreporting.
Among young Nigerians, particularly students, research shows that 8–22% have contemplated suicide, while up to 11% have attempted it. These figures are not abstract. They represent lost human capital, weakened food systems, and disrupted economic productivity.
Suicide as a development crisis
Suicide strips Nigeria of its most vital resource: its youth. Each young life lost is the loss of a future doctor, teacher, innovator, or farmer.
In rural Nigeria, where young people form the backbone of agriculture, suicide directly undermines food security by reducing labour, lowering productivity, and increasing household vulnerability to hunger.
Economically, Nigeria is already struggling with high unemployment and underemployment. The premature death of young people which is the country’s most productive demographic further widens the gap between labour supply and economic demand. For families, the effects are devastating. This include trauma, financial strain from funeral expenses, and the collapse of potential income streams.
Youth suicide is not just a mental health problem. It is a development challenge with ripple effects on food systems, livelihoods, and economic growth.
Drivers of youth suicide in Nigeria
The rise in suicide cases among Nigerian youths can be traced to multiple, interlinked drivers:
Unrecognized and untreated mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety.
Academic pressure and examination stresses, where exam failure (WAEC, JAMB, or university exams) is often perceived as the end of one’s future.
Romantic and marital stresses, particularly break-ups.
Bullying, gender-based violence, and substance abuse.
Unemployment and economic hardship, which fuel hopelessness.
Insensitive media reporting, which sometimes glamorizes or sensationalizes suicide.
Criminalization of attempted suicide, which prevents struggling individuals from seeking help.
Implications of inaction
If the trend of youth suicide persists, the consequences will be dire and some of which include:
Human cost: Families and communities will be left traumatized, while leadership and innovation potential is extinguished.
Economic cost: Nigeria will lose billions annually in productivity as young lives who are the current and emerging labour force end prematurely.
Agricultural cost: Suicide among young farmers and potential actors in the nation’s food system will reduce food production, exacerbate food insecurity, and drive up food prices.
In a country where more than 60% of the population is under 30, suicide among youths is not only a social tragedy but a direct threat to food security and economic stability.
A collective response is needed
Tackling youth suicide requires coordinated action across multiple levels and stakeholders:
Families and Parents must reduce undue academic and marital pressure on the young people. Instead, they should provide strengthened emotional supports and restrict access to lethal means.
Civil Society should scale up peer-support networks, school-based interventions, and mental health awareness campaigns. NGOs such as SURPIN and Mentally Aware Nigeria Initiative (MANI) provide helplines and outreaches that should be expanded.
Youth networks should promote peer counseling and community-based support systems that counter isolation.
Media and content creators should adopt WHO reporting guidelines and avoid sensationalism, emphasize prevention, and always include helplines.
The Federal government should ensure state-level implementation of the National Mental Health Act (2023) and roll out the implementation of National Suicide Prevention Strategic Framework (2023–2030).
States should adopt helpline models like the Lagos Lifeline (0700 000 MIND).
Importantly, Nigeria must decriminalize attempted suicide.
Suicide prevention is not charity. It is investment in national development, food security, and the economy.
WHO guidelines for responsible reporting on suicide
According to WHO, media reporting can help or harm. Published stories of suicide can lead to imitative behaviour. This is known as the “contagion effect”, especially when they are sensationalized. Conversely, stories highlighting survival, hope, and recovery can have a protective effect and thus, reducing suicides.
Key “dos and don’ts” for reporting
It is essential that reporters should show empathy while reporting and avoid:
Detailing the method of suicide or how it was carried out.
Depicting or glorifying the act, using dramatic or front-page headlines, or presenting suicide as an acceptable solution to problems.
Publishing images of the scene or victim, sharing suicide notes, or giving a simplistic, single-cause explanation.
Instead, they should focus on:
Highlighting stories of people who overcame suicidal crises through survivor stories.
emphasize resilience, recovery, and access to professional help.
Provide resources such as helpline numbers and mental health contacts
Avoid stigmatizing language and encourage help-seeking behaviour.
Policy recommendations
To reverse the current trend, the following actions are urgent actions that must be considered:
Integrate mental health services into primary health care nationwide.
Strengthens school counseling programs and train educators to recognize early warning signs.
Launch a national awareness campaign linking suicide prevention with food security, livelihoods, and economic productivity.
Expand and subsidize helplines and counseling services, ensuring nationwide coverage and affordability.
We should decriminalize attempted suicide.
Scale up helplines nationwide.
Embed suicide prevention in Nigeria’s food security and youth employment strategies.
Available helplines
National emergency line: 112
Lagos Suicide Hotlines, by the Lagos State Government
Numbers: 08058820777, 09030000741
Cost: Toll-free, 24/7
Specification: Suicide intervention
Suicide Research and Prevention Initiative (SURPIN)
Numbers: 09080217555 (9mobile), 09034400009 (MTN) 08142241007 (Hausa), 08000787746 (toll free)
Location: Lagos, Nigeria
Cost: Toll free
Specification: Suicide interventions
Nigeria Suicide Prevention Initiative Counselling Centre
Numbers: 08062106493, 08092106493, 08092106493
Cost: Toll-free, 24/7
Specification: Suicide interventions
Conclusion
Nigeria cannot afford to treat youth suicide as a private tragedy. Each suicide is a national loss with implications for food security, economic growth, and social stability. By recognizing suicide as a development challenge and not just a health issue, policymakers, families, and communities can work together to save lives. With sustained action, prevention is possible, and every life saved strengthens Nigeria’s future.
Dr Fakunle is a Senior Agribusiness and Policy Expert in Abuja, Nigeria/
