Suicide: NAPTAN urges parents to be alert, monitor their children, wards

National Parents, Teachers Association of Nigeria (NAPTAN) on Monday decried the spate of suicide among adolescents, urging parents and guardians to be more vigilant and monitor activities of their children.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that a student recently committed suicide for failing to score high grades in the just concluded Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination.

Reacting to the spate of suicide of adolescents, Chief Adeolu Ogunbanjo, 2nd Deputy President of NAPTAN, told the NAN in Lagos that parents must pay more attention to their children to avert suicide tendencies.

He said suicidal act was condemnable but the cause should be addressed.

“Parents must be alert always to identify changes or any suicide tendencies in their children.

“Children, especially undergraduates, need constant monitoring in order to avert any danger.

“Nowadays, many of us parents do not have time for our children anymore, we only worry about their upkeep but neglect the social life.

“When we talk of time, it is divided into two; normal time and quality time — and what our children need is quality time,” he said.

Speaking on the case of the undergraduate who committed suicide, the NAPTAN Deputy President said the incident might not be unconnected with the economic situation in the country.

He said economic situation may lead to suicide, adding that ‘’one cannot rule out depression’’.

“It is not right for anybody to commit suicide for whatsoever reason but for a depressed person, they will not think that it is not right. “A depressed person only acts on impulse,’’ Ogunbanjo said.

– NAN