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Why Men Commit Suicide In Africa – CDC Advisor
Advisor for Non-Communicable Diseases, Injuries, and Mental Health at the Africa CDC, Dr. Naeem Dalal has pointed to cultural stereotypes as a factor contributing to the high rate of male suicides in Africa.
Dalal disclosed this during a session on Youth Mental Health in Africa at the International Conference on Public Health in Africa (CPHIA) in Lusaka, Zambia, on Tuesday.
He highlighted how these stereotypes hinder African men from seeking emotional and mental support.
In his view, this is imperative due to statistics highlighting that a higher number of men in Africa die by suicide.
The CPHIA, held annually, is orchestrated by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), and the 2023 installment is being hosted by the Government of Zambia.
The theme for CPHIA2023 is “Breaking Barriers: Repositioning Africa in the Global Health Architecture.”
Scheduled from November 27 to November 30, this annual event focuses on addressing health challenges and reshaping Africa’s position in the global health landscape.
Dalal, a Psychiatrist based in Lusaka, Zambia, specializes in youth mental health. He currently serves as the National Mental Health focal person and specialist for the Zambia National Public Health Institute.
He said: “There is more active suicide amongst men. When we talk about suicide, we need to understand two things. There’s suicide which is passive and suicide, which is active.
“Active suicide is where you die by suicide. Passive suicide is where you have thoughts of dying by killing yourself or harming yourself, but you don’t go ahead with those thoughts. So, that’s passive suicide.
“Now, when we talk about statistics specifically for men on the continent of Africa, more men die by suicide.
So, there’s more active suicide amongst men. For every 50 per cent of it, it is amongst the men that die and this is because men use more lethal with dying.”
Dalal underscored several reasons driving men to opt for suicide instead of seeking assistance for their mental health concerns.
“It’s also important to understand that men do not reach out for help for mental health concerns or issues that they face because of the culture that we have in Africa, where men are supposed to be supportive.
“Men are supposed to be responsible and breadwinners in communities. Showing that part of vulnerability is not something that is accepted in our communities across the African continent in general.
“And not just to stereotype it, but also to be factual that men are also taught not to be reaching out for help growing up as boys and boys are told to be strong and responsible.
“So, this also causes an issue for men to reach out for mental health services, even when they are there.
Dalal proposed several solutions aimed at decreasing the incidence of suicide across the continent.
“However, the solutions and the implementations that Africa CDC is currently carrying out is in the non-communicable diseases, injuries and mental health strategy.
“They have flagship programmes that are looking at mental health advocacy for communities, looking also at men’s health.
But in addition, there are also mental health fellowships that are coming up, where they will build capacity amongst healthcare workers to also seek mental health as a profession.
“This is because the other challenge is in Africa; healthcare workers do not want to do mental health speciality.
“These are the implementations that we are carrying out.
“We are also promoting more advocacy amongst the younger generation because the third leading cause of death by suicide is from the ages of 15 to 29.’’
According to Dalal, a lot of advocacy is ongoing, especially by the Africa CDC through the African Union.
“We are also advocating policy changes, where we make mental health applicable to the current realities that we are living,” he said.
Subscribers of DSTV and GOtv in Nigeria have been notified of upcoming service disruptions from Sunday, May 5, to Tuesday, May 7, due to ongoing construction on the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway.
DStv reassured its customers via social media that technical staff will be relocating a facility within the right-of-way to minimize service interruptions during this time.
The statement read, “Our uplink facility will be impacted by the ongoing Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road construction project. As a result, we are forced to relocate.
“From Sunday, May 5, 2024 to Tuesday May 7, 2024, our technical team will be working tirelessly to relocate and minimise disruptions during the exercise.
“We appreciate your patience and understanding during this period and remain dedicated to delivering the quality service and support you expect from DStv and GOtv.”
A Delta State High Court in Effurun has ruled in favor of the Registered Trustees of the Neo-Black Movement of Africa, awarding them N30 million in damages in a libel case against popular Nigerian blogger, Linda Ikeji.
The lawsuit, with Ese Kakor, Felix Kupa, and Mayor Onyebueke as claimants, resulted in the court ordering Ikeji to pay N300,000 in litigation costs.
Presiding Justice Roli Daibo-Harriman delivered the verdict in Suit No: EHC/210/2021 on Monday.
Additionally, Ikeji was instructed to publish a retraction of the libellous statements on her blog and in national dailies.
Furthermore, Ikeji has been restrained from making further damaging publications against the claimants.
The Neo-Black Movement of Africa (NBM) took the legal action against Linda Ikeji after she allegedly failed to retract and apologize for a defamatory article published on her blog on October 19, 2021.
The article reportedly labeled the NBM of Africa as a dreaded cult group, black axe, and criminal organization, prompting the claimants to seek N1 billion in damages and an unreserved apology to be published on Ikeji’s blog and in two national newspapers.
Justice Daibo-Harriman, in her ruling, deemed the terms “dreaded cultist group,” “black axe,” and “criminal organization” used in the Defendant’s publication as defamatory.
Kelvin Agbroko, Counsel to the Claimants, emphasized that the ruling “Will serve as a lesson to bloggers that it is not every item you publish. It is good to verify information before making a publication.”
He said, “NBM of Africa is a legal organisation duly registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission. The publication made by the Defendant against my client has been cleared that it was a damaging publication.
“NBM is good to go, we are going to take all necessary steps to enforce the terms of the judgment against her. It was an erudite judgement that is all-encompassing and will be difficult to fault.”
Ese Kakor, President of the NBM of Africa, revealed that the legal proceedings regarding the case had been ongoing for approximately two years.
Kakor expressed his dismay at Linda Ikeji’s actions, stating, “What Ikeji did was just to sell in a bid to defame the character of NBM of Africa. It is very wrong.”
He advised other bloggers against following similar steps, cautioning that they may also face litigation for defamation.
Kakor clarified that the NBM of Africa has no association with cultism, black axe, or criminal activities, emphasizing that it is a well-registered organization.
In a shocking turn of events, Gihan Mbelu, the esteemed chairman of Victoria Garden City in Lagos’s bustling Lekki area, was found lifeless inside his vehicle.
His sudden demise has prompts police inquiry into the mysterious circumstances surrounding his death.
The 42-year-old financial luminary and venture capitalist was found unconscious in his opulent C300 4Matic vehicle around 10:10 am on Friday, April 26, 2024.
According to report, Mbelu was swiftly transported to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, where a doctor on duty confirmed his unfortunate demise.
Meanwhile, concerned individuals took it upon themselves to examine his vehicle, which had been running for hours at the spot where it was parked.
The post reads “Concerned by the discovery, some of the people in the area, upon close observation of the vehicle, found Mbelu in it.
“While some people speculated that the 42-year-old man might be sleeping, some other persons, who were bent on ascertaining Mbelu’s true state, reportedly made frantic efforts to wake him up but it proved abortive.
“In a bid to rescue Mbelu, it was learnt that he was rushed to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital where he was reportedly confirmed dead by one of the doctors on duty.
“Mbelu’s corpse was said to have been deposited in the hospital’s morgue. The case was also reported to the police for an investigation to commence to ascertain the circumstances surrounding Mbelu’s death.”
Prior to his demise, Mbelu was married to Eloho, a distinguished tech entrepreneur, former investment banker, and private equity investor. Together, they are parents to two daughters.
In response to the news, Benjamin Hundeyin, the spokesperson for the state police command, affirmed the incident on Saturday, April 27, disclosing that an investigation has been launched into the matter.
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