NURSES BEMOAN RISING SUICIDE RATE AMONG STUDENTS; ADVICE AUTHORITIES AND THE YOUTHS

Nurses, under the auspices of University graduates of nursing science association (UGONSA), have decried the rising cases of suicide amongst students in the nation’s institutions of higher learning, describing the unfortunate development as a “sad commentary”.

In a statement by the UGONSA Assistant National Secretary East, Nurse P.O. Eteng, the association opined that the sad development now occurs almost every other week among our youths.

The statement read, “The questions begging for urgent answers are - what could make a young person in-waiting as a leader of tomorrow, see no reason to continue to exist? Have we as a Country by our actions or inactions subtly or overtly made the future of our young generation irretrievably bleak? Will this ugly trend abate or is this just the beginning?

“Whatever the answers to these questions are, one thing we cannot play down on is the urgent need to tackle the ugly trend.

“In doing this, a holistic approach involving the family, the community, the school and the government must be elaborated with keen action towards restoring hope to the young generation as hope is the anchor of existence without which life becomes meaningless and useless.

“Most specifically, solutions must be found for the skyrocketing unemployment rate pervading the country as nothing can be more traumatizing than the agony and fear of endlessly remaining unemployed after graduating from a higher institution. Such is a sad commentary that is akin to forcing an adult to remain a child forever.     

“While it is good to engage the services of healthcare professionals in stemming the tide, the ultimate goal should be to treat the disease and not its symptoms. As such we must look inward to tackle those things that make life seem like a mistake to our youths; those things that make them live in morbid fear of the unknown and hopelessness; those things that gravitate towards guilt and self-condemnation; those things that contort inclusiveness; those things that breed unending poverty and hardship.

“Most importantly, we admonish our youths to always remember that a living dog is better than a dead lion. Just as failure today is not failure forever, hardships and problems today are also not hardships or problems forever!

“Life is the most sacred gift from God that should never be tampered with by any man let alone oneself. Doing so is an unpardonable sin. Rather than resorting to taking ones’ own life we appeal to our youths to speak up and cry out whenever life challenges are excruciatingly pushing to end it all - the statement concluded.