Why Third Mainland bridge?

I was really astonished to hear the news of the medical doctor who went all the way to the third mainland bridge right here in Lagos and killed himself! He actually committed suicide in the most cruel way. He was actually cruel to himself, to his family and in fact he was very cruel to Nigeria as a nation. This man was so depressed to the  extent that he left church on that fateful day and headed for the island but when he got to the third mainland bridge, he told his driver he wanted to ease himself but instead he jumped inside the lagoon. And all this happened without anybod being in sight to rescue him. Nobody to rescue this depressed and dying man? What a nation!

But why this cruelty to yourself and the rest of us? Why put yourself through that pain and agony of having to swim through the waters in pains, swallowung so much water just in a bid to end your own life? Why dehumanize your body by committing suicide and then putting your family and the rest of us in pain of losing you? Has Nigeria now become so bad and hopeless that a medical doctor would have no other option but to take his own life? Have we degenerated to that level where people now think of suicide as a last resort?  Has life become so brutish, short and hopeless in Nigeria that such a person who ordinarily should be a role model and someone looked up to by many who aspire to be like him could just wake up one day and decide to end his own life? What a pity!

To even think that he was coming from the church makes the whole situation look so pathetic. What is the role of the church in this whole issue? What happened while he was in the church and what sermon was preached in that church on that day? Has the church played its own role in preventing this type of ugly situations from happening or are they only interested in the tithe and offering that members bring to them? Yes, we know many churches in Nigeria live up to expectations by solving the problems of their members but we also know that there are many more churches who would rather add to the problems of some members than solve such problems. A person would go to church and they would still ask him to go and bring money in order to pray for him even when he cannot afford to feed himself. Is that not hypocrisy by those churches who do so?

It is possible that even though he went to the church for prayers, it could not solve his problems. It is even possible that the sermon never made any impact on him. It is also very possible that he was going through a lot of psychological problems that the church could neither detect nor solve. Now, this brings us to another thing. Is it enough to preach every Sunday without caring to get close to your members to know what they are passing through emotionally? Are churches not supposed to organize counselling for their members to help solve certain psychological problems as this? Are churches not supposed to even detect this type of problems from the spiritual realm while the person is in service and call him aside and pray for him which will ultimately prevent him from taking his own life?

The truth is that some Nigerians are walking corpses because the economy has made many Nigerians worse off than they were previously. Many people are only just living from hand to mouth and this was never what Nigerians expected from their government. But when we talk about those living from hand to mouth, at least they even have something to put in their mouth, what about those who don’t even have anything to put in their mouth and who have no hope of what they would eat at all? Are these people not Nigerians as well? Are they not also entitled to our common patrimony?

Why has our collective wealth been frittered away and looted by wicked leaders while the majority of Nigerians wallow in abject poverty? Why has the Nigerian economy degenerated so badly that even a medical doctor could take his own life just because he was depressed? Why has our government failed us so much that Nigeria has become even worse than it used to be? How did we get to this pitiable state as a nation? Do we really deserve this type of suffering foisted on Nigeria? Why should we be suffering and smiling?

When you see any Nigerian so well dressed on the road, looking so beautifully or handsomely dressed up that you would instantly admire them, and you would even think that they are better off than you, don’t conclude yet and don’t even feel bad about yourself yet because you may actually be better than him. You know why? Because he may be facing so much bottled-up psychological trauma that if not properly handled by an expert such as a psychologist, he may think of ending his life or the life of another person near him. But the surprising thing here is that why a medical doctor again because not long ago we read in the news of a medical doctor in Ogun State who killed his own mother and it was later discovered that the doctor had mental instability. But does mental instability not arise from psychological trauma not properly handled and not treated or solved on time which now degenerates to mental illness? Why a medical doctor again?

Are doctors not supposed to be psychologists themselves who should be entrusted with human life to detect psychological trauma and treat their patients until they get well? Are they not supposed to be mentally balanced themselves and if any doctor is going through such psychological trauma himself, what manner of diagnosis or treatment will he give his patient when himself is not even psychologically balanced in the first place? So I keep wondering why all these bad news about doctors having psychological problems but it’s the situation of Nigeria. A lot of people have been hit by the economy and we are only deceiving ourselves and pretending that all is well but deep down we Nigerians know that all is not well.

A lot of families have been torn apart because many breadwinners can no longer provide for their families. In fact some marriages have crashed just because of economic hardship and many children have been withdrawn from school since their parents can no longer afford to pay their school fees. Many Nigerians are no longer thinking of buying clothes, shoes and other necessities but just what to eat for the day. Clothes and shoes have now become luxury items to many people. What a pity! What a

While my heart goes out to the family of the late doctor for this great loss, that may the good Lord give them the fortitude to bear the loss, we must realize that every Nigerian life is precious and must be protected. The government must be proactive and act before it’s too late.

• Demola writes in from Lagos