Campaign Against Suicide: NANS Hopeful President, Asefon Joins Awareness Campaign

The Leading presidential candidate of the National Association of Nigerian students (NANS), Asefon Sunday has joined Lawanson Adeniran Foundation awareness campaign against suicide in Nigeria.

The campaign, outreach, hangout and walk against suicide has started about four months ago in Ekiti state and appear across Nigeria with the aid billboards, fliers and banners.

The joint force recently Launched 60 days Online campaign against Suicide, which is aimed to teach people signs associated with suicide and provide information on how to talk to someone who may be suicidal.

“We want everybody to be involved and everyone to see it as their role to be involved in suicide prevention, and not only a psychiatrist or not only a social worker,” Asefon said.

"We believe with this approach, we will overcome suicide in Nigeria".

According to Lawanson Adeniran Foundation, "Tough times don't last, tough people do, everybody wants to be a diamond, the more it is cut, the brighter it sparkles, remember, diamonds are created under pressure from dirty coal.

"Suicide is not a permanent solution to a temporary problem."

If someone you know is exhibiting signs that they are suicidal, Asefon says the best approach is to start a frank conversation with them.

“The next thing is just to listen to what the person has to say, and then the next thing is to get that person connected to support in the community,” he said.

“We’re now willing as a joint force and a forum to shine a light into some really dark areas,” he said. “Suicide is something that we typically don’t speak very openly about and it’s pretty remarkable that the Asefon Sunday is willing to say that this is a problem and we need to solve it.”

The campaign is designed to create a forum to put an end to rising cases of suicide in Nigeria.

If you or someone you know is thinking of suicide, these resources can provide help: