A son’s story
My mother, Esther Omowunmi, turned 80 this year. She is the only parent I have left. My late father, Solomon Babafemi, gave 33 and one half years to the Nigerian Ports Authority. They raised me to believe that a nation is judged by how it treats its most fragile people.
That belief took me up Mount Kilimanjaro almost twenty years ago, carrying our flag as the first Nigerian to summit for mental health. I climbed it again under contract with South Africa’s Ekurhuleni Municipality, in honour of Nelson Mandela’s 95th birthday, his last. Ekurhuleni means “place of peace.” I have spent my life trying to make that name true for people in pain.
Advocacy has taught me one lesson above all: people in despair listen closely to how the powerful speak about them. Their words become permission, or punishment.
So when I watched a Nigerian Senate clip this week, I could not stay silent.
What was said
On Tuesday 13 October 2026, the Nigerian Senate debated the Suicide Prevention Bill 2026, sponsored by Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong of Cross River South. The bill would replace punishment for attempted suicide with medical assessment, treatment and follow-up, Pulse reports.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio opposed it. He is quoted saying suicide is “a crime for now,” then: “If you attempt it, you better succeed. If you don’t succeed, we will send you to prison”. One commentary describes the line as delivered with “a sardonic laugh”. I heard the laughter in the clip I watched. Judge it yourself; the words alone are cause for concern.
The bill still passed second reading by voice vote and went to the Health and Judiciary committees for a public hearing. Senators Abdul Ningi and Dayo Faduyile spoke for a health-focused approach. Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele raised legal questions about how criminal-justice rules apply across states, and Senator Ned Nwoko asked how the bill would actually prevent suicides. Those are fair questions for a public hearing, not for ridicule. The Association of Psychiatrists in Nigeria then asked Akpabio to clarify or retract his statement and apologise.
On Thursday he defended himself, saying plenary remarks are not the Senate’s final position and that “what matters is our final decision.” The reports I reviewed show no apology and no retraction.
Why words matter
The World Health Organisation says 727,000 people die by suicide every year, and that it is the third leading cause of death among 15- to 29-year-olds (WHO). It also warns that stigma keeps many people who are considering suicide, or have attempted it, from seeking help.
Section 327 of the Criminal Code makes attempted suicide a misdemeanour punishable by up to one year in prison .The bill’s sponsor argues that this threat deters people from asking for help and contradicts the National Mental Health Act 2021, which treats attempted suicide as a psychiatric emergency. Senator Faduyile, a physician, reportedly said some survivors later died by suicide in detention.
The sponsor puts annual suicide deaths in Nigeria at about 16,000, an estimate I could not independently verify. That gap is exactly why the bill’s proposed national suicide-data system matters.
Laughter in a legislature is never neutral. It tells every frightened person watching that their pain is a joke, and that disclosure carries a price.
Four action steps for the Senate President and parliamentarians
- Hold the public hearing quickly, and open it widely. Set a date, publish it, and invite psychiatrists, survivors, bereaved families and human-rights lawyers, as the Association of Psychiatrists in Nigeria has asked. Let evidence and lived experience, not instinct, decide the question.
- Replace punishment with care in law. Pass the bill’s pathway of assessment, treatment and follow-up, and align the criminal statutes with the National Mental Health Act so that Nigerian law speaks with one voice. Because states also legislate, work with the state Houses of Assembly, as the Senate President himself proposed.
- Fund what saves lives. Resource the bill’s crisis helplines, training for health workers and police, and the national suicide-data system. A law without a budget is only a sentiment, and a helpline without a trained voice is only a number.
- Lead with language, and repair the harm. Clarify or retract the remark, apologise to the families it wounded, and adopt a safe-messaging guide for every member of the National Assembly. Parliamentarians set the tone for the nation. I will gladly help brief the Senate on responsible language and suicide prevention.
A closing appeal
A father is not diminished by an apology; he is trusted more for it. Mr Senate President, our people are watching how you handle this moment, and so are those quietly deciding whether to ask for help. You still hold the pen that can turn a painful week into a turning point. Show them that it is safe to speak, and that Nigeria answers despair with care.
If you or someone you know is struggling, please speak to a trusted person or a health professional today.
- business a.m. commits to publishing a diversity of views, opinions and comments. It, therefore, welcomes your reaction to this and any of our articles via email: comment@businessamlive.comÂ
Dr. Joshua Awesome is a Coaching Psychologist/Executive and Business Performance Coach who has supported over 100,000 professionals across Africa and the globe. He can be reached via: joshua@africainmind.org
A son’s open letter on suicide and leadership