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5 Facts You Need to know about Body Physiotheraphy in Nigeria

Physical therapy (PT), also known as physiotherapy, is one of the medical professions. It is provided by physical therapists who promote, maintain, or restore health through physical examination, diagnosis, prognosis, patient education, physical intervention, rehabilitation, disease prevention, and health promotion. Physical therapists are known as physiotherapists in many countries. Speaking about the emergence of body physiotherapy in Nigeria, the first meeting held by the Society was held on 28 November 1959 in Lagos at a physiotherapist's home. Within a short period (1961-1962) the society was recognised by the Federal Government and other Regional Governments. It was the only body that had the power to negotiate with the governments. Therefore the In addition to clinical practice, other aspects of physical therapist practice include research, education, consultation, and health administration. Physical therapy is provided as a primary care treatment or alongside, or in conjunction with, other medical services.

Nigeria Society of Physiotherapy (NSP) is the embodiment of Physiotherapists in Nigeria, is a member of the World confederation for Physical Therapy (WCPT) and a leading member of the WCPT Africa Region (WCPTA). Physical therapy addresses the illnesses or injuries that limit a person's abilities to move and perform functional activities in their daily lives. PTs use an individual's history and physical examination to arrive at a diagnosis and establish a management plan and, when necessary, incorporate the results of laboratory and imaging studies like X-rays, CT-scan, or MRI findings. PT management commonly includes prescription of or assistance with specific exercises, manual therapy, and manipulation, mechanical devices such as traction, education, electrophysical modalities which include heat, cold, electricity, sound waves, radiation, assistive devices, prostheses, orthoses, and other interventions. In addition, PTs work with individuals to prevent the loss of mobility before it occurs by developing fitness and wellness-oriented programs for healthier and more active lifestyles, providing services to individuals and populations to develop, maintain and restore maximum movement and functional ability throughout the lifespan. This includes providing treatment in circumstances where movement and function are threatened by aging, injury, disease, or environmental factors. Functional movement is central to what it means to be healthy.

5 Facts You Need to know about Body Physiotheraphy in Nigeria

With all the explanations given above about physiotherapy, mind you lets not forget about what Body Physiotherapy entails.

Body physiotherapy is defined as the treatment of problems of the muscles, joints, or nerves, especially using exercises or by rubbing or moving the affected body parts. Mind you there different types of body physiotherapy functioning for different parts of the body and this includes: sport physiotherapy, rehabilitation and pain management. The best among them all is orthopedic physiotherapy.

Therefore, the 5 facts about Body physiotherapy in Nigeria are listed below:

1. Physical Therapy Eliminates The need for Surgery

Physical therapy can not only relieve pain, but completely reverse some conditions or stop them from progressing, eliminating the need for surgery. For many patients, the thought of surgery is overwhelming; it can be expensive, uncomfortable and inconvenient, especially when an extended recovery period is required.

2. Physiotherapy Prevents and Manages Obesity

Physiotherapists can play a role in educating client about weight lost by assessing and planning an exercise program which focuses on energy expenditure modification through exercise. Fitness is also associated with more desirable clinical outcomes in many instances

3. Physiotherapy is Drug-Free

Non-surgical/drug free treatment physiotherapy is a medical treatment for the problems of joints, muscles or nerves by physical methods such as massage, heat treatment, exercise rather than drugs or surgery.

4. Physiotherapists are Health Care Givers

They participate in global health work beyond direct patient care, including advocating for and developing rehabilitation programmes.

5. Physiotherapists can help improve your general body functional performance

Physiotherapists supports people at all stages of life to recover from injury, reduce pain and stiffness and maximize function and quality of life, incorporating physical, psychological, emotional and social well being.

Numerous NGOs Exist Due to Government's Laxity - Bolu Okunlola

NNI: Can we meet you?

Guest: I am Okunlola Boluwatife, a graduate of Law from Obafemi Awolowo University. I am passionate about social change and development. I am the founder and Lead Volunteer of The Keturah Movement; a social change organization and also a craftsman at BOJCrafts.

NNI: How has the entrepreneurship journey been for you so far?

Guest: For me, the entrepreneurship journey has been quite interesting because it is more like a hobby.

Bolu Okunlola, founder, Keturah Movement - Interview

NNI: In managing multiple businesses and your NGO while as a student, how did you manage your time and balance academics and extra curricular activities?

Guest: There wasn't really a specific balance scheme that I strictly followed.

The major drive for the balance between my academics, entrepreneurship and running an NGO is the fact that I enjoy doing them all. I don't allow the time for any aspect to affect the others and that has somehow helped build a healthy balance between them all.

NNI:What is your worst business experience?

Guest: Oh, that would definitely be one time that I had to work with a very difficult customer. I made a wallet and there was a glitch in the finishing that a shoemaker did. She was displeased and said nasty things. I apologized and refunded her money, and it was quite painful because I had put in so much work.

NNI: BOJCrafts follows a unique business trend. What inspires your creative products?

Guest: Usually, what keeps my creative juices flowing is the fact that I enjoy the challenge of coming up with new designs and satisfying other people's fashion cravings. I am inspired by the combination of trends, colors, works and achievements of other creatives.

NNI: On Youth Development and growth in Nigeria, do you think we are making progress?

Guest: In order to seek the long term development and growth of a nation, we all know that youth development is a prerequisite. Personally, I believe we're making progress but we're not there yet. The trend these days is that as youths, we do not give quality time to growth anymore, most people now skip the growth process and jump into leadership.

To an extent, I would say that we're making a heads way in youth development and growth in Nigeria. The "lazy youth" mentality is almost now a thing of the past because an average youth now has one or two things we focus on such as businesses, skills and so on.

NNI: Peer influence and Social Media are two notable factors that have great influence on youths- positive and negative. To what extent can you measure these influence?

Guest: The effect of peer Influence on the average youth has been the crux of discuss for the past few years. Most youths do something that they wouldn't otherwise do, because of some form of validation and the hunger to be accepted and valued.

On the other hand, The use of social media has both negative and positive impacts on the youths today. Youths are predominantly the users of the Internet for social interaction. These are the people who cannot imagine life without the Internet, always seeking for ways to connect virtually with everyone in the world.

The effect of peer influence and social media on us today as youths is far reaching, both negatively and positively. And the best antidote for the negative effects is to create a balance in both aspects.

NNI: You run a Non- Governmental Organisation. How do you give back to the society?

Guest: We basically focus on social change and contributing our quota to make the world a better place.

A Recent Project of the Keturah Movement

We organize and volunteer for events relating to childcare, female and youth empowerment, community development and poverty alleviation among others.

NNI: What is your take on the existence of many NGOs? Do you think that societal impact is relative to the number of NGOs in existence?

Guest: NGOs play a very crucial role in the well being of mankind. There are many things that the governments would not be able to cater for and the NGOs cover that field.

The mentality behind the high rise of NGOs is basically a reflection of laxity on the part of the government. But we cannot overemphasize the great positive impact that this brings. More NGOs means more hands to help other people. I believe that the greatest empowerment we can give to societal change is directly empowering our local communities permanently. This is a problem that most NGOs are trying to tackle. However, I agree that societal impact is relative to the number of NGOs in existence.

NNI: What is the Tzedakah4Keturah Project about?

Guest: Tzedakah4Keturah is an initiative of The Keturah Movement. It is a social purpose business where we sell products and the entire profit goes into charity. We set up the enterprise to tackle two social issues: Healthcare and Child education. It was inspired by the idea that every child deserves quality education and human being deserves quality healthcare. The yearly project tagged "Tzedakah" visits public schools to donate learning materials, hospitals to donate healthcare aids and also rural areas for sensitization on physical and mental health.

NNI: What is your advice to fellow young individuals?

Guest: To my fellow young individuals, I'd love to say we should try to let go of worrying too much about the future. Concentrate on being in the here and know and life will be more fulfilling. We can only take care of the future when we learn how to take care of the present moment. What's the fun in it all if we already have it all figured out? I think it's best that we create a space for ourselves to grow at a convenient pace and take it one step at a time.

NNI: Thank you very much for your time

Guest: Thank you so much for your patience.

Rape victims and survivors suffer great trauma what with all the commotion raised by internet users who took to various social media platforms to pour out their grievances after the release of Busola Dakolo's interview. A lot of people had a lot of things to say about the issues raised in the video and there were back and forth arguments about who to believe and who was lying. My thoughts? Well read on.

It takes a lot of strength, especially mental, for a person to come out and say he or she was raped and when such persons do come out let us, mere outsiders, not be too quick to judge and cast blames. Rape is a very painful experience, one that cannot be quickly forgotten, if at all it is gotten over. It does a lot to a person's self-esteem that most victims turn out to be desperate people who search for self-validation everywhere even at places where it is obvious that it cannot be found. I implore us all to show more attention and compassion to people that will come to us to report any sort of sexual violations they suffer.

There is a lot of pretense in the society today. A lot of people only get involved in conflicts when a well-known persona is a party but when the victim is an unknown person it becomes no one's business. Taking reference in Busola's case, her story became this popular only because she is a public figure. We should do our part and not turn deaf ears when the story is that of Nkechi, an helpless sixteen year old student that live in a local town. Let us please stop with the hypocrisy.

The shame culture that is practiced by Nigerians is a sad one indeed. It makes it so that victims of rape are ashamed and afraid to come out and tell their stories. They get to deal with the trauma that comes with the experience and also have to face the stigmatization that coming out will attract with it. Nobody ever wishes to be raped and it is entirely unfair to even suggest that the victim is to be blamed; the victim is never the cause. It is, therefore, our collective responsibility to create a society that respects rape victims as the survivors they truly are and to hold them at a high pedestal that is the complete opposite of the ridicule they would otherwise be put through.

Now there are a lot of rape apologists out there justifying rape and giving stupid reasons and excuses such as, 'It's not rape when she was dressed provocatively', 'His no usually means yes', 'They deserved it'. Let me set this straight, sex without consent is rape. Sex with another person without the person's permission is rape and there is no such thing as silent approval. If you want to save yourself from being labelled as a rapist do not have sex with someone that is showing any sign of reluctance but instead go on to some other person that shares mutual interest with you. Trust me, there are many people out there that will meet your taste.

Another thing to discuss is rapists themselves. Do not be the unfortunate being that will forcefully take what is not freely given to you. Always consciously and deliberately try not to be in a situation where you'd have to sexually assault somebody, it is an advice I will always give to people that know they are weak in that respect. If you're someone that struggles with issues that make you do things you would rather not do then save someone the heartache and seek help, professional or not.

Furthermore, it will be a great crime to falsely accuse someone of rape when there was a consent before the action. A lot of people have chosen this period to bounce their pain on their preys. The false accusation is as costly as the rape offence itself. Because, this will not only tarnish the integrity and image of such person that has been wrongly accused, as the label will remain as a skin on such person, if not forever, but always.

As I conclude, my heart goes out to every person out there who has had to experience such hateful, depressing and painful ordeal, what happened is not your fault, you're stronger than you think and you're worthy of more. Love.

Twin sisters who were impregnated by the same man in Akwa Ibom have dedicated their children in church. According to a Facebook user, FearGod Akpakpan, who posted the story in a Facebook group (Sitippe Akwa Ibom), he said the dedication took place on Sunday, June 25, at Christian evangelistic church Ikpe Akpa Ewe, Oruk Anam LGA in Akwa Ibom State.

The post, however, has caused an outrage as members of the group are accusing the church of promoting polygamy while others celebrating the man and his family. See more photos and reaction from people after the cut..

Twin Sisters Impregnated by Same Man in Akwa Ibom Dedicate Children

The problems in our society are quite appalling. Different problems everyday, it is quite disheartening to wake up to this awful news daily. From rape to racism and others. What's happening to the world?

Why do we train our women to be responsible and forget to train most of our men?
We live in a society where the woman is blamed for being raped. Rape is never the victims' fault because no body wants to be raped. We tell our women to dress well to avoid rape but it is not about the dressing. Modestly dressed people get raped, babies are raped and we blame it on the dressing of the woman. We have freedom to dress in the way we like but then we become scared.

We live in a society where we let innocent women be raped, get blamed and die of depression or sometimes even get killed by the rapist while the rapists roam the street like innocent people. Most women who get raped can't even speak up because of the fear of been condemned by the society. It's true that men also get raped but the cases of male rape is very low compared to that of women.

We need to be bold and speak up. We are the change we want to see in the world.

Violence against women and girls is one of the most widespread violations of human rights. It further intensified during the Covid19 with increasingly alarming rate of sexual violence during the lockdown and curfews. It was further tagged as the "Shadow Pandemic" ravaging the world amidst the Covid 19 health crises by United Nations Women Executive Director

Global estimates published by WHO indicate that about 1 in 3 (35%) of women worldwide have experienced either physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence in their lifetime. Yet to date, only two out of three countries have outlawed domestic violence, while 37 countries worldwide still exempt rape perpetrators from prosecution if they are married to or eventually marry the victim. Furthermore, 49 countries currently have no laws protecting women from domestic violence.

This year marks the 25th Anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the most visionary agenda for advancing women’s rights everywhere, of which Nigeria is a signatory. The COVID-19 pandemic has dampened what should have been a year of reflection on the progress made and strategising on concrete actions to address urgent issues such as gender-based violence.

Here are just 5 ways we all can make a difference, safely and impactfully in ending Gender Based Violence.

1. Start Conversations to end the Silence Culture

Violence against women and girls is a human rights violation that’s been perpetuated for decades. It’s pervasive, but it’s not inevitable, unless we stay silent. Igniting the fire is a step in awareness.

2. Always take a Stand against rape culture

Rape culture is the social environment that allows sexual violence to be normalized and justified, fueled by the persistent gender inequalities and attitudes about gender and sexuality. Naming it is the first step to dismantling rape culture.

Every day we have the opportunity to examine our behaviours and beliefs for biases that permit rape culture to continue. Examining our various definition of masculinity and femininity, and how our own biases and stereotypes influences our decision. Collectively, we can all take action to stand against rape culture.

3) Listening to and believing survivors

When women share their story of violence, they take the first step to breaking the cycle of abuse.

It’s on all of us to give the safe space for women's needs to speak up and be heard.I t’s important to remember that when discussing cases of sexual violence, a victim’s sobriety, clothes, and sexuality are irrelevant.The perpetrator is the sole reason for assault and must bear the responsibility alone. Calling out victim-blaming and countering the idea that it’s on women to avoid situations that might be seen as “dangerous” by traditional standards.

Survivors of violence are speaking out more than ever before, and everyone has a role to play to ensure they can have justice.

4) Understanding consent

Freely given, enthusiastic consent is mandatory, every time. Teaching people that rather than listening for a “no,” make sure there is an active “yes,” from all involved. Adopting enthusiastic consent in our various life and talking about it.

Phrases like “she was asking for it” or “boys will be boys” attempt to blur the lines around sexual consent, placing blame on victims, and excusing perpetrators from the crimes they have committed.

5. Shame Perpetrators

Women most times suffers from victim blaming, society shaming and talking point after experiencing violence. In our society today, we talk about how many women were raped like statistics not how many men rape women. We talk about how women can protect themselves from rape not how men should stop raping women.We call men who rape or harm women DOGS but dogs don't harm/rape. We must ensure that perpetrators of violence against women are shamed and ridiculed collectively while justice is duly served to the victim.

Conclusion

Conclusively, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic threaten any progress that has been made in tackling gender-based violence. Nigeria must ensure that its recovery from the pandemic promotes a more gender inclusive society, where women and girls’ rights are protected and their opportunities promoted, so that the progress made in the last 25 years was not in vain. Ending violence against women is everyone’s business and you have a role to play.

Opinion: Partners for Developmental Revolutions: Youthocracy by Ekpa Stanley Ekpa

Myriads of theorizing upon predictions, Africa is gradually earning a swelling reputation for over romanticizing ideologies than taking bold actions to concretize her developmental fortunes. And whereas in climes where development is done than said, leaders forecast the positive impact of development on successive generations; in jurisdictions where development is preached, every rhetoric of UN, IMF, World Bank is reechoed, while we wait for Macron or Obama to win elections, or for U.S., Japan and Russia to monopolize the outer space before we begin to chant in plagiarism 'yes we can'.

But it will be uncharitable to hold that there is nothing progressive and developmental about the African continent, it is rather apposite to x-ray the pace, innovativeness and committed sincerity in actualizing meaningful development in Africa and the significant roles youth must play in the path to Africa's renewal. The truism that youths are the trustees of a nation's peace and prosperity begets the the socio-political concept of 'Youthocracy'. The idea that young people with transcendent credentials of entrepreneurial and leadership savvies, competence, patriotism, and globally liberal can re-engineer societal progress, development and peace. How then can youth's resourcefulness: intellect, energy, resilience, aspirations, time, vigor and hope be harnessed to proffer sustainable solutions to mankind's demanding challenges?

Turning against astonishing odds, young men and women globally are becoming increasingly involved in reshaping the affairs of their nations and the world. This must not be seen as an age war against the older generation, but a strategic societal partnership to translate youth's resourcefulness for social justice, peace, sustainable development and security. From Former U.S. President Barack Obama to Canadian Prime Minister Justein Trudeau, to the eloquent David Cameron of Britain, to Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras of Greece and President Emmanuel Macron of Franc, the narrative is gradually dispelling all doubts of youths' leadership capacity and capabilities.

There are legion of legal framework for youthocracy scattered all over different jurisdictions which are not limited to the International Covenant on Political and Civil Rights; Article 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child; the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women; the African Youth Charter; and the Nigerian National Youth Policy (2009). In Nigeria, while the advocacy for the alteration of Sections 65, 106, 131, and 177 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended, to reduce the age qualification for political offices through the Not Too Young To Run Bill gains momentum, it is apt for youths to deliberately design a broader possibilities for their strategic involvements in societal affairs and decision making for development. The problem is not solely with the current legal regime that places age limit for youth's participation in elective politics, but on youths playing relevant roles that sufficiently prepare them to run at the significant time. Obama started as a community worker and even with his Harvard law certificate he knew what he wanted and most appropriate moment for him; instead of the youth from minority ethnic nations to complain all day about the politicized marginalization of the minorities in Nigeria's governance structure, political wisdom demands of them to strategically reach out to other young people in other tribes and build reliable alliances across groups while trying to understand the thinking of the diverse ethnic nations of Nigeria and their cultural richness. Through this we can intermarry, build inte-tribal and religious confidence for trust and true friendship.

In our generation, the most enabling legitimacy for youthocracy stems from the state of underdevelopment in the developing world, fearful global insecurity, widening unemployment, absence of gender and social justice amongst other social ail. Because the disasters hit us the most and because we are victims of these social challenges, the onus lies on us to lead the drive to re-engineer mankind, our nations and societies through our high-tech, entrepreneurial and leadership savvies and skills. The creed of youthocracy enshrines essential ingredients in service leadership such as sophisticated intellectual capital; progressive ideologies; rare courage and strong will for bold actions; innovation and ideas that alter status quo, and abiding patriotism that defies greed and corruption. Youthocracy produces youth that recognize the impact of their academic learning and degree on development and the promotion of societal good or nothing else. Those considered apostles of youthocracy are imbued with the credentials of credibility and uncompromising life standard for excellence, possessing unique values for services, good governance, and selfless.

With youthocracy accepted as an essential lexicon for our progress, we must then proceed to shun all unnecessary expectations for miracle or magic development, developmental revolution will prompt real development in all sectors of Nigerian economy for all components of our federation through strategic innovation for lasting change. In my earlier piece titled 'THE DEBT OF DEVELOPMENT: YOUTH & DEVELOPMENT ON TRIAL', I wrote that 'the widening state of poverty, underdevelopment, ethnic and religious sentiments across national lines call for the Nigerian youth to take corrective measures to redefining and reclaiming Nigeria's dream and greatness. Our generation in leadership must imbue ourselves with strong and patriotic characters and values to build strong institutions; build our economy for global competitiveness; create newie job opportunities through sustainable economic diversifications; we will build our technological sector and find new scientific solutions to old challenges; we must reestablish a global educational system that really support entrepreneurial innovations and can harness the impact of university degree on development; we must reduce the cost of governance to cater more for the welfare of our general workforce; we can not afford not to build quality healthcare system to avoid travelling abroad for every little medical attention'. Youthocracy enshrines youth's governance in diverse sectors and not necessarily politics alone as against the current sole trade in desire of many people with the syndrome of 'quick-money-through-politics'. Young people must exhibit stellar leadership exceptionalities in political, corporate, religious and traditional institutions.

Youthocracy will enact shared volunteerism in governance, reducing the 'glamorousness' of our political culture and drastically cut the cost of governance to focus more on the welfare of workers for productive and social security than the welfare of few politicians. Shared volunteerism in youthocracy means that the young leaders have to sacrifice and share their major leadership entitlements for the common benefits of the generality of the people. The young leaders have to invest more in developing both the human capital of her people and the natural resources of the state for state development.

It is already out of fashion to keep blaming the old men at the exit lodge of our nation's affairs but even more woeful if our generation turns a disastrous liability obstructing our progress, integration, security and development just as most of our retiring leaders did. The relevant youth must therefore, proclaim his usefulness through the manifestation of his content for solutions to societal issues at all time. Define your life identity; register a business and start your entrepreneurial passion no matter how small if you are business inclined; participate in electoral process if you are qualified; join voluntary or pro bono community edifying engagements; support advocacies for common societal good. The truth is these things may not immediately make you rich but will certainly define your path to genuine success in life. My fear is however engaged by youth's excessive scrambling for materialistic honour and luxury which somehow is not a fault of a handful few. Make no mistake to misconstrue my opinion as anti-richness, for God forbid that we teach poverty as a virtue or an appreciable state of life but hard work, patience and legitimacy to success are familiar factors for good society. And matter-of-factly, the society's contributory negligence and failure to institutionalize social security largely push the youth to avoidable crimes with internet fraud as an average rich youth's rescuing career. And this is the case not becaus the youths naturally desire to occupy such huge criminal identity but for the unfriendly environment and lack of opportunity to actualize one's potentials and legitimately make ends means. There is however no acceptable excuse for criminality.

And because our future is nearly butchered to emptiness by greedy politicians, we must make haste to recreate a nation of new possibilities for our generation and hope for the generations after us by harnessing our demographic and voting strength, resilience, and intelligence in defence of our democracy and development. Though it is in the best interest of governments at all levels to ensure inclusive youth participation in major decion-making and development process of our nation, the stake lies more in the hands of the young people to rekindle they role in diiferent sectors of nation building from local governments to federal level. In our time, you will be certified a great man if racism, tribalism and religious fanaticism is not found in your attribute; you will be considered rich if you cherish ideologies that promote collective good against personal greed; you are exceptional if you imbue yourself with distinguishing skills, competence and capacities to save the world, for in all these shall mankind be free.

For the youths to make lasting impact, their may consider building sustainable partnerships both in business and politics as well as other endeavours of life. Partnerships produce assurance of results where individual strength could fail. Given the large scale of our socio-economic and leadership challenges, an individual's ideas and strength may not be sufficient to execute giant developmental investments, community projects and leadership initiatives, hence, the compelling need to combine talents, skills and fund for more prosperous results. This will enable youths to credibly start up value adding ventures legitimately with better prospects for greatness. A readily instance is the All Times Law Partners projected to be Africa's largest legal partnership by 2025, offering clients expertise solutions in different aspects of law and leading in Africa's development transactions.

I love Nigeria my place of origin and the world's most naturally and humanly endowed Nation. The hope of making Nigeria great lies in the hands, heads and hearts of the youths. May God guide us aright to reaffirm our unalloyed commitment to the Partnership for Developmental Revolution in our nation. For certainly if we work faithfully through the valley of patriotism, then the promise of building an export, technology and knowledge based economy is assured; the dream of an efficient and corrupt-free institutions will be achieved; the reality of selfless service in governance will manifest; our infrastructures will be rebuilt to provide basic amenities for the common man; and surely our nation will regain our seat of greatness among the comity of nations.

Poetry: Found

"And when I saw her"

"I could not forget"

"Her eyelids dropped"

"Her hair seemed wet"

"She seemed not to know"

"That I was he"

"She'd always been let down"

"Unlucky in love,you see"

"And yet I was opportuned"

"To ask her hand"

"She looked and said"

"You build castles in the sand"

"I knelt and uttered"

"Let me be your knight"

"For even one as fair as you"

"Needs someone to fight"

"So here I stand"

"On the brink of insanity"

"Knowing ders no such love"

"As that with two who are crazy"

Amos George

Suicide: The Dissolution but not the Solution by Damilola Akinlolu

Suicidal thoughts have become a norm in our society, as many see it as the lasting solution to a temporary problem. Putting an end to one's life does not in any way put an end to the problem, rather it opens a new chapter of struggle which one has no idea of.

There are lot of cases in our society that have prompted people to end their lives, a news got circulated sometimes ago about a young boy who ended his life because he failed UTME(United Tertiary Matriculation Exam), another person ended her life because she was not given attention by her mother. Some suicidal acts are known to be impulsive due to financial difficulties, stress, relationship breaks or bullying. Other suicidal acts are quite unexplainable. People go to any lengths to carry out this action, the popular ones are by hanging (or suffocation), overdose, usage of firearms, drowning, pesticide poisoning and falls. When I hear people clamor for the ban on insecticides, I'm compelled to ask if insecticide is the only means of ending one's life. Rather than putting a ban on insecticides, why not let's address the issue from the root cause?

Overtime, the range of ages prone to this act is 15 – 30 years of age. Suicide has become the 10th leading cause of death worldwide. Depression, substance abuse (alcohol, hard drug …), bipolar disorder, mental health problems are risk factors. A common risk factor, depression, is a serious medical illness that negatively affects the way one feels, thinks and acts.

During depression, people suffer in silence. There is this feeling of isolation and untrue belief that they’re the only one lost. This continues for a while or longer until they can’t take it anymore. At this point, the only escape route seen is death because the mind is in thick darkness. And in most cases, the easiest option thought about is suicide. Fake appearances and expression manifest in such individuals in order to hide the real issue at hand from every single soul around them. Even when help comes knocking faintly, they deny it and go ahead in betraying themselves. They think the solution has been fixed by them but they fail to see that their own death isn’t the death of the problem. The problem gets passed on to loved ones as guilt and regrets consume them up. The “what if?”, “had I known” and “I thought” damage loved ones left behind especially if they continue to blame themselves for the demise of a depressed being. They assume it were their fault for failing to see the frown under that smile, the sadness being covered by happiness and the inability to differentiate between real and fake.

To every depressed soul out there and every one already having suicidal ideations, suicide was and will never be the solution. Suicide does not solve the problem as the problem still persists. It even creates more problems for those you care about. Depression does get better when you come to the realization that there are a lot of positive things out there waiting for you find them and many positive ways out there waiting to be located by you. Be optimistic! The help and realization are not sudden but gradual. Don’t suffer alone. Speak to someone (a non-judgmental person), though it might seem the hardest thing to do. You can also meet your religious head if the need be. And in case you don’t have the above around you, there are hotlines of professional individuals or organization out there.

Adetoun walked down the streets slowly, she looked quite torn between two worlds – the world of reality and that of her thoughts. She mistakenly bumped into a dark young man who seemed to be in a hurry; this was met with a series of insults. She quickly did her best to apologize to him, but he was gone already. She composed herself immediately, and sat down on the bonnet of a car.

Adetoun was a beautiful lady, dark in complexion, she had a slightly pointed nose, and an oblong face. All these features even made her beauty to be more pronounced. She was what the guys of today would call “melanin popping”.

As beautiful as she was, she had her scars. She was an only child; and as fate would have it – she became an orphan at the age of twelve. From that moment, Adetoun’s custody was handed over to her father’s brother, who was popularly known as “Chairman” in his area because he happened to be the head of the area boys and touts. Chairman was a huge man, with a round face and receding hairline; he also had a stomach that looked like it was housing twins. You could always perceive the stench of beer or cigarettes around him; he had a wife- Mummy Tayo, and two children- Tayo and Wumi. Wumi and Adetoun were age mates, while Tayo was already eighteen.

Adetoun soon moved in, and started school again. All seemed to be going well until one terrible incident happened; on a cloudy day, Adetoun was inside the house, all alone, washing her clothes. Tayo and Wumi had already gone to meet their mother in her shop which was three streets away .Adetoun happily washed her clothes at the back of the house as she hummed a song she heard from the radio. Chairman staggered into the house, heavily drunk; he shouted “who’s in this house o?” .Adetoun quickly stood up from where she was washing and went inside to meet her uncle. “E kaabo, Sir”, she knelt down to greet him; Chairman’s eyes did a quick scan of Adetoun’s body and he licked his lips. “Oya, go and bring me the two thousand naira I kept on the small table in my room”, he commanded.

Adetoun, the obedient child she was, ran to her uncle’s room to get the money; little did she know that she was walking into an evil trap. When she got there, her eyes scanned the room for the small table. She saw it, but she couldn’t see any money on it. As she turned around to go and give her uncle a feedback of the little errand, she was met by her uncle who was already by the door. Chairman locked the door and put the key in his pocket; Adetoun was confused and asked “Uncle, what’s happening? Is there an armed robber outside?” Her questions were met with a reply of four words, four words that would later haunt her in the future. “Adetoun, remove your clothes” was all her uncle told her. Adetoun was so dumbfounded, but then, she quickly realized the implications of her uncle’s words. Already in tears, she started pleading with her uncle, but her uncle pushed her to the bed. She started to shout, but her uncle was quick to quiet her by giving her two slaps and he covered her mouth with his hand. Without wasting time, her uncle already stripped her of her clothes, along with her dignity and pride, and whatever happiness she had been feeling previously. Adetoun had no strength left in her, as her uncle mounted her and devoured her virginity like a hungry lion; she could only curse him in her heart. After Chairman was done eating the forbidden fruit, he heaved a sigh of satisfaction and fanned himself.

Next, he threatened to kill Adetoun if she ever uttered a word to any soul. Adetoun. Chairman stood up and happily left the crime scene. After much shedding of tears, Adetoun stood up, staggering and went to the bathroom first, trying to wash away the dirt and the pains away. Then, she went to her uncle’s room; as she entered, she started crying and she removed the sheets. Amidst the tears, she washed the sheets and her remaining clothes so the other members of the family wouldn’t suspect a thing.

When Mummy Tayo, Tayo and Wumi got back from the shop, Adetoun acted like as if everything was perfectly alright. For one week, Adetoun was withdrawn to herself, she was no longer the friendly child she used to be. If anyone asked what happened to her, she simply replied that she was remembering her dead parents. This façade went on and on, until another day came when Chairman wanted to have his way again. This time, Adetoun used all of her strength to resist him and she ran away (At this point in time, she was just in the second class of junior secondary school). Chairman went outside and sent some of his boys to look for her. When his wife and children came back, he denied ever seeing Adetoun that day; “I thought she was with you in the shop”, he said. He calmed his wife and children down and made a show of calling his boys to look for Adetoun.

Adetoun kept running till she was very tired and out of breath. She looked around and tried to assess her surroundings. She realized that she was already in another area. Then, she saw a man who was loading his truck with farm produce, and she deducted that he was going to the city. She sneaked into the back of his truck and soon enough, the man started driving, unaware of the fact that he was carrying an extra passenger.

In Chairman’s house, his wife and children were very worried and eagerly awaited the reports of the boys. The boys came back with a negative report as all efforts in the search for Adetoun were futile. Mummy Tayo and her children were greatly distressed after hearing this; Chairman reassured them that he would still search for her the next day.

When she got to the city in the morning, she walked around the streets looking at the busy ways of the city and thinking of a way to survive. The next day, she decided that she would have to look for a way to fend for herself. Just as she was thinking of ideas, she saw a girl that was caught stealing. She went to meet the girl and then indicated her interest in joining the group of pickpockets. The other girl, who was called Esi, as she discovered later, reluctantly agreed to teach her. That was how Adetoun became a full-time pickpocket; she became quite a professional.

At Chairman’s house, after all continued efforts to search for Adetoun had been in vain, they all concluded that she must have been kidnapped or used for rituals. So, everyone mourned for her, some with crocodile tears, and everyone moved on with their lives.

For many years in the city, Adetoun continued in the art of pickpocketing and had a lot of friends. Their shelter was an uncompleted building. One day, as Adetoun was walking around the city, already a lady of eighteen, she heard a talk on the radio about life. The radio presenter advised the youth to do something meaningful and legal, something their parents could be proud of, and not to engage in illegal vices. Adetoun was disturbed as the thought of her dead parents came floating to her mind. “Would they be pleased with her if she was engaging in this terrible act”? , this was one of the many questions that troubled her mind. That night, Adetoun tossed and turned as she kept thinking of what to do, she finally made a decision.

The next morning, before anyone woke up, she packed her bag, and with the money she had saved over time, she made her way to another part of the city. She had decided that she would be selling groundnuts which is “epa” in Yoruba land and roasted plantain popularly known as “boli”. She rented a flat and she went to the market to acquire the materials for her business, then she went to get a stand where she could sell her boli and epa. She soon became popular in that town, because she was always nice to her customers and everyone around her. Due to the nature of her work, she became known as “Anti Boli” by the young and old. Adetoun was also involved in the town’s youth forum, and she was an active member. Whenever there was a call for help, she was always willing to do so. Alas, she had really changed overnight. For Adetoun, it was tough to resist the temptation of being a pickpocket, but she tried her best to steer clear of pickpocketing.

One fateful day, at the market where Adetoun happened to sell boli andepa, a boy who looked to be about fifteen years old was running with so much speed, with five area guys fast at his heel. Shouts of “thief, thief, ole” hung in the air as everyone gave their attention to the ongoing chase. Eventually, the boy was caught and before you could say Jack Robinson, a big black tyre was placed around his neck, and one of the area boys popularly known as “Ijakadi” went to get petrol to make the sacrifice complete.

While all this was happening, Adetoun was watching from her stand and she felt a tug at her heart to help the poor boy even though he was guilty of the crime. She said a short prayer, and proceeded to do an Esther. She held her head up high, and went to meet the head of the area boys, who was called “Kayefi”. She pleaded with him “Kayefi, baba to sure, abeg help me free this small pikin”. “Anti Boli, that one no possible o, e no fit happen”, he responded. She begged him and pleaded on account that he was small and not yet wise. After much pleading, Kayefi agreed and said “Anti Boli,because na you o, wallahi, if no be say we be padi, I for don send this pikin go Baba God side”. The boy was set free, and he prostrated himself before Adetoun, thanking her with tears in his eyes. She told the boy to accompany her and he did so.

At her stand, she quizzed the boy about his life and family. There, she learnt that his name was Abayomi, he was an orphan and he was living on the streets. She agreed to take him in like a younger brother, if he promised to behave. He joyfully agreed, and so, Adetoun really had someone to call family. Soon, after she could see that Abayomi was behaving well, she got a JAMB form for him and she made him sit for it and other necessary exams. Abayomi passed and was admitted into the University of Lagos to study Law; Adetoun’s joy knew no bounds.

Over the days, everything was going smoothly and Adetoun was enjoying her simple life selling boli and epa. One morning, as Adetoun was dressing up, she felt a slight pain in her left breast and saw that a lump was on her breast. She thought it was an insect bite, and she went to rub some shea butter on the affected area. Every day, she rubbed the area with shea butter. After a week, she woke up to see that the nipple of that breast was giving out a bloody discharge. She was scared, and she quickly made her way to the hospital. After waiting for an hour, the doctor finally attended to her. She explained her situation to the doctor, and he told her that she would have to get a mammogram. The mammogram was conducted shortly, and she was told to wait in the doctor’s office for the results. The doctor came back after thirty minutes with some papers in his hand.

“Ma’am, after the mammogram, we have discovered what exactly is behind your symptoms”, he said. “Okay, what is wrong with me doctor? “, she asked; he told her she would have to be calm to hear the results. By now, Adetoun was very tense; the doctor finally said “Ma’am, you have stage two breast cancer”. For two minutes, Adetoun was in shock and didn’t utter a word, then she burst into tears amidst cries of “Doctor, why me? This can’t be true, who have I offended? ”. The doctor tried his best to console her, and when she was a little bit calm, she asked “Doctor, please, what exactly is the solution to this?”, the doctor replied “Ma’am, you’d have to undergo a surgery in two weeks from now. ” The doctor explained that she could either go for a lumpectomy or a mastectomy, and he told her to eat some specific foods before the surgery. He also advised her not to worry as the survival rate was high. The doctor then stated that the hospital fee for the surgery was five hundred thousand naira. Adetoun’s eyes almost bulged out of her sockets when she heard this, but she didn’t say anything.

Adetoun was not herself when she got home. She took a walk down the streets, and started thinking about how she would raise the money for her treatment. She called Abayomi and broke the sad news to him; Abayomi was very unhappy but he assured her that they would get the money and she would eventually be fine.

The next day, Adetoun sold some of her belongings and raised a hundred thousand naira. She also went to meet a friend, who borrowed her hundred thousand naira too. Abayomi came home to see his sister, and to inform her that he had borrowed three hundred thousand naira. Adetoun wasn’t too happy as she didn’t want to burden Abayomi, but she thanked him. Abayomi stayed with Adetoun throughout the two weeks before her surgery. Many people in the town stopped by Adetoun’s place to ask after her.

Time flew so quickly, and the day of the operation arrived. Adetoun and Abayomi exchanged tearful farewells as Adetoun was wheeled into the theatre room. Abayomi was praying and pacing around nervously. After what seemed liked forever, the doctor came out of the theatre room, and Abayomi ran to meet him. “Doctor, what of my sister, how is she?”, the doctor shook his head with pity in his eyes and said “I’m sorry but she couldn’t make it”. Abayomi shook his head and said the doctor was lying, but the doctor reaffirmed the news. He sat on the floor and burst into tears, shouting for Adetoun. It was very painful, indeed, the loss of a sister and a benefactor. Later, Adetoun’s body was taken to the mortuary and Abayomi went home to give the sad news to the town people. The town mourned for Adetoun, for she had been kind to everyone in one way or another.

O-REY