The Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), Lagos State Chapter, has urged the Federal Government to immediately ban the sale of Sniper to curb the increasing incidents of suicide in the country.
NAWOJ made the call in a communique issued at the end of the association’s congress on Tuesday in Lagos.
The association said that total ban of the insecticide needed to be effected as soon as possible.
NAWOJ noted that the nation could no longer afford to wait till September to begin the implementation of the ban as pronounced by the government.
“Incessant use of sniper to commit suicide has become worrisome.
“The most recent is an incident of some children around Surulere area in Lagos who committed suicide using the insecticide because they failed their examinations,” the association said.
NAWOJ further urged the government to also enact a legislation that would peg the age of children that should have access to the internet to reduce the abuse of its usage.
According to the association, this is necessary following the new trend of kids committing suicide as a result of watching instructions from suicide site.
The female journalists also advised parents to curb the use of expensive phones or androids among their children until they attain at least 18 years of age.
NAWOJ, however, appealed to parents to register their children in life skills acquisition centres to learn knitting, sewing, and painting among others during summer holidays, rather than the school lessons to help the children relax their brains.
