20th March, 2018
Dr Christopher Piwuna, Consultant Psychiatrist, Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH), has called on the three tiers of government to improve the welfare of Nigerians in order to make them happy.
Piwuna made the appeal in an interview with newsmen on Tuesday in Abuja while fielding questions on this year’s World Happiness Day.
He advised governments and concerned agencies to rise up to their responsibilities to ensure improved standard of living in the country.
This, according to him, will ensure improved mental health and general well-being of the populace.
“In 2003 Nigeria was number one worldwide on happiness assessment, but now we are 91st position out of 156 countries accessed, this is not too good for the nation.
“We have really gone backward however life expectancy has improved within the country, we are 54th on the average.
“The rate of poverty in the land has impacted negatively on the happiness ranking of the country,” Piwuna said.
The expert also enjoined Nigerians to explore the culture and traditional values in order to improve the country’s level of happiness.
However, he further urged citizens to desist from the notion that only government could determine their happiness.
According to him, there are enormous benefits inherent in our neighbourhood that can make everyone to be happy outside government.
“Nigerians should realise that their happiness does not totally depend on government we have a lot to gain by tapping into our traditional and cultural values which have over the years helped the populace.
“We can improve our level of happiness when Nigerians consider the facts that their abilities to share in a neighbourhood, society is of great benefit,” he said.
READ: International Day of Happiness 2018: FCT residents express unhappiness
Quoting from a UN 2018 ranking, Piwuna said Nigeria was rated 91 globally in happiness level and that the nation accounted for fifth position in Africa.
The 2017 UN Happiness Report placed Nigeria as the 95th country worldwide and sixth in Africa.
The psychiatrist said the template of the assessment included per capital gross domestic product, healthy life expectancy, freedom, generosity, social support and absence of corruption in government or business.
Piwuna, who decried the rate of poverty in the country, specifically noted that about 100 million Nigerians were living in abject poverty.
He explained that whatever progress or achievement made in other domains of happiness would be wiped out by the level of poverty in the land.
The psychiatrist recalled that the country occupied the first position in happiness level in 2003, but blamed the decline on poverty.
Piwuna specifically noted that life expectancy has witnessed significant improvement of men accounting for 53 and women 55.
The International Day of Happiness is celebrated on March 20 annually, while the 2018 theme is “Share happiness’’.
The day is aimed at accessing how far nations had gone regarding the quality of life of citizens.
The day which was first marked on March 20, 2013, was necessitated to recognise the importance of happiness in the lives of the people around the world.
It is also aimed at celebrating happiness and as well making others see reasons to be happy.