By Patricia Uyeh,

Nigerian comedian and TV presenter, Owen Osanwengie, popularly called Owen Gee, disclosed that at some point in his life, he was battling with depression and contemplated suicide.

He said:

“I have had suicidal tendencies. Last year, I tried several things, but they did not work out. It was not because the ideas were bad, but the people I was working with just didn’t let them work out. Then anxiety and depression set in.

“It was then I realised that no drug could calm depression. There was hardly anyone I didn’t take. There was a time I was sleeping on drugs. There was a particular yellow tablet that, if I took it on Tuesday, on Wednesday I would only be prompted to barely wake up, eat and go back to sleep even before I finished eating. I would not wake up until Thursday.”

Owen Gee said this over the weekend, during the unveiling of Live and not Die, an initiative aimed at stemming the tide of suicide in the country. With Kunle Pelemo as the convener, the programme held in Lagos encouraged several professionals to share their experiences while experts proffered possible solutions to depression.

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