Daniele Saul, a spinster who longed to be a bride only to hang herself when she struggled to cope with  all her girlfriends getting married. Business development manager Danielle Saul, 31, had been ambitious, bright and fun-loving when at work and socialising but secretly longed to settle down and marry. She eventually began to sink into a depression as her friends started to wed while she lived alone with her cat.

Danielle Saul, a business development manager, committed suicide after her battle with depression due to her inability to cope with her friends getting married while she remained single.

According to a report, Danielle, 31, who desperately wanted to get married and had been pressured by the marriages of her friends was found hanging in her Manchester, UK home by her friend.

The sad incidence reportedly happened a few days after her attempt to get back together with an ex-boyfriend had failed.

A cross section of residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on Thursday expressed varying views over the incident, even as it happened outside the shore of the country.

Janice Okoro, a secondary school teacher, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that she was appalled by the news and did not understand why a lady would take her life over a relationship she could not have.

Danielle Saul

“I am really appalled. How can you take your own life because you are single?I understand the pressure, as ladies over there easily get married so young.

“The developed society supports early marriage unlike here that the economy is hard and one want to be financially secure to an extent before getting married. As we can see from her posted photograph, the woman is beautiful and actually successful for her age, so she just needed to be patient and the right man would have come,’’ she said.

Friday Ogunbanjo, a business man, insists that the woman must have had a sort of mental issue to be disturbed by being single at that age.

“I believe she had a mental issue that was not identified which caused her to feel extremely disturbed by her relationship status. Marriage is not something everyone will be lucky with and it is definitely not worth killing for, even if you are 55 and still single.

`I believe she had a mental issue that was not identified which caused her to feel extremely disturbed by her relationship status. Marriage is not something everyone will be lucky with and it is definitely not worth killing for, even if you are 55 and still single.

 

“She must have been a very lonely woman crying out for assistance with her life issues. It is terrible that such a beautiful woman could do such a thing,’’ Ogunbanjo said.

Stacey Onalo, a certified psychologist told NAN she understood Saul’s situation and felt women should educate themselves more on the basis of relationships to avoid depression.

“As Nigerians, we might not understand the depressing situation of being lonely because our culture requires us to be around friends and family most of the time. It is therefore hard to find Nigerians that will say they feel alone.

“However, in marriage, friends and parents will automatically become match makers if they feel we are at the age for marriage and no one is coming forth.
Unlike in western countries, Nigerian women of these days feel that their 20s and early 30s should be used to develop themselves and enjoy their youth,’’ she said.

Bukola Akinmoladun, a female and single banker said “women have to bear in mind that marriage is neither something one rushes into nor a do or die affair.

“Most of us are very picky and we quickly get disappointed because we have a checklist of what we want. As far as you put yourself out there with an open mind, you will find the person that is meant for you’’.