CASES of suicide among young people, triggered by their inability to manage failure-induced shocks, are becoming increasingly alarming. This situation underscores the urgent need for measures to prepare youths for the harsh realities of life, especially in these times of hardship.
Suicide among young people is a global tragedy. According to a 2025 WHO report, suicide is the third leading cause of death among 15-29-year-olds, with over 720,000 people dying by suicide each year.
A recent and heartbreaking example is that of Timilehin Opesusi, 19, who took her own life after scoring 190 out of 400 in the 2025 Universal Tertiary Matriculation Examination. Timilehin’s story reflects a dysfunctional system that left her ill-prepared for life’s challenges.
Her experience mirrors the emotional trauma and depression faced by thousands of admissions seekers who have struggled with the UTME over the past decade.
In the 2025 UTME, 75 per cent of candidates scored less than 200 out of 400 – a trend that has persisted in the past 10 years.
Additionally, JAMB identified errors in the results of 379,997 out of the 1.95 million candidates who sat the 2025 examinations, prompting a rescheduling of exams for affected centres in Lagos and the South-East.
Compounding these academic challenges are the relentless hunger and hardship across the country, high youth unemployment, government neglect, and a failing power sector. These factors cast a bleak outlook for Nigerian youths, who make up over 60 per cent of the population.
Many disillusioned and depressed students are left without support from stakeholders–parents, government, guidance counsellors, schools, faith-based organisations, youth agencies, and civil society organisations—all of whom share responsibility for safeguarding the mental health of young people.
Parents are their children’s first counsellors. However, instead of imparting valuable life lessons, many parents set unattainable expectations, threaten, or push their children to extremes. This approach erodes the mental health of young people, leading to low self-esteem, depression, and, tragically, suicide.
In 2018, Loveth, 18, reportedly took her life by ingesting insecticide after scoring 160 in the UTME. She left a note saying, “My father will kill me.”
Parents should focus on encouraging and inspiring their children, building their self-confidence and self-worth.
Policy dictates that every secondary school should have a guidance counsellor to support students in academics, morality, social life, career choices, and shock management. Students should be prepared not only for academic success but also for the possibility of setbacks.
Left to navigate a world saturated with social media misinformation, many youths adopt unrealistic beliefs, such as viewing failure as an unthinkable disaster. They miss the crucial lesson that failure is integral to life and success. History is full of men and women who faced setbacks but persevered to become global icons.
Michael Jordan, one of basketball’s greatest players, famously said: “I have missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I have lost over 300 games. 26 times, I have been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I have failed over and over again. That is why I succeed… If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.”
Renowned inventor Thomas Edison, who held a world record of 1,093 US patents, stated, “I have not failed 10,000 times—I’ve successfully found 10,000 ways that will not work.”
This illustrates his perspective on failure as a stepping-stone towards discovery and innovation.
Nigerian youths should draw inspiration from not just those who failed school certificate examinations and the UTME multiple times, but also from other historic figures who confronted their challenges with resilience and courage, ultimately emerging as success stories in academia, politics, and business.
