By Tony Okafor
Recently, two young Nigerians—one a medical student, the other a teenage UTME candidate—died not from illness or accident, but from the crushing weight of a society that values certificates over life itself.
The heartbreaking stories of Ajibola Ibitayo and Opesusi Faith Timilehin lay bare the real damage that comes from measuring a young person’s worth solely by academic performance.
Ajibola, a 200-level medical student at Obafemi Awolowo University, took his life after failing the same examination twice and facing the prospect of repeating another academic year. Opesusi, just 19 years old, consumed poison after scoring low in the UTME, believing her score had ruined her future.
Two promising lives gone—not because they lacked talent or potential, but because our society measures human value by grades and certificates.
We have created a toxic culture that worships paper qualifications while crushing the human spirit.
When we define a child’s potential solely by academic results, we ignore the truth that intelligence, creativity, and success are multidimensional.
This narrow focus breeds hopelessness, anxiety, and depression. It strips away self-worth and fuels the dangerous belief that failure in school equals failure in life—when in reality, there are over a thousand and one things a person can do to become successful without ever holding a university degree.
From entrepreneurship to skilled trades, from creative arts to technology startups, countless men and women have built thriving lives and global impact without the blessing of a formal academic certificate.
Parents, instead of being a safe haven, too often become sources of fear. Many respond to academic setbacks with anger, humiliation, or withdrawal of affection—forms of emotional violence that push struggling children deeper into despair.
This must change. Parents must become counselors and coaches, not critics and executioners. Every “failure” should be treated as feedback, an opportunity to understand challenges and chart a new path, not a reason for shame.
We must shift our focus from grades to holistic development. Mental health must be treated as a core part of education, not an afterthought.
Schools should have functional, well-staffed counseling units with trained psychologists. Mental health education should be integrated into the curriculum, teaching resilience, stress management, and emotional intelligence alongside academics.
Students must be taught that failure is not the end—it is a step towards growth.
We must also recognize that learning is not a race. Intellectual, emotional, and physical maturity develop at different paces for different people. Some students may excel early; others blossom later. Forcing all learners through a rigid, unforgiving timeline only drives up stress and failure rates.
The obsession with “being on time” academically ignores the simple truth that late bloomers often go on to achieve extraordinary success.
The government must treat youth mental health as a matter of urgent national security. Suicide hotlines, awareness campaigns, and community outreach should be as common as examination timetables.
Schools should be sanctuaries of learning and support, not slaughterhouses of self-esteem. Society must dismantle the poisonous idea that a person’s value lies in certificates and instead embrace the fact that life offers countless paths to success.
Two young lives have already been lost in just these recent cases. How many more will it take before we change?
Life does not begin and end with paper qualifications—they are only one chapter in a much bigger story.
