Tragedy has struck a Lagos family after 19-year-old Faith Opesusi reportedly took her own life following the release of her 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) result.
Faith, who aspired to study Microbiology, allegedly ingested a poisonous substance after scoring 146 out of 400 in the UTME. Her father, Oluwafemi Opesusi, revealed in an interview with the BBC that his daughter had previously performed well in the 2024 UTME and was hopeful for a better score this year.
“She didn’t speak to anyone. If she had, we would have reassured her. We’re heartbroken,” he said.
Her death comes amid growing controversy over the integrity of the 2025 UTME, which recorded mass failures—more than 78% of candidates scored below 200.
On May 14, JAMB Registrar Prof. Ishaq Oloyede admitted that technical errors affected results in 157 centres, mainly in Lagos and the South-East, due to failures by one of its service providers. About 380,000 candidates were impacted.
Oloyede issued a public apology and announced that affected candidates would resit the exam between May 15 and 19.
However, JAMB is yet to respond directly to the case of Faith Opesusi, sparking criticism and renewed calls for psychological support systems within Nigeria’s education sector.
Mental health experts warn that the pressure to succeed academically, coupled with a lack of emotional support, is pushing more students to the brink.
“Faith’s death is a wake-up call,” said psychologist Dr. Kemi Banjoko. “Our children need more than books—they need care, support, and a system that values their well-being.”
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