Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) is again thrown into mourning following the death of a 400-level student of Entrepreneurship, Aderonke Oke.
This comes barely seven days after a 400-level medical student of the university died during a clinical examination.
Aderonke’s death was confirmed in a statement jointly signed by the General Secretary and President of the National Association of Entrepreneurship Students (NAES), OAU, Oluwatobi Adeyemi and Adeola Bakare, respectively.
According to the statement, the sad incident occurred on Tuesday, 28 April, noting that investigations into the cause of her death have commenced.
While the cause of her death is yet to be confirmed officially, the deceased was rumoured to have committed suicide. The association has urged the public to refrain from spreading unverified information or rumours while investigations are ongoing.
It was gathered that the deceased was brought in dead to the university’s health centre on Tuesday.
University authority mourns
When contacted, the university’s spokesperson, Abiodun Olarewaju, said the institution has been thrown into mourning following the deceased’s untimely death.
He noted that the Vice-Chancellor, Adebayo Bamire, a professor, expressed deep sadness over the incident.
According to him, during a meeting of the Appointment and Promotion Committee (A&PC), the Vice-Chancellor called on members to observe a minute’s silence in honour of the deceased.
“We have lost a promising soul. Our hearts and prayers are with the parents and family of the deceased, and we pray that such an incident does not occur again,” he said.
Rising toll
In the last nine years, at least five students of OAU have taken their own lives, with poor academic performance repeatedly cited as a trigger.
In August, 2025, Ajibola Ibitayo, a 200-level Dentistry student of OAU, ended his own life after learning that he would repeat part two for another academic year following the release of Medical Board Examination results.
Similarly, in 2023, Salako Treasure, a 100-level student, committed suicide outside the campus. Investigations, however, revealed that she had been struggling with emotional trauma.
Two students of the institution, Opeyemi Dara and Kolapo Olowoporoku of the Departments of English Language and Computer Science, respectively, took their own lives in 2019, reportedly over poor academic performance.
In 2017, a 16-year-old 100-level student of Microbiology, Mercy Afolaranmi, took her life owing to poor performance in Chemistry (CHM101).
The spate of student suicides linked to academic failure in Nigerian universities has prompted calls for urgent reforms on how institutions handle academic setbacks.
Experts say functional counselling units, emotionally intelligent academics, and confidential methods of releasing results could make the difference between despair and resilience for struggling students.
They urged that students be treated as wards when handing disappointing news in order to prevent regrettable consequences.
When academic failure becomes emotional crisis
Experts say academic performance is often deeply tied to students’ self-esteem, identity, and hope for the future, noting that when results fall short, many young people experience intense feelings of shame and worthlessness, from believing they have let their parents down to viewing themselves as failures.
Speaking with DevReporting, a consultant psychiatrist at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Edo State, Kehinde Oderinde, explained that poor results can provoke intense feelings of shame and worthlessness.
He said, “These reactions are often accompanied by cognitive distortions, such as catastrophising ‘this one failure means everything else will fail’, which heightens emotional distress.
“When such feelings worsen, and hope begins to disappear, suicidal thoughts may emerge as an attempt to escape the emotional pain.”
Mr Oderinde further noted that the risk increases in the presence of pre-existing mental health conditions, high parental or societal expectations, limited social support, or cultural settings where academic failure is heavily stigmatised.
Also, a lecturer at the University of Lagos, Dele Ashiru, acknowledged the importance of education for students who are serious about achieving greatness.
Mr Ashiru, a professor of political science, however, lamented that a poor learning environment often contributes to the failures and emotional struggles that surround education.
“Students are struggling in an unenabling learning environment. Lecturers, too, are frustrated, overworked, and under-motivated. This frustration sometimes spills into the classroom, worsening students’ burdens,” Mr Ashiru noted.
While he appreciated the government for its financial support to students of tertiary institutions through the NELFUND loan scheme, he called for more opportunities and investments in staff welfare, curricula review and teaching methods, stressing that institutions must treat students as wards whose welfare they are accountable for.
Confidentiality matters
One recurring concern is the practice of pasting results, including failures, on notice boards in institutions. Experts warn that this public shaming exacerbates students’ distress.
According to Mr Oderinde, not everyone can absorb shock. He said, “Results should be released privately via secure portals, emails, or sealed letters, with links to support services. Academic failure should not be equated to moral failure,” he said.
Mr Ashiru added that UNILAG has made progress with its online student portal, which protects confidentiality while keeping results accessible.
Counselling and support
Both experts insist that universities must establish well-staffed counselling centres, not only for students but also for lecturers. Early intervention, they argue, can prevent repeated academic failure from spiralling into depression and suicide.
“Once a student fails twice, intervention must come in,” Ashiru said. “Lecturers should be called in, and the causes examined. Abroad, it is unthinkable for a student to fail endlessly without institutional support.”