JAMB 2025: Psychologists Call For Action as Teenager Kills Self Over Low UTME Score

• Professional reactions have trailed the death of 19-year-old Timilehin Faith Opesusi over her low UTME score in the Ikorodu area of Lagos
• Opesusi killed herself for scoring 190 in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME)
• Mental health professionals advised students and parents to learn how to separate academic failure from personal identity

Legit.ng journalist Adekunle Dada has over 8 years of experience covering basic and tertiary education in Nigeria and worldwide

Lagos state - Mental health professionals have reacted to the death of 19-year-old Timilehin Faith Opesusi who killed herself over her poor performance in the just concluded 2025 UTME.

Legit.ng recalls that the teenager was offered a provisional admission via her Gmail account 30 minutes after her death.

Reacting to the tragic incident, psychologists called for a more comprehensive approach to supporting students under examination pressure.

The founder of Emotion Compass Academy, Michael Jacob, warned that a student’s academic performance should never be equated with their self-worth.

As reported by The Punch, the psychotherapist emphasized the importance of separating academic failure from personal identity.

He urged student “not to confuse” their performance with their intelligence.

“To every student struggling right now under the weight of disappointment, please understand: your value is not defined by a number on a result slip.

“The UTME is only one doorway out of many. If that door closes, another will open—but you must still be here to walk through it”.

A mental health psychologist, Patricia Udosen, said it can be devastating when student don’t meet their expectations.

Udosen encouraged students to process their emotions constructively and seek support when needed.

He underscored the intense pressure students face during exams.

“Listen to your child without judgement and validate their emotions. Focus on their effort and determination, not just results. “

A clinical psychologist, Hammed Lateefat, said students need to see failure as part of life.

Hammed urged students not to allow failure to affect their mental health.

“They should know that we fail in life, and they should not allow that to affect their mental health,” she said. “Instead of dwelling on the failure, they should look into their lapses and never give up.”

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JAMB finally admits to errors in 2025 UTME

Recall that the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) admitted to errors in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination.

JAMB registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, admitted the errors affected the performance of students during the 2025.

UTME Oloyede, on Wednesday, May 14, 2025, broke into tears as he apologised for the errors and trauma caused the candidates.

JAMB reacts as student speaks on killing self

Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) took time to console a young Nigerian who threatened to take his life over failure to register for the 2024 UTME.

David, the young Nigerian, took to his social media to lament how he had spent much time getting his NIN and, at the end of the day, had to wait for another year to register for UTME.

Reacting to the post, JAMB urged David not to take his life, adding that his failure to register for the UTME was not the end of his life.

Source: Legit.ng