“She Got Her Admission Too Late”: The Tragic Story of Faith Timilehin and the Price of Academic Pressure on UTME in Nigeria
On a quiet Monday in Ikorodu, Lagos, a beautiful soul left this world far too soon. Her name was Opesusi Faith Timilehin, a 19-year-old girl from Abeokuta who had dreams of becoming a microbiologist. But those dreams were cut short — not by fate alone, but by the weight of disappointment, pressure, and silence.
Faith had just received her 2025 UTME result. She scored 190. For some, that number might seem hopeful. But for Faith, it felt like failure. It was lower than the result she got the year before, and she believed it had crushed her chances of gaining admission. With her heart heavy and her hopes shattered, she took ‘Push Out’ rodent poison. Not long after, she was confirmed dead at Kolak Hospital in Odogunyan, Ikorodu.
Just 30 minutes later — her phone pinged. It was an email. JAMB had offered her admission.
A Heart That Couldn’t Wait Any Longer
Faith wasn’t a statistic. She was someone’s daughter, someone’s sister, someone’s friend. Described by neighbors as “gentle and humble,” she had tried her best. She sat for the UTME last year. She tried again this year. She held on — until she couldn’t anymore.
Her parents, devastated beyond words, rushed from Abeokuta to Ikorodu to bring her body home. The neighborhood wept. Her friends were stunned. Her community was shaken. And everyone who heard her story asked the same haunting question: Could this have been prevented?
Behind the Score: The Unspoken Weight of Expectations
In Nigeria, UTME scores can feel like life-or-death moments for young people. The education system, with its fierce competition and few available university slots, puts overwhelming pressure on students. Many prepare for years, fueled by hopes, prayers, and the expectations of their families. When the result doesn’t match the dream, it feels like the end of the road.
But it’s not supposed to feel like that.
We need to remember that children are not machines. They are not their scores. They are human beings with emotions, fears, dreams, and limits. They deserve support, not silence. They deserve to be reminded that failing an exam is not the end of their story.
A Wake-Up Call for All of Us
Faith’s story isn’t just tragic — it’s a plea for change. It’s a cry from a generation that is struggling silently under the weight of academic expectations and societal pressure. It’s time to talk openly about mental health, especially in schools and homes. It’s time we teach our children that it’s okay to fall — as long as they know they can get back up.
We must build a world where no student feels like death is their only escape from disappointment. JAMB and other education bodies must understand the emotional weight their systems carry. It’s not just about numbers. It’s about lives.
She Deserved to Know She Made It
The cruelest part of this story is the timing. Faith got the admission she longed for. But she never got to see it. She never got to feel the joy, or call her parents to say, “I made it.” That moment — which could’ve changed everything — came just a little too late.
We don’t know what might have happened if that email came earlier. But we do know this: the system must change, and so must our hearts.
Final Words: Let Faith’s Name Live On
Let us remember Opesusi Faith Timilehin not just as a girl who died young, but as a voice — one we must listen to. Let her name be a reason we fight harder to create a compassionate, humane education system. Let her story remind us to check on the students around us. To ask how they’re feeling. To tell them that their worth is not tied to a score.
Faith deserved better. And so do thousands of others just like her.
If you or someone you know is going through depression or suicidal thoughts, please don’t stay silent.
Contact the Mental Health Foundation of Nigeria at 0806 210 6493 or speak to someone you trust.
You are not alone. You are loved. You matter — far beyond any number or exam.
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