OAU: Medical student commits suicide over poor performance in exams

• The deceased, a part-time medical student, was said to have committed suicide after repeatedly failing his examinations.

One Ajibola Ibitayo, a student of Obafemi Awolowo University, OAU, Ile-Ife, Osun State, has taken his own life.

The deceased, a part-time medical student, was said to have committed suicide after repeatedly failing his examinations.

The management of the institution confirmed the development in a statement issued on Thursday, the University’s Public Relations Officer, Abiodun Olarewaju.

According to the statement, Ibitayo, who was studying in the Faculty of Dentistry, was repeating Part Two and was mandated to take the exam again after the latest results were released on Wednesday.

Olanrewaju stated that the tragic occurrence has plunged the University into grief and mourning.

“The entire community of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, has been thrown into mourning following the death of a Part Two student of the Faculty of Dentistry,” Olarewaju said.

“The student Ajibola Ibitayo has a matriculation number DEN/2021/023. The results of his last semester examinations indicated he would need to repeat Part Two for another academic year,” he stated.

He disclosed that the deceased had already repeated the same academic level during the previous session and reportedly injected himself at his parents’ home in Ejigbo, Osun State.

“The student, whose father is a medical doctor, took the step after learning of the examination outcome,” the statement read.

The Vice-Chancellor of the University, Professor Simeon Bamire, has expressed deep sadness over the incident and called on parents and guardians to help children understand that setbacks are temporary and not the end of life.

Bamire said, “Temporary setbacks in the pursuit of success are part of life and should not be seen as the end. Students must be encouraged to see failure as an opportunity to redirect their paths toward success and greater achievements.”

While praying for comfort for the student’s family, friends, and the entire university community, the OAU VC stated that the loss was a heavy one for the institution.

The management implored students facing academic challenges to seek support and counselling services available within the university to help them cope with difficulties.