Educational system in Nigeria is dangerous: Why lectures are responsible for 70% of adult suicide in schools

The troubling questions most Nigerians refuse to ask themselves probably due to its complicated and complex nature is 'why are Nigeria students taking their own lives in schools?' 

First thought that will undoubtedly come to mind is the students' financial and economic struggles as a result of the badly managed government. Nigeria's current problems include bribery and corruption, senile leadership, food insecurity, inflation, fuel difficulties, Forex challenges, and, most cruelly, widespread thievery by public officials.

Second thought could be social, or peer pressure, emotional blackmail or relationship matters. Third reason is the radical policy of the incumbent president Bola Ahmed Tinubu who ensured subsidized education was eradicated and replaced with student loan. 

But the major reason which has contributed more deaths than the aforementioned is the role of lecturers and other public officials in the educational system. 

Do you know that once a student is admitted into any tertiary institution, they instantly become vulnerable to sexual predators. They're selected, refined and most cases defiled by either a lecturer, a public officer, school security guards or, a criminally minded students who is corrupted by the environment. 

How is this possible you might ask? Universities in most eastern region and other southern part of Nigeria deliberately refuse to build hostels in schools to properly check mate sexual predators. 

Since dormitories aren't being built, young female students are forced to search for housing outside of university walls, which regrettably exposes them to sexual predators, particularly lecturers and other staff members who are looking for new victims. 

The innocence of this young ladies are crushed after been pressurized through 'threat or fear' to lay with not just one man but several men until they contact sexually transmitted diseases and stink while they pass. 

Those who stand their ground and say 'no to sex' most times do not pass their courses in universities and are repeatedly failed by a lecturer (s).

Nigeria lecturers do it for three reasons; to satisfy his own sexual demand, the sexual demand for his colleague and then those of his friend who is not even affiliated with the school they teach. 

Cleverly, these lecturers let the student pass their own course but ensure they fail that of their colleague until the female/male student accept their sexual demands. Such pressure do mentally break students who then decides internally to take the short root out of the school which is suicide. 

Innocent boys meanwhile are either forced to join cults for 'protection and sexual gratifications' or, to have access to lecturers who will pass them even without coming to class but must do their bidding.

Another terrifying fact is that most lectures in Nigeria tend to scapegoat certain students and would go extra miles to fail them. Students who they feel are disrespectful to them or likely to replace them due to their sharp and articulate mind. 

Students who experience repeated failure do suffer from it. Disgruntled students sometimes quit school, but others choose the hard option and commit suicide. 

Nigeria schools is so dangerous that students are routinely blackmailed, raped, extorted and some kidnapped by bandits or Boko Haram. It's a known fact that schools in Nigeria lack the technical know-how to provide both internal and external security for their respective students. 

Internal security will help safeguard students from sexual predators like lecturers who insist on 'sex before pass' or threats of failure because 'of one particular disagreement or tussle'. 

Students should be able to express their grievances or troubles to the proper authorities without the fear of rustication. Nigerian students should not be scared to voice their frustrations when a teacher is making their lives difficult. They ought to be allowed to voice their complaints about a lecturer, staff member, security guard, or even a bothersome student. 

External security must also be provided to ensure students are safe from harm. No students should be raped or kidnapped for ransom. 

In order to stop the rising number of student suicides, Education Minister Adamu Adamu must reassess the issue facing the educational system. He must make sure that lecturers who are found to be harassing or sexually abusing students are sacked right away. He must also make sure that bandits, kidnappers, or terrorists don't have access to schools. 

Students should be safe in schools especially from those that teach them.