Kolapo Olowoporoku, a student of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, has reportedly committed suicide after repeatedly failing some courses.

Mr Olowoporoku was an ‘extra year’ Computer Science student who ought to have graduated two sessions ago but was delayed as a result of two outstanding courses.

His mates graduated in the 2016/2017 academic session.

It was gathered that the deceased, who served as the general secretary of his departmental association in 2016, swallowed a poisonous substance, which led to his death on Sunday.

Speaking with this newspaper, his class representative, Ayo Oyewole, noted that the death of Mr Olowoporoku came as a rude shock. He added that the department was yet to get full details of the incident, as at the time of filing this report.

Meanwhile, on Monday, the school security officer, Babatunde Oyatokun, claimed ignorance of the issue.

“I also read it online. They said he killed himself because he failed some courses but I don’t have any information on that,” he said.

A very close friend of Mr Olowoporoku, who preferred to be identified as Mayowa, spoke of the possible connection of his death with the failure in some courses as rumoured by many.

“He is not the only one that had issues (with some courses). I also had but I have passed them.”

“He wrote the course as an extra student. That (was) first-semester last session. The result came out late because of ASUU strike but was released in the second semester. (The one he told me about is CVE- technical report writing). So, when it was eventually released, he failed that one again,” he narrated.

“So, he said they were going to the department to beg the lecturers. Out of six of them who took the course as extra year students, only one passed. So I feel that contributed to his depression,” Mayowa continued.

Asked if the deceased ever confided in him about his frustrations, Mayowa replied; “He never showed it. But I could remember in Part Four, he told me that there’s pressure from home and that they (the parents) don’t know what he is facing in school. They want him to graduate with a first class or Second class upper.”

“He wrote the course as an extra student. That (was) first-semester last session. The result came out late because of ASUU strike but was released in the second semester. (The one he told me about is CVE- technical report writing). So, when it was eventually released, he failed that one again,” he narrated.

“So, he said they were going to the department to beg the lecturers. Out of six of them who took the course as extra year students, only one passed. So I feel that contributed to his depression,” Mayowa continued.

Asked if the deceased ever confided in him about his frustrations, Mayowa replied; “He never showed it. But I could remember in Part Four, he told me that there’s pressure from home and that they (the parents) don’t know what he is facing in school. They want him to graduate with a first class or Second class upper.”

•Excerpted from Daily Independent report

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