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Osunwa David
The average Nigerian university student navigates a relentless storm of challenges that test not just their resilience but their very sense of self. A faltering economy has driven up the cost of education and living, while the unending academic demands push young, bright minds to the brink of exhaustion. Layered atop this are the unspoken yet suffocating social expectations; be successful, be exemplary, be everything, rooted in a culture that often equates worth with achievement. Together, these forces create significant pressure that threaten the mental well-being of students, leaving many grappling with stress, anxiety, and a quiet despair. It is necessary to comprehensively consider the link that exists between these harsh realities and their profound effects, unraveling how the unfortunate economic hardship, academic strain, and the prevalent societal ideals collide to shape the psyche of the average Nigerian student. Beyond diagnosis, it is also needful to attempt to offer a path forward i.e inclusive of practical solutions to lighten the load and foster a healthier, better future for those who carry the nation’s hopes.
The Weight of a Struggling Economy
Unfortunately, for the average Nigerian student, the economy is not just a backdrop but a daily adversary; a wicked one at that. With inflation soaring and the Naira’s value in freefall, the cost of basic necessities like food, transportation, and even textbooks has skyrocketed, turning survival into a prerequisite for education. Tuition fees, once a hurdle, are now a towering wall for many, especially as government funding for public institutions dwindles and private alternatives remain out of reach. Students from low-income families (often the majority) find themselves juggling part-time jobs between lectures or crowdfunding for fees, their dreams tethered to an unforgiving financial reality. This economic strain doesn’t just drain wallets; it erodes and destroys mental peace. The constant worry of where the next meal or session’s fees will come from breeds a chronic stress that festers beneath the surface.
The Nigerian economy and its harsh realities presents an unrelenting challenge to students, one that transcends mere financial strain and encroaches upon their mental fortitude. Official data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) reveals inflation reached 33.2% in August 2024, driving up the cost of essentials such as food and academic materials. A bag of rice, priced at ₦25,000 two years prior, now commands over ₦80,000, while transportation costs have surged alongside fuel prices nearing ₦1,000 per litre. For students, these figures translate into a stark reality: the pursuit of education, often heralded as a pathway out of poverty, is increasingly an unaffordable endeavor, with Federal university fees rising and private institutions remaining beyond reach.This economic hardship manifests in tangible sacrifices. The World Bank reports a youth unemployment rate of 53% in Nigeria, casting doubt on the promise that a degree will secure a livelihood. Yet, the expectation to persevere persists, even as government allocation to education languishes at 6.39% of the 2024 budget, far below UNESCO’s recommended 15-20%. Compounding these pressures are infrastructural deficiencies rooted in economic neglect. Far from fostering the opportunities it ideally should, the economy imposes a mental toll that threatens to undermine the well-being of Nigeria’s youth. If this is the foundation upon which their futures are constructed, the cracks in their resolve should come as no surprise.
Dealing With Academic Burnout
Beyond the saddening economic constraints, the average Nigerian university student confronts and is faced with an academic system that demands excellence under conditions primed for exhaustion. The pressure to succeed is unrelenting, fueled by a curriculum often misaligned with practical realities and an educational culture that equates failure with disgrace. A 2023 study by Dr. Chika Onyene, a professor of educational psychology at the University of Lagos, found that 78% of Nigerian undergraduates report moderate to severe stress due to academic workloads, with 42% exhibiting symptoms of burnout defined as chronic fatigue, cynicism, and reduced efficacy. This is no mere rite of passage; it is a systemic grind that jeopardizes mental health.This paints a very grim picture.
Overcrowded lecture halls, poor accommodation, outdated resources, and frequent strikes (such as the infamous eight-month Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) shutdown in 2022) disrupt learning and prolong degree timelines, heightening anxiety, uncertainty and regret. Scholars argue this pressure is exacerbated by pedagogical rigidity. Professor Amina Yusuf of Ahmadu Bello University, in a 2024 paper on educational reform, critiques Nigeria’s reliance on rote learning and examination-centric assessment, which she contends stifles critical thinking and fosters a “pass-or-perish” mentality. Students, she observes, are conditioned to memorize rather than innovate or understand, a process that drains mental reserves without equipping them for a dynamic, ever evolving workforce. The result is a generation teetering on the edge, mentally depleted by a system that rewards endurance over well-being. When academic success becomes a survival metric rather than a developmental journey, the cost is measured not just in grades, but in the quiet erosion of students’ psychological stability.
The absence of robust counseling services (available in fewer than 30% of tertiary institutions, according to the Nigerian University System Annual Report) leaves students to wrestle with these emotions alone, turning classrooms into battlegrounds for both intellect and identity. Perhaps most alarming is the long-term erosion of resilience. The World Health Organization’s 2023 Mental Health Atlas estimates that only 1 in 5 Nigerian students with stress-related disorders seeks professional help, largely due to stigma and a dearth of resources. This is not preparation for leadership; it is a blueprint for collapse, where the mind, stretched beyond capacity, begins to fray at the seams.
Society’s Mirror, Expectations and Identity
In Nigeria, societal expectations cast a long shadow, transforming education into a proving ground for familial honor and communal pride. The cultural mantra is clear: a degree is not merely a personal milestone but a collective triumph, a beacon to illuminate and reward the sacrifices of parents and the aspirations of the entire community that raised an individual. A 2024 survey by the Nigerian Youth Development Agency found that 67% of tertiary students feel pressured to pursue “prestigious” fields like medicine, law, or engineering, even when their passions lie elsewhere. This misalignment breeds a quiet resentment, as young minds are molded to fit a societal ideal rather than their own potential, chipping away at their sense of self.
Gender adds another layer to this unfortunate burden. The Nigerian Gender Equality Index, updated in 2024, notes that 48% of female students face additional societal demands to balance academic success with domestic roles, compared to just 19% of their male counterparts. For young women, the expectation is dual: excel in school, yet remain poised for marriage and motherhood, often by their mid-20s. Meanwhile, male students grapple with the stereotype of the provider. The result of this unfortunate position is a generation of students whose mental well-being is silently sacrificed on the altar of tradition, their identities shaped more by external gazes than internal truths.
The relentless gaze of society does not merely demand success, it dictates the very definition of it, leaving little space for individuality or error. For many Nigerian students, the path to approval is narrow, paved with unspoken rules: secure a degree, land a lucrative job, and uphold the family name, all while appearing unshaken by the journey. Deviation, whether choosing an unconventional career, pausing to explore personal interests, or faltering under pressure,is met with judgment, whispered disapproval that echoes louder than any lecture hall. This rigid script traps students in a paradox: they must strive for greatness yet suppress the doubts and fears that make them human, a tension that festers into self-criticism and isolation. This unfortunate culture of silent endurance defeats the need for mental health awareness, turning it into a taboo rather than a priority. In the end, Nigerian students are not just shaped by expectations, they are haunted by them, their identities forged in a crucible where worth is measured by what they produce, not who they are.
When the Mind Meets and Bears the Burden
When the unfortunate economic hardship, the existing academic rigor, and the discouraging societal expectations converge, the mind of the student becomes a battlefield, quietly absorbing a burden few are equipped to bear. The toll is starkly evident: a 2023 Nigerian Mental Health Initiative survey found that 63% of tertiary students exhibit symptoms of anxiety, while 45% report persistent feelings of hopelessness; figures that dwarf global averages for youth mental distress. These are not fleeting emotions but the residue of a relentless trifecta, where financial instability fuels sleepless nights, academic demands erode confidence and individuality, and cultural pressures silence cries for help. The result is a psyche stretched thin, teetering between endurance and collapse.
This convergence manifests in ways both subtle and very severe. The absence of support amplifies this crisis. Mental health resources remain a rarity, with only a few thousand psychiatrists serving a population of over 200 million, according to the Federal Ministry of Health’s 2023 assessment; a ratio that leaves students to fend for themselves in a society that still whispers “toughen up” instead of “seek help.” The stigma is a shackle: to admit struggle is to risk being labeled frail, a betrayal of the resilience Nigeria prides itself on. Yet, this silence is a thief, robbing students of their vitality and replacing it with a hollowed-out version of who they could be. The mind, meant to soar with ideas, becomes a prisoner to its own survival, each day witnessing a negotiation between pushing forward and simply holding on. When the economy squeezes, academia demands, and society judges, the mind does not merely bend; it fractures, leaving behind a generation whose potential is dimmed by burdens they were never meant to carry alone.
