The management of Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki, has addressed the tragic death of final-year student Favour Ugwuka. Naija News reported that Favour, a student in the Department of English, took her own life in her hostel at the Ishieke Campus.
Favour had passed all her courses except for one, which she repeatedly failed. Her mother blamed a lecturer, alleging that he had vowed she would never pass.
Responding to these allegations, Professor Amechi Enyi of the Department of English Language stated that Favour only copied down three questions in her exam and denied that her death was related to academic issues.
At a press conference on Monday, Vice Chancellor Professor Chigozie Ogbu provided details on Favour’s academic record. He shared that Favour, with the registration number EBSU/2018/89726, began her studies in the 2018/2019 academic year. In her first year, she took nine courses, failed three, and had a cumulative grade point (CGP) of 1.78. In the second semester, she took eight courses, failed two, and had a CGP of 1.75, resulting in a sessional CGP of 1.76.
Professor Ogbu highlighted her academic performance over the years, noting that she had multiple outstanding courses, including ENG 416, which she failed twice.
Ebonyi State University student commits succi*de after a Lectures repeatedly failed her.
Her mother brought her corpse to the school. She said the lecturer should come and carry it 💔
FA Cup|Bola Ray|Kevin Hart|Hansi Flick|Zidane|Banky W pic.twitter.com/ogSVN5EpJM
— Blinkscoop Official (@Blinkscoop1) May 24, 2024
“If a student believes a lecturer has unfairly graded them, they should report to the Head of Department (HOD) or Dean and request a re-mark. This is then sent to the Vice Chancellor’s office and another university for independent re-marking,” explained Ogbu. “If Favour felt she was unfairly marked, she could have requested a re-mark. However, her record shows this was not her only failed course.”
He provided further details, saying, “In her second year (2019/2020), she registered for 10 courses but was absent for two: Intermediate English Composition (ENG 215) and Philosophy and Logic (GST 102). Out of the eight she took, she failed two, resulting in a first-semester CGP of 1.41. In the second semester, she registered for 10 courses, failed four, and had a CGP of 1.82, with a total CGP of 1.62 for the year.”
The university’s statement aimed to clarify the academic challenges Favour faced and the procedures available for addressing grading disputes, emphasizing that her struggles were not unique to a single course or lecturer.
