Gbenga Sodeinde in Ado Ekiti
A Professor of Guidance and Counselling at Ekiti State University (EKSU), Ado Ekiti, Francis Ibimiluyi, has called on government at all levels to make school counselling and adolescent mental health a national education priority, warning that failure to address the growing psychological and social challenges confronting young people could undermine the country’s future human capital.
Ibimiluyi stated this on Tuesday while delivering the university’s 109th inaugural lecture titled ‘Complexities of Adolescent Development: Counselling Psychology as a Navigator’, at the University Auditorium.
According to him, Nigerian adolescents are increasingly confronted with identity crises, peer pressure, academic stress, family expectations, substance abuse, cyberbullying and other mental health concerns, making professional counselling services indispensable within the nation’s education system.
He described adolescence as a critical stage of development characterised by significant biological, psychological and social changes that require deliberate guidance and institutional support to ensure that young people grow into responsible and productive adults.
He stressed that counselling psychology provides evidence-based and culturally responsive interventions that help adolescents to build resilience, develop essential life skills, strengthen self-awareness and successfully navigate the complexities associated with the transition to adulthood.
Ibimiluyi advised governments to ensure the deployment of qualified guidance counsellors in schools, increase funding for counselling programmes and enforce stronger policies against substance abuse, cyberbullying and school violence to guarantee safer learning environments.
He also urged schools to establish well-equipped counselling units, train teachers in basic counselling skills and organise regular programmes on stress management, emotional intelligence and career development to support students’ academic and personal growth.
The university don called on parents to ensure better understanding of adolescent developmental psychology, create supportive home environments and avoid mounting excessive pressure on children over academic performance alone.
He also advocated stronger community participation through counselling programmes in community centres and religious institutions, alongside peer mentorship initiatives and sustained public awareness campaigns aimed at promoting adolescent mental health and positive youth development.
Ibimiluyi explained that the lecture drew extensively from contemporary research, as well as his academic and clinical experiences in behaviour modification, family systems and mental health, to demonstrate how counselling psychology offers practical solutions to the multifaceted challenges confronting adolescents.
He described the lecture as a call to action for counsellors, educators, parents, policymakers and other stakeholders to view adolescence not as a problem to be solved but as a period of opportunity that must be carefully nurtured.
According to him, investing in adolescents through early intervention, collaborative efforts and proactive educational policies will produce emotionally stable, academically successful and socially responsible citizens capable of contributing meaningfully to national development.
“Adolescents represent the future of every society, and their well-being should be a top priority. Through guidance and counselling psychology, young people can develop resilience, acquire essential life skills and confidently navigate the complexities of adolescence, ultimately reaching their full potential,” he said.
Ibimiluyi added that the time has come for governments, educational institutions, families and communities to work together in strengthening counselling services, insisting that investing in adolescents today would guarantee a more prosperous and stable society tomorrow.