Nigeria, May 16 -- My wife came home with a story that struck a deep chord in me. She had visited her younger brother-her family's lastborn and my little brother-in-law-to tell him his UTME result. He scored 214. A respectable mark, considering the wave of mass failure reported in the news. She greeted him with a warm smile and words of encouragement: "Abba, you did well! You made us proud." But instead of relief or pride, what she got in return was a burst of frustration.

"You people never believed I was reading," Abba snapped, visibly agitated. "You wouldn't let me be-just nagging and doubting all the time."

His outburst wasn't just about the exam. It was about pressure. It was about feeling misunderstood. It was the kind of moment th...