BlackBerry, latest source of worry in varsities

[Punch]

A large number of undergraduates are becoming addicted to BlackBerry with some of them using the Facebook language in their exams Motunrayo Aboderin writes.

Blackberry is the latest trend making waves on Nigerian campuses.  In almost every campus you go, you see students, particularly females, holding the device or punching its keypad. BB as it is popularly known has not only infiltrated the nation's campuses, it has also eaten-deep into the academic works of students with lecturers lamenting that addiction to BB is becoming a new source of worry in universities.

Miss Toyin Ajao, a 300 level student at the Lagos State University, Ojo, once wrote this BlackBerry text message phrase while answering an examination question – d soln 2 d ans' in proper English would be written as 'the solution to the answer.' This mistake almost made Ajao repeat the course.

 Mr. Seun Ogeye, a student at Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State, said on one occasion, instead of writing this phrase – the chemical, when combined with gas, wrote 'd kemical,wen combid w gas' during a semester examination. He said the error was noticed just when he had five minutes left to submit his answer script.

Ajao and Ogeye are just a few of thousands of undergraduates who have either failed a course or missed an academic point just because of their carelessness and addiction to BlackBerry and facebook language.

But apart from increasing failure, the trend, according to observers, could also be promoting prostitution and immorality among the female students.

Sources told THE PUNCH that some of the students, in a bid to   belong to the group of 'happening girls on campus,' now do part-time prostitution in order to get money to buy BB.

Though none of the female students was ready to disclose how they got money to buy the device, investigations conducted by our correspondent revealed that only a  very few of the female students  could  afford to buy BB, which sells for between N30,000 and N120,000.

A lecturer in the Mass Communication Department, who pleaded anonymity, said, "None of them will tell you the truth but I can tell you that most of these female students are part-time prostitutes who befriend men as old as their fathers for financial gain. Here in UNILAG, they call it Aristo, unfortunately, their parents don't know how depraved their daughters have become on campus."

The lecturer added that over 70 per cent of BB in UNILAG are used by female students. This is confirmed by the management of a popular phone dealer in Lagos, SLOT, which last month stated that about 60 per cent of its customers were ladies.

However, others who spoke on the trend, argued that not all the female students that have a BlackBerry engage in part-time prostitution. One of them who works in the Students Affairs office of UNILAG, but pleaded that his name should not be mentioned because he was not authorised to speak said, "Not all the female students that have BBs got them through prostitution. Some students are from fairly rich homes, some have rich uncles, aunties, brothers and sisters that could give them money to buy BB phones. For me, there is nothing wrong in having a BB. But I'm against using it for immoral and uncivilised things. If well- deployed, a BB is useful to students. I will only advise them to stop using facebook language for academic purposes," the source said.

However, a student of Business Administration, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State, Fatai Adekola, said BB was now a distraction to most of the female students.

 "Sometimes, in class,  rather than  listening to the  lecturer, they will be gossiping about the lecturer through BB and most of  the girls that have BB in the university (OOU) are not morally clean," he said.

BlackBerry, sometimes called a "CrackBerry" because of its notorious addictive qualities, appear to have taken over the lives of youths in their late teenage years and 20s.

Many students regard their BlackBerry as an essential tool for managing their lives, using the built-in calendar and messaging applications on a daily basis.

A disruption in data service could mean an inability to communicate with friends over BlackBerry Messenger or perhaps more importantly, the possibility of missing an important email.

"Since I've had my BlackBerry, I check my email more. I like being connected and knowing what's going on," said Miss Seun Daniel, an undergraduate at the Lagos State University, Ojo. "When it got stolen, I cried and felt lost. BlackBerry appeals to me for many reasons. First thing, my friends have theirs. Having a BlackBerry is the latest thing now and students like to follow the trend.

"Another factor which influenced my decision was the BlackBerry messenger service, which allows you to instantly send free messages to your friends. Students generally like free things. So, when I'm not on campus, I'm able to 'BBM' my friends at home without worrying about having enough credit to call. Students carry their BlackBerry as their 'babies' and some even sleep with them under their pillow. I'm ashamed to admit I feel a little lost without a BB," she said.

A visit to some universities showed that, trendy young adults had BB attached to the side of their heads or hands.

They find it hard to put the phone down without wondering who is texting, sending BBM, emailing, Face-booking, or calling them.

When BlackBerry was founded, it was geared toward business professionals who needed to be connected at all times. After professionals, students then got caught up in the wind of the BlackBerry trend. It was perfect for them because they could communicate with a hectic schedule. Also, it was a great way to stay connected with friends.

BlackBerry Messenger, better known as BBM, is one of the main reasons students get BB phones. To send BBM, the user must have a pin number that is specific to each phone, and people can exchange pins to communicate through BBM.

BlackBerry has become a status symbol among students. Undergraduates in Nigerian universities are notorious for sending BBM in classes and networking through social media and chatting and spreading information.

"The day I got my BlackBerry was the day my life changed," said Miss Lisa Adewole, a student of Yaba College of Technology, Lagos. "Now my hand has the phone attached to it always," she said.

A BlackBerry phone is the ideal way for students to bring together different aspects of their lives. With text messaging, IM, email, phone and Web browsing features, you can stay in touch with everyone who matters through cellular or Wi-Fi networks.

However, lecturers have lamented the nonchalant attitude of students writing BB text words in their examinations. They classified the act as irresponsible. The Head Examiner, Department of Philosophy, UNILAG, Dr. Tony Okeregbe, said the use of BB text words in examination scripts was wrong and could reduce the marks of any student that is caught.

"This is distasteful. It just goes to show the irresponsibility and laziness of students. That student, in my opinion, now considers the BlackBerry world primary and his education in the university secondary. This mistake by students is on the increase and I don't fail to mark down any student who is found guilty.

"Students are now so carried away with the BlackBerry world. During lectures, they ping, this is wrong. They want to remain updated with the latest happenings. Every minute they are checking social networks such as Facebook and Twitter. The BlackBerry world has infiltrated our education system," he said.

Sociology lecturer at UNILAG, Prof. Lai Olurode, said, "There appears to be two major sources of negative influences on the writing skill of undergraduates. The first is Pidgin English, which some people refer to as broken English. It is indeed fractured English. Though a medium of widening commercial and political transactions, I have come across instances where undergraduates use it in serious academic work.

"A second source is the influence of social media, particularly BB text and e-mail messages. Skilful and professional writings and reading of all kinds have diminished. Take-home works are routinely copied on the internet with little embellishment.  Every writing is hurriedly packaged with little thought. It is disastrous as both logical writing and reading have suffered a setback. Oral and writing performances at interviews have been woeful," he said.



The Punch

[EmekaWilson]

That a good observaton and it is very true. I was once on that BB wagon. But thank God I was able to break up with the addiction. And it seems lots of people are begining to see how not so useful blackberrys are

[Jobbers]

What a pity to Nigerians! Is the BB really free? Can you use it without the Internet?

That a good observaton and it is very true. I was once on that BB wagon. But thank God I was able to break up with the addiction. And it seems lots of people are begining to see how not so useful blackberrys are

How did you survive the addiction?