Ugly Things They Do That Parents least Suspect
By Josepher Mbako Zakah*
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| Josepher Mbako Zakah |
Getting university
education is the aspiration of many a Cameroonian student.
Certainly, not all university hopefuls are lucky to pass
through the tertiary institution; those who gain admission there try to make the
most out of it by striving to achieve
not only what is rightly expected of them but also some secret goals. After all,
many say that being a university student means you have become mature,
independent and responsible for your own actions.
It is for these reasons that many students are allowed to
live far away from their parents or guardians with the latitude to take control
of their own lives.
But it is unfortunate that some of these students exploit
this opportunity to indulge into immoral and illegal activities that bring nothing
but shame to their parents and to an extent to the community.
Some of the questionable activities of varsity students include
but are not limited to: scamming, flirting, online prostitution/sexting, habitual
night-clubbing, occultism and cohabitation. The above -mentioned are the most
common among university students in Buea.
Scamming
Scamming- simply
defined as a fraudulent deal- seems to be a selfishly profitable activity for many
university students. They want to grow rich over night and live in kind of
luxury.
Interestingly, scamming formerly seen as a male activity now
attracts female students. Student-scammers think that it is not wrong at all to
trick a Whiteman and get money as some form of punishment for latter’s wanton exploitation
of natural resources for centuries.
Tony Sone, a student in Buea gave testimony of his friend imprisoned
because he was found guilty of scamming. Another testimony from one student
Kenyi Immaculate revealed how a teenager suddenly became mad after fraudulently
receiving huge sums of money from an unknown person overseas.Such are some of
the ordeals many student- scammers go through. Others have reportedly been struck
dead by evil spirits, believed to have been sent by scamming victims.
But it’s rather a
surprise that a growing number of youths especially university students still get
involved in this confidence trick business.
Some parents think that students from poor backgrounds easily
get involved in scamming-finding it hard to foot their bills in a rather
expensive university milieu.
To Pastor Meshach of Full Gospel Church Malingo-Buea, it’s peer pressure and the love for money that push
them to do such, alluding to the Bible ,which says “The love for money is the
root of all evil”. The Clergyman adds that, it’s that the urgent need for money
that makes the students see scamming is the only solution whereas there are
other legal ways by students can raise money to help cater for their school needs.
Flirting
It’s now fashionable
among university students to have more than one dating partner not withstanding
the prevalence of venereal diseases. The female student chooses to have more
than one boyfriend so to have greater chances of satisfying her basic/material
needs. According to a female student, “If I have two boyfriends and in need, if
Boyfriend A fails, Boyfriend B will supply”
An interesting story is
told how a boyfriend discovered names of so-called rival boyfriends in her
girlfriend’s phone saved as Loser 1, Loser 2 and Loser 3.And using the girl’s
phone to dial his number he discovered to his utter dismay that despite his
huge expenditure on girls she saved his name in the phone as Fool International,
since he was only visiting Buea from the USA.
Dishonest girls attach suitors’ names to particular needs and
save as such hoping only to get financial or material gains from their suitors
while deliberately toiling with their emotions. Who cares in a materialistic world?
Promiscuous young men on their part choose to have several girlfriends
at a time in order to have sex more frequently and to have their chores done for
them-and these guys schedule the visits of the girls to avoid clashes. Two girls
realizing that they are dating the same boyfriend have fought against each
other.
Prostitution/sexting
Many university female
students shamefully use their genitalia as a source of income by secretly
embracing prostitution, which is illegal in Cameroon but common .They travel to
other towns where they are not known to
meet “sugar mommy or sugar-daddy”
from whom they receive usually financial returns in exchange of sex. A newfound
practice that is common now is online pornography/prostitution/sexting whereby
nude photos and videos of ladies are sent in exchange for money.
This is a demonic exercise as testimonies of people reveal that
demonic spirits go through these pictures into the lives of their victims and
cause mental and other spiritual damages.
Orock Ndip Romeo, an ex-student from the University of Buea testified
that his friend got mad after having online sex on Skype with an unknown person
and was taken to TB Joshua in Nigeria for deliverance.
Another testimony from Tony Sone, says nude pictures of a
girl named Edith was posted on face book and investigation later revealed that were pictures she had sent to her online lover.
Habitual Nightclubbing
Some university students
have cultivated the habit of night clubbing at the expense of their studies. They
don’t buy book but spend elusive FCFA gulping alcoholic drinks. . A day without
clubbing leaves them with a feeling of emptiness This activity exposes them to
many dangers: they risk being attacked by thieves o their way back home; drunkenness,
sexual harassment, lie-telling, lateness to classes the next day due to
hangovers etc.
Armed Robbery
Having Buea as our
case study, robbery is one of the most rampant activities particularly during
the rainy season. Although one cannot say for sure if the thieves are actually
university students, considering that Buea has student residential localities and
coupled with extravagant lifestyles some engage in, one can’t help but conclude
that some of these students partake in robbery as a means of getting fast money.
Some of these night robbers stop at nothing to get what they want and this
includes killing their victims or leaving them seriously wounded. Thieves are
been beaten, imprisoned and others even put to death before the arrival of
police men on regular intervals on the streets of molyko. A thief last year
broke into a room only to find the occupant whom he stabbed before escaping.
Luckily enough the
sound of the victim’s scream drew the attention of his neighbors who
immediately went into the room to find their neighbor in a pool of his own blood.
The armed robber in trying to escape fell from the fifth floor and broke his
leg, facilitating his arrest and detention.
Occultism
Belonging to a cult in school has become almost fashionable
in varsity milieus in Cameroon. Members of such groups enjoy the pride and power
the gained belonging to such but are treated with suspicion by God-fearing
students as they are seen as blood suckers
Their activities
equally involve invoking of demonic evil spirits for self-fortification.
Cohabitation
This happens when a boyfriend and girlfriend live together
and enjoy the advantages of marriage as though are legally married. This is
usually done without the knowledge of the parents and most cases it’s the girl that
chooses to cohabit with her boyfriend. It’s referred to by some as “small
marriage” as they indulge into activities of married couples. Some say it’s a
way of practicing how to live with a husband or wife before marriage.
This may work out well
with some who end in a legal marriage but a good number of cohabitants part ways
sometimes in disappointment. It has caused ‘broken hearts’ drop out from school
and unwanted pregnancies while others get sexually transmissible diseases.
CONCLUSION
It is necessary that everyone
should contribute in one way or another toward helping university student live
and do only morally correct and legal things. Parents should seek to know the
kind of people their children keep as friends, pay surprise visits to make them
conscious of their goals as university students.. Pastor Meshach of Full Gospel
church Malingo advises that, students must not be allowed either by parents or
guardians to do anything in the name of democracy-“otherwise people will start
killing others on street in the name of democracy”. He urges frequent police patrol
in and around cyber cafes to check illegal activities of users. The clergyman
calls on churches to persuasively preach word and
commandments of God to all and sundry using every possible means.
Students should therefore be careful in choosing friends to
avoid negative influence for the scripture says bad company corrupts good manners.
They should equally have a goal to achieve and be conscious of why they are in
school.
The above mentioned issues of university student life are a
problem that needs the intervention of almost everyone in the society for a
solution to be arrived at. This will not only help the student but everyone who
contributes to it. By helping students by laid down regulations and the laws
the land, is in effect, reducing the incidence of immorality and illegality.
NB:Josepher Mbako
Zakah is a University of Buea journalism student on internship.
