BlackBerry Prostitution Reigns In Nigeria; To Cause Brain Tumour, Insomnia

As more Nigerians rely on the Blackberry phones for business and social networking, the level of addiction to the device is becoming more worrisome to people's health. It's addiction could be worse than drug addiction, Olufamous.com gathered.

BB phone is not only becoming an indispensable tool for high flying Nigerians, the increasing demand for BB and current fad as a status symbol could result in widespread health hazards for Nigerians.

According to a report by Kunle Azzez, ICT Correspondent, Gbenga Arowora’s life revolves round his blackberry phone. He clutches it firmly all day and never for one moment lets it slip away from his firm grip until midnight when he places it carefully by his pillow as he finally goes to bed. The blackberry is his most dependable partner, a partner he must consult for all his businesses and a partner which also serves as a veritable link with his contacts around the world. Like most high-flying Nigerians, Arowora is addicted to the blackberry.

A recent survey revealed there are over 200,000 Nigerians already hooked on the blackberry now regarded as the most effective and efficient communication tool for business executives and also for staying connected to friends, relatives and associates on personal levels. Blackberry was originally manufactured for accessing emails while on the move but has since become a reliable integrated wireless communications platform. As it catches on fast among Nigerians, Blackberry is becoming so addictive that owners may need to be weaned off them with treatment similar to that given to drug users.

In what seems like a confirmation of a recent study by the New Jersey’s Rutgers University School, Blackberry is fuelling a rise in email and internet addiction, with sufferers able to survive only a few minutes without checking for new mail. Indeed, Arowora confessed that he is mostly unaware of people and events around him whenever he’s using the gadget. Now he even wakes up at night to chat with friends as his BB beeps all night.

Arowora is not alone. Mutiu Adeyemi, a banker told said he and his colleagues now rely on the BB to perform their daily tasks. He said his bank encouraged employees to buy the phone through a special in-house scheme “in order for us to be more efficient as we are able to work as if we are in the office for it helps to attend to assignments more quickly and easily.” This, of course, means they have to continue working even at home at odd hours.

Investigation reveals that the demand for BB is on the increase throughout Nigeria. This trend was confirmed by the Business Development Manager, Slots Systems Limited, one of the biggest phone retail outlets in the country, Mr. Patrick Egbulefu. According to him, more Nigerians now throng the company’s outlets daily requesting for BB, a situation he described as not surprising because of the enticing features of the phone.

Now, the BB has become a status symbol gadget in Nigeria as it has been turned into an index for measuring class status. Investigation reveals it is also being linked to criminal activities in the country. For instance, apart from its widespread use among business executives, political office holders and a number of celebrities in the country, some young Nigerian ladies have become so addicted to the use of the device that a minute parting with the gadget seems like dismembering them.

Their addiction to the device and desire to go extra miles to own a Blackberry phone was captured in a Nollywood film titled: Blackberry Babes by Simony Pictures. The movie, which runs part 1 and part 2, is a hilarious exposition of the Nigerian reality and growing BB addiction.

It is the story of a group of university friends, all female, whose social and private lives are centred on the supposedly fascinating world of BB phones. Unable to fund their addiction, the girls rely on rich men to buy them the latest models. But phones, money and other treats come at a price: In return, the girls offer these men sex and/or companionship and the whole thing turns into a rather pathetic competition - the aim being to get the latest Blackberry model before everyone else and “flaunt” it wherever they go. The use of Blackberry phones as a tool for prostitution and other licentious activities is another negative development that has become a reality in Nigeria today.

A Lagos-based female National Youth Service Corps member, who pleaded anonymity recalled how some of her friends fraternised with the so-called big men just to acquire Blackberry phones. “After acquiring the BB, they venture into some funny games by posting their Blackberry PIN numbers to social networking sites for prospective customers and as expected, they receive calls from clients and soon begin to chat endlessly until the men are hooked. My friends have since been dating the rich men who carry them from one hotel to another and also contract them to their male friends in exchange for money which they (the Blackberry girls) use to settle their monthly internet access fees.

"At times, they would take x-rated pictures of themselves and circulate to prospective clients through their BB. They are making a lot of money now. I have since kept away from them because I cannot cope with their current ‘status’. I don’t have a Blackberry and I can’t imagine myself indulging in such a dirty game,” the female Corps member stressed.