Undergraduates decry night crawling activities on campus

The university community in the country is gradually becoming a dock for the exhibition of all kinds of debauchery. The percentage of night crawlers on campus has risen to heights greater than the reputation of prestigious institutions across the country. With the increase of immorality and nefarious activities in campuses, the safety of innocent students and citizens as well are at stake. Nevertheless, the aegis of temperance has long been imprisoned by the whims of rapacity. 

Observers blamed all this on failed parenting, poverty and its woes, the state of the economy, greed, peer pressure and low self-esteem.Others argued that the state of the nation has lured a lot of students into the business of prostitution, while some believe most are into it for the fun of it.

Onome Patience, a student from the University of Benin (UNIBEN), Benin City, told The Guardian that the majority of students prostituting are not contented, saying, “most of them are consumed by greed and they pay no attention to the consequences. There is however no justification as most of them claim that they are from poor backgrounds and to survive, they will go to any length.”While some of the students resolved to being promiscuous from the onset, others strived to make things right but the odds were not in their favour.  

This according to Idris Latifah, a student from UNIBEN has resulted to the increase of night crawling activities on campus.She said: “There are other measures to resort to rather than prostituting and although I am in no way trying to condemn anyone. Some students struggled but nothing was forthcoming and they had to give in to it. Nonetheless, it is not the best option.”
 
In most campuses across Nigeria, hostels occupied by girls poses to be the most frequently visited and popular as it has been alleged to be crowded by exotic cars, usually in the evenings.  According to some of our sources, “they are either being dropped off or picked up and at regular intervals. It is almost like a market place.”Night crawling activities have however moved from the confines of a coven to a publicly appraised habit. This was affirmed by one of the students who pleaded anonymity, claiming that, “it is almost regarded as a legit business and they are seemingly unashamed.”

The majority of those who indulge in these practices, “runs girls” as they are popularly called go about in sexually appealing dresses but this does not apply to all – they are the priestly at dusk and the goddesses of the seas at night.However, some institutions set strict rules that regulate the physical appearance of their students and a standing order for the hours for which undergraduates keep out of school and come into school. These rules are compulsorily indoctrinated in private institutions. Meanwhile some public varsities are committed to ensuring that such vile habits are curbed within the school’s premises.

Invariably, the school authorities oftentimes scrutinise students who live in the hostels on campus. Affirming this, Success Oboh from Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma, said, “The school authority can do only little, because there are still so many of them who live off campus and out of the reach of the school.”

Also, another student, Joseph Ifada from AAU asserted that the schools, by preventing students who are dressed indecently from entering the campus is enough deterrent for such habits. He said, “I can vouch for my school that there is nothing like night crawling. Already, there is a campaign against indecent dressing and in fact there is a sign at the gate with an inscription – “Say no to indecent dressing.”

With the increasing cases of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), the university community may be breeding more plagues to pollute the already contaminated society.Nonetheless, the society through the help of the various institutions should help shape the minds of the students towards contributing positively rather than ravaging the depraved society.