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 health experts.
ICT Correspondent KUNLE AZZEZ
reports that the BB gadget 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.
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.
National Mirror survey reveals 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. Designed
by Research-In-Motion USA Inc, the
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, National Mirror can now reveal
that the 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 to
National Mirror 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 National Mirror that 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.
National Mirror 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, in an
exclusive interview. According to him,
more Nigerians now throng the
company’s outlets daily requesting for
BB, a situation he descriobed as not
surprising because of the enticing
features of the phone. “Blackberry
phones are more secured when you send
email especially, if you have the PIN
number of the other Blackberry owner.
The information and messages sent on
Blackberry are encrypted and cannot be
easily prone to being hacked as the
information is shielded from possible
online tracking. “The BlackBerry platform
offers two communications solutions. The
first is BlackBerry Internet Solution,
which is designed for single individuals
who want to access internet tools like
email, social media, and web while on
the move. The other is BlackBerry
Enterprise Solution, which allows mobile
workers to access enterprise (corporate)
information while on the move keeping
them well informed at any time. I think
this is why some orgainsations want their
employees to acquire it to increase their
efficiency and task delivery,” he said.
Now, the BB has become a status symbol
gadget in Nigeria as it has been turned
into an index for measuring class status.
National Mirror 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 social media analyst, Bayero Aganbi,
said: “We all know that some use their
Blackberry phone to get involved in
some socially unacceptable acts such as
prostitution and other criminal acts. For
instance, criminals use their Blackberry
phones to communicate by calling each
others on phones, sending texts and or
using the internet and I think those
interested in prostitution also do same.”
Aganbi, however, pointed out that using
ICT tools for perpetrating antisocietal
behaviours is not peculiar to Nigeria,
adding that “Much of criminal activities
are also perpetrated with IT especially
with the use of the internet on-the-go
offered by the Blackberry phones where
people can communicate securely and
access social media websites. We can
only advise that we use this gadget for
activities that are economically
productive.”

http://nationalmirroronline.net/insight/13361.html