The "Undergraduate Nnanyi" By Victor Ikeji

The first time this was mentioned amongst some university students, they reeled in laughter at that coinage because some had experienced and could attest to it. In university campuses across Nigeria, it is a common phenomenon for male students to rent off-campus apartments just for comfort and a ‘bit of privacy’ as one of my classmates would say. Living in those houses alone is now a thing of the past as some students wants to experiment marital life before leaving campus and getting married proper. This led to the term ‘undergraduate nna anyi’ which represents a male student living in his rented apartment with his girlfriend. This ‘couple life’ as it is been referred to in some schools makes the male student assume the role of the
husband and his girlfriend –the wife. This relationship has every attribute of a real marriage except that it must be devoid of pregnancy and the consent of the parents of both parties. The ‘undergraduate nna anyi’ who relies on his parents for money, becomes the breadwinner as he provides money for food, sight-seeing during weekends and most often provides the female student with money for her upkeep. The female student on the other hand cooks, cleans up the house and satisfies her man’s sexual appetite. In some of these relationships, the female student’s accommodation fee is used for household expenses or in some cases, the proud-but-hungry boyfriend asks the girlfriend to look good with it (i.e. buy clothes and beauty accessories). This two are known by neighbors and people living around as they are seen going to and coming back from school together almost every day. For some, the only time they remember that they are actually students is when examinations come knocking as they spend a better part of the semester practicing family life. It is not uncommon to find most undergraduate nna anyi’s sleeping during lectures due to the vigils they keep at night. These male students tell every form of lies to their parents in other to get money for themselves and the demanding relationship and the female student doesn’t have this knowledge. At times of lack, maybe when the money they expect is not forthcoming or when they must have exhausted their allowances before time, these male students are seen running from one friend to another trying to borrow money just to please their girlfriends because as we all know, women have affinity for cash. The relationship as enjoyable as it seems from the outside, has dire consequences as some results in pregnancy which in turn leads to one or the two students dropping out of school or in more serious cases –death of either the boy or girl as a result of sexual marathons as had been witnessed in some University campuses. Most often, the male student squanders their school fees in the process which kicks off their problems in school as some are seen spending 6,7 or more years for a 4 year academic program. My advice to those who are thinking of engaging in the so called couple life is this: ‘not all that glitters is gold’. And for those who are already in it and think they are having fun, ‘the end justifies the means’. POST CONTRIBUTED BY "VICTOR SLYMWHYTE IKEJI" follow him on twitter