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. Reports has it 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.”
A Lagos-based female National Youth Service Corps member, who pleaded anonymity told National Mirror 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,” she further explained.
A study by a respected international panel of scientists, published by Yahoo yesterday, says cell phones in their various categories are possible cancer-causing agents, putting them in the same category as the pesticide DDT, gasoline engine exhaust and coffee. The classification was issued Tuesday in Lyon, France, by the International Agency for Research on Cancer after a review of dozens of published studies. The agency is an arm of the World Health Organisation and its assessment now goes to WHO and national health agencies for possible guidance on cellphone use.
After a weeklong meeting on the type of electromagnetic radiation found in cellphones, microwaves and radar, the expert panel said there was limited evidence showing that cellphone use was linked to two types of brain tumors and inadequate evidence to draw conclusions for other cancers. The panel’s chairman, Jonathan Samet of the University of Southern California, said,.”We found some threads of evidence telling us how cancers might occur, but there were acknowledged gaps and uncertainties.”However, results of a large study last year found no clear link between cellphones and cancer. But some advocacy groups contend the study raised serious concerns because it showed a hint of a possible connection between very heavy phone use and glioma, a rare but often deadly form of brain tumor. However, the numbers in that subgroup weren’t sufficient to make the case.
The study was, however, controversial because it began with people who already had cancer and asked them to recall how often they used their cellphones more than a decade ago. In about 30 other studies done in Europe, New Zealand and the United States, patients with brain tumors have not reported using their cellphones more often than unaffected people. A medical doctor at the General Hospital, Isolo, Lagos, Dr.. Adeyemi Omotosho however told National Mirror that BB in particular, poses some health threats to users in view of its addictive nature. “The over-use of Blackberry phones has led to high addiction that many people now prefer to spend the whole of the night, which they are supposed to use to observe some rest, chatting online. This may lead to insomnia. But there has not been concrete scientific evidence that the use of these phones or even their addiction result in brain cancer or other health problems.”
Omotosho, however, believes that Blackberry addiction can cause physical injuries to the users due to over-use of the phone. “Many people become so enmeshed in using their Blackberry phones while driving and while walking along the road to the extent that they become completely oblivious of what goes on around them and this, I think, could be a potential cause for accidents,” he said. However, Former President, Nigeria Internet Group and Managing Director of Pinet Informatics, Mr. Lanre Ajayi, said regardless of the current social addiction to Blackberry phones in the country, the gadgets should be seen as a powerful communication tool that helps businesspeople and other individuals to stay connected to all people that matter in their lives, while improving their work efficiency. “The addiction is what I think Blackberry users need to work on. We need to guard against misuse but it is a tool that everybody, regardless of class, needs to have for continuous access to the internet,” he advised.
Assistant General Secretary of the Computer and Allied Products Dealers Association of Nigeria (CAPDAN), the umbrella association of mobile phones and computer hardware/software sellers at the Ikeja Computer Village, Mr. John Oboro, while admitting the current addition to the use of Blackberry phones, maintained that while many Nigerians are aware of benefits inherent in using the phones, not many have their wherewithal to afford them. “I think cost of these devices is still a major issue for the market. There is huge potential for Blackberry and other smart phones in Nigeria but not everybody can afford them like other basic feature phones at present.” The CAPDAN scribe concluded that with time, competition will drive down the cost of Blackberry where most people would be able to afford them. “It is then that the current display of the phone as status symbol of sort will come to an end and flaunting of Blackberry to show class will no longer be fashionable,” he said.
National Mirror market survey reveals that the popular RIM smartphones, currently making waves in Nigeria include Blackberry Curve 2 8520, Blackberry Curve 3 9300, Blackberry Javelin 8900, BB Storm 2 9520, Bold 2 9700, Blackberry Bold 3 9780, and Blackberry Torch 9800. These phones come in various prices ranging from N35, 000 to N100, 000 and in various stylish designs.
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.”
A Lagos-based female National Youth Service Corps member, who pleaded anonymity told National Mirror 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,” she further explained.
A study by a respected international panel of scientists, published by Yahoo yesterday, says cell phones in their various categories are possible cancer-causing agents, putting them in the same category as the pesticide DDT, gasoline engine exhaust and coffee. The classification was issued Tuesday in Lyon, France, by the International Agency for Research on Cancer after a review of dozens of published studies. The agency is an arm of the World Health Organisation and its assessment now goes to WHO and national health agencies for possible guidance on cellphone use.
After a weeklong meeting on the type of electromagnetic radiation found in cellphones, microwaves and radar, the expert panel said there was limited evidence showing that cellphone use was linked to two types of brain tumors and inadequate evidence to draw conclusions for other cancers. The panel’s chairman, Jonathan Samet of the University of Southern California, said,.”We found some threads of evidence telling us how cancers might occur, but there were acknowledged gaps and uncertainties.”However, results of a large study last year found no clear link between cellphones and cancer. But some advocacy groups contend the study raised serious concerns because it showed a hint of a possible connection between very heavy phone use and glioma, a rare but often deadly form of brain tumor. However, the numbers in that subgroup weren’t sufficient to make the case.
The study was, however, controversial because it began with people who already had cancer and asked them to recall how often they used their cellphones more than a decade ago. In about 30 other studies done in Europe, New Zealand and the United States, patients with brain tumors have not reported using their cellphones more often than unaffected people. A medical doctor at the General Hospital, Isolo, Lagos, Dr.. Adeyemi Omotosho however told National Mirror that BB in particular, poses some health threats to users in view of its addictive nature. “The over-use of Blackberry phones has led to high addiction that many people now prefer to spend the whole of the night, which they are supposed to use to observe some rest, chatting online. This may lead to insomnia. But there has not been concrete scientific evidence that the use of these phones or even their addiction result in brain cancer or other health problems.”
Omotosho, however, believes that Blackberry addiction can cause physical injuries to the users due to over-use of the phone. “Many people become so enmeshed in using their Blackberry phones while driving and while walking along the road to the extent that they become completely oblivious of what goes on around them and this, I think, could be a potential cause for accidents,” he said. However, Former President, Nigeria Internet Group and Managing Director of Pinet Informatics, Mr. Lanre Ajayi, said regardless of the current social addiction to Blackberry phones in the country, the gadgets should be seen as a powerful communication tool that helps businesspeople and other individuals to stay connected to all people that matter in their lives, while improving their work efficiency. “The addiction is what I think Blackberry users need to work on. We need to guard against misuse but it is a tool that everybody, regardless of class, needs to have for continuous access to the internet,” he advised.
Assistant General Secretary of the Computer and Allied Products Dealers Association of Nigeria (CAPDAN), the umbrella association of mobile phones and computer hardware/software sellers at the Ikeja Computer Village, Mr. John Oboro, while admitting the current addition to the use of Blackberry phones, maintained that while many Nigerians are aware of benefits inherent in using the phones, not many have their wherewithal to afford them. “I think cost of these devices is still a major issue for the market. There is huge potential for Blackberry and other smart phones in Nigeria but not everybody can afford them like other basic feature phones at present.” The CAPDAN scribe concluded that with time, competition will drive down the cost of Blackberry where most people would be able to afford them. “It is then that the current display of the phone as status symbol of sort will come to an end and flaunting of Blackberry to show class will no longer be fashionable,” he said.
National Mirror market survey reveals that the popular RIM smartphones, currently making waves in Nigeria include Blackberry Curve 2 8520, Blackberry Curve 3 9300, Blackberry Javelin 8900, BB Storm 2 9520, Bold 2 9700, Blackberry Bold 3 9780, and Blackberry Torch 9800. These phones come in various prices ranging from N35, 000 to N100, 000 and in various stylish designs.
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