Nigeria

[Mike_Q]

Hello Guys!
Here is an article on Nigerian exams
In colleges and universities...kind of interesting...enjoy...

University Students And Cheating
By Hope Eghagha ...from The daily Guardian July 21st 2002


It never ceases to amaze me how desperate most Nigerian undergraduates become during examinations, when they have to prove to their lecturers how much they have actually learnt and retained in twelve weeks of lectures. Their desperation is expressed in the cunning and ingenuity with which they try to cheat during course assessment tests and semester examinations. Often, the exam period is one of battles. The student battles to read or to cheat. The lecturers battles to ensure that students do not cheat. The Heads of Department and Deans ensure that all lecturers turn up for invigilation. As an invigilator, the greatest battle is to ensure that cheats are either prevented from achieving their objectives, or caught in the process of cheating. We usually breathe a sigh of relief when the exams come to an end.

Cheating comes in different forms. Some students are so sophisticated in their cheating techniques that it is only a smart invigilator that can detect them. The first type is the fellow who brings in copied-out material into the hall. Students call this 'chips', referring to the tiny bits into which they are divided. Some lecturers give exam hints to students to help them out. Rather than read up such areas and come into the hall mentally prepared, they consult their notes and copy out whole sections, which they would consult, and copy from right inside the hall. While some stash their 'chips' into their bosom or spread them inside the drawer, others strap them to their thighs. This is the favourite technique of their fairer sex. It is a wickedly ingenious style, because as male lecturers, we are not able to stop and search. Female lecturers are then invited to peruse and expose the exhibit. Another variant is when the female students writes things on her thighs. As an invigilator, one gets suspicious when a student keeps looking downwards while writing. The boys use the chip method or hire a 'mercenary' to write the exam. A mercenary is a student from a higher level who had taken and passed a course but returns to the battlefield to write the same exam for a patron, who of course has paid some money or would grant him sexual favours. Another way students cheat is to write codes and whole sentences on the desk. After writing such codes, they do all they can to secure those seats. There is a case of a girl who wept openly after she was re-deployed from her 'hot' seat. In the Arts, this is a curious thing to do but it takes place. Sometimes I wonder what goes through a student's mind as he or she spends hours or days working out cheating strategies. Would the student not be better off if he or she diverted such energies into learning or studying? For example, how long would it take a student to write sentences on her thighs? I imagine that if a student spent such time even memorising the subject, she would understand it better and benefit from it.

The most common form of cheating is when two or more students 'co-operate' in the hall. There are all kinds of expressions for this. While some call it 'ECOWAS', others call it 'joint effort' or 'sharing'. What puzzles me is that most students do not see this practice as cheating. In fact, a careless moment, one of them asked what was wrong it a student asked a friend for a simple act of help or assistance in the exam hall. Under this arrangement, a bright student would sit in the midst of weak or not-so-bright students so as to solve some of their problems in the hall. Occasionally, he or she would make the answer sheet available to others when the invigilator is looking the other way. A student caught exchanging views in the hall argued that he just asked a friend to help out on a small point which has escaped his memory. Students also cheat by stealing answer booklets and answer the questions outside the exam hall. In this scenario, while an exam is in progress, a potential cheat would pilfer an answer booklet in preparation for the next exam. For university-wide courses, the situation is usually chaotic. Somehow, the student gains access to the question paper and prepares an answer which he or she would try to smuggle into the hall while hardworking students are submitting their scripts. Often, because the number of students we have to cater for in the system outstrips the number of invigilators in some cases, supervision is not thorough. This is a serious offence, that is, bringing scripts into the hall. University administrations are very severe on this, yet students do not learn.

In a sense one is not surprised that cheats are on the increase in the university system. For, most of these students cheated to pass JAMB examination, aided by some parents and invigilators. There are some exam centres all over the country which help students to cheat. At such centres, invigilators help students to answer questions because parents have already paid something extra to enable candidates benefit from their special attention. Before the next exam, the owners of such centres advertise the high performance of their candidates to attract customers. Once such 'successful' candidates get into the university system, they try to continue the great tradition of cheating. It is a shame that for most of these students, acquiring knowledge is not important. What is important is the certificate, whether or not they merit the claims written on the paper. Often, when we tell students to read extraneous material, they do not see the need. They complain about their inability to cope with class references, not to talk of issues that are not directly related to the topic. In literature, for example, some students dropped a course because the course lecturer added secondary readings to the primary texts. Our cheats therefore are a product of the society which they come from. They witness cheating at elections and appointments, in civil society, in corporate organisations and even in the church. They witness how so-called ministers of God manipulate elections and install puppets as leaders, thus encouraging double standards. And so the church, which ought to be the first place of upholding fairness and truth, becomes an incipient platform for imbibing fraudulent values. At a personal level, in a recent experience (I shall write about this in some detail as soon as the cloud clears), truth which all my life had been at the forefront of the gospel, has become a major casualty of politics and selfish interests. In fact, in the lives of most undergraduates, they have few or no role models to look up to as they experience life. Sometimes, youth run into experiences which tend to support cheating as away of getting on in life. As we witness politicians of all persuasions prepare for elections, rumours of massive rigging are rife. The message is clear: our nation does not really frown at cheating particularly if one cheats and becomes successful.

The recent upsurge in the number of students coming into higher institutions just for the sake of being there is unhealthy. In many ways, it contributes to the culture of cheating in exams. Some of the candidates are either not competent to be in the university or are reading courses for which they have no interest or skill. A student who is weak in mathematics cannot find economics easy in the university. Yet some parents force their children into reading the so-called marketable courses. The result is that they learn to cheat in order to get the minimum score. It is true that not all students are cheats. In fact, some students give lecturers hints about their mates who have formed this ugly habit. Sometimes too, the system itself flushes out some lecturers who collude with students to perpetrate fraud on the system. Often such colleagues do not last in the system. Parents have a role to play to curb their wards penchant for cheating. They must encourage their children to strive to acquire knowledge, not just the certificate. The society itself must help in this endeavour. Often parents come to the rescue of their erring children by offering money to buy them out of their problem. I remember a parent telling me once to get his child out of the mess no matter what it would cost. 'This is Nigeria, anything is possible', he added for good measure. Too much emphasis is placed on the certificate which a person holds. A system should be developed on testing abilities and rewarding knowledge in practice than in theory. Government itself must lead by example by ensuring that her actions and policies reflect the result of hard work and integrity. A situation where a national figure or a political party rigs elections and proclaim a fraudulent person as winner encourages our undergraduates to believe that cheating is a good way of life.

Kind of give syou a flavour of want goes on in the society in nigeria...
later folks
mike_q

[Mike_Q]

Man, I dont think i wife is a bad thing.
To me is just depends on you finding a good women.
Even these ladies in nigerian that are so open for fun, all have a desire to marry. That does not mean that they dont "creep" or have an affair ouside theiirt marital union, but it is kind of risky for them. Most girls are in the "casual sex" game for the momey and fun and it like a different perspective fro them to have fun with an expate. After all the local nigerian men have money too, but some of these college/uni girls prefer to be with a non-nigerian guy rather than a well to do nigerian if the choice of the two were presented before them. Especially in Lagos and por-harcourt. Aslo it should be noted that sex is a "close door" subjetc in nigeria. So the young girls find out about romance and love either through friends, movies, blue films[thats wnat they call porn movies in nigeria] and sexual experiences in a very discreet manner. They never openly discuss sex, but there so much of it going on behind closed doors. It is estimated that in The university of Lagos about 60% of the Girls on having casual affairs and most of these affairs are not with their fellow college boys!!!{ouchh!!!}, Its funny, but most of the girls would rather go out and sleep with a guy that has finished uni/college and is working or with a businessman, politician, expate, diplomat or any individual who is just not a "triangular student"[that means a student who is subject to cafeteria, lecture hall , then library, then back to hostels, to wake up and do the same thing again!!!]. That is just boredom and as they say in nigerian colleges an "afiko" life style [afiko means a bookworm]. Another party that enjoys alot of there girls are the lecturers that take these girls fgor courses. Most of these courses require "handouts" which you must buy from the lecturer!. that how he makes extra mony to suppliment his salary,. Plus in addition, he also gives extra tutoriaL and special appointment to the female and "deep pocketed" male students. This is what is called "cash and kind" appointments!, Cash for the guys and kind for the girls. When i was in univeristy of port-harcourt stayiing with a lecturer friend i saw this scenario played out right before my eyes. After a while of lecturing [like 2 years]. A lecturer kind get bored of the kind and just settles for the cash[you can only go to far with the small brain you know!!!]. But most times when the money is flowing is before and after exam times. I have enjoyed the company of 3 ladies between the age of 19-24, when io stayed with him. They were nice and were willing to do "whatever" to get me to give a good word in for them to my lecturer friend [hmm what a life!!!], But that how it goes in nigeria. I guess you can blame a poor economy for the masses and the indoctrination oif hollywood!!!. They are so addicted to all things Europena and american that its like plucking oragnes of a low hanging tree!!!.
Well i shall get the info on lagos and some hot spots
later folks !!!

[Beavis]

J.G. why would anyone in this world want a wife, A WIFE, Yuck !

[Member #4239]

Beavis:
dude, I need no more convincing! Actually to be quite honest with you, the women would be the only reason why I would consider going to Africa at this time. I am probably gonna get me a Colombian wife by the end of next year, but before that time, I would like to "visit" with about 100 beautiful African women. J.G.

[Beavis]

Mike and J.G. all I really know is Port Harcourt as I only spent 1 night in Lagos. I will say that if anybody thinks that there are pretty women in the Dominican Republic you haven't seen nothing. Go to Barracudas on any night and you will see some of the most beautiful dark skin women you have ever seen. If you took Tyra Banks and Naomi Campbell and dressed them in the sexiest outfits you could find I promise you that there would be several women that were finer than either of them. I was very sceptical to go to Africa when I was 1st asked and after being there for 3 months I am soon going back for a year.

[Member #4239]

Mike_q
Great to hear from you again.
I would like to visit Africa for the first time next year, but I really have no idea when my free time will be. I believe I will start with Ghana first though, which I understand may be a little safer than Lagos/Nigeria. However, if everything goes well, I definitely would like to visit Nigeria too at some point down the road.
I look forward to your future reports. J.G.

[Mike_Q]

Hello fella's
Sorry for the silence, i have beed very busy away from nigeria. I reside in London[uk].
sO Puald you thinkin of going to lagos in november and staying at sheraton. Thats very goo. As far as i can ascertain. Sheraton is a very high class hotel with alot of "fat-cats"[top businessmen and the likes]. How long are you staying in Lagos? The best advice i can give is to survey things first. I guess it would be possible to get a girl on the first night of arrival but i'm not to sure on sheratons policy on these issues, being that it is a five star hotel .
Like one of the poster said[beavis]. He got a hotel worker to arrange a date for him. I been to sheraton myself but have not stayed there for a night or more.
Your best bet would be to check walk arounf the hotel and see the atmosphere. There is some bars and resturants around the area. The area sheraton is located in is Ikeja. The popular spots in Ikeja is "allen avenue" akran avenue". What i could do for you is contact some frinds in the area for a round down on the
"bubbling scene".
There are some good websites where you can see pics and emails of Ladies in the univeristies and colleges in lagos. So that could help you. I shall get the info and there are aslo some contact sites like www.nigeriandateline.com. I think they charge token fee of $15 dollars for 3 months now to be a member.
The timing for you going to lagos could not be more perfect as its freshers season at the univeristies and colleges, that is a.k.a 18+ of ladies who are new in university in abundance.
check out this website www.ngex.com, it should give you a flavour of the lagos social, business and entertainment scence.
i shall stay up with the info fella's since i have plans to be in nigeria myself around the 1 week of december if all goes well
cheers and enjoy ya self
NOTE -Beavis i liked your notes on Port - Harcourt. I have a professor friend at the university of port-harcourt that is fun to be with when i was down there. The good thing about that university is that they have a diverse mixture of nigerian ladies there. I shall do some more research. It would be cool if we can get this messageboard to stream video clips so that those who read the post can get a better understanding of what goes on in nigeria. To the best of my knowledge Lagos and Port harcourt are the best cities for the ladies and aslo Abuja the capital. But abuja is in the central part of the country and thats the north which is very far. Stick to lagos and port harcour gents, you cant go wrong there.
I shall drop more info as i get my intelligence in....J G whan are you going to take the trip? you better get yourself reafy. it is worth the while and is a an entirelly different world of black ladies!!!. Something you will really cherish.
I aslo liked a point Beavis made which is very true: on more than one contact with a particular lady, the money you spend on her starts going down!!! If it goes up something is definitely wrong!!!
unless the lovin is soo soo good!!!.
later gents..more info on the weekend!!!
cheers
mike_q

[Beavis]

I assume you mean the Sheraton in Lagos. It isn't hard to find action in Nigeria. Any girl in a shop, restaurant, ect. can be had. Hire a cab driver and ask him to take you around and stay with you. It won't cost much at all and you will be amazed at the beauty of the Nigerian women.

[Pauld]

I am visiting Nigeria on the First week of November 2002 and will be staying in the sheraton.... any tips would be gratefully received

Good days to all

[Beavis]

Noorseman most of my time is spent around the port which has nothing but the local girls but a lot of them come there for the offshore workers. There is a private club at one of the yards where they only allow the ex pats and the local girls to come in. I seldom leave here because it is such a pain to go to PH from here. If you know where the Presidential Hotel is from here it is very close to the Blues Cafe and Barracudas. I will be there in March so if I can get a break we can compare some notes. I have a pretty hot regular girl there that e mails me every day. She has plenty of friends too. If you want to e mail me I will tell you exactly where I am dcc62@aol.com.

[Noorseman]

hey beavis, loved the post on nigeria, where exactly in port harcourt are you talking about...need details and by the way lagos is probably more fun than port harcourt but a little expensive. Try the university of lagos at akoka. 90% percent of the women are available. A few years ago(96) the action use to be in moremi hall at akoka. the move was to prak in front of the hall and call any girl walking in or out and they where always up for any thing,I dont know what it is now I have not been there since then. I will going to nigeria in march 03 ...need more on th port harcourt action..

[Beavis]

J.G. I have also heard Ghana was a great place. I met an ex pat from Canada in Lagos. He lives in Ghana and told me it was great. When I go back in November I will be on until Fecreuary. In February I am spending one month traveling around various African countries. I hope the BS dies down in Cote d'Ivore because that is a great place also. If not there is always Douala and I might check out some of the other countries. I met 3 white girls from Morocco that were fine. Liek the old saying "So many women, so litttle time".

[Member #4239]

Beavis
I was reading the lonelyplanet reports on the web last night. Got the impression that they felt Ghana to be the most modern and safe country in that part of the world.
Just remember you owe us a detailed report on Ghana ASAP...lol...take care. J.G.

[Beavis]

Yea I was very sceptical to go to Africa after hearing all of the horror stories. I was supposed to be there for only 2 weeks and I volunterred to stay for 2 1/2 months. When I go back in November I am staying until January 2004. I have only scratched the surface of what I plan to. I am going to spend my vacation time next year travelling around Africa. If I stay out of the country I don't pay any taxes so basically its give my money to the IRS or the African *****s. Gee that sure is a hard decision to make.

[kingGirlfriend]

What a world. Beavis you just gave me a good time reading your various exploits across this tangled web of message board. It's funny, normally I'm helping rep the East Chicago board outta Indiana but lately it's been more fun reading the various endevors of my fellow man from across the globe. There's a couple alright spots where you could pick up a lady, buy nothing you'd write home about. There's an excellent AMP in town and the girls range from beautiful to just kinda pretty, but a good time can run ya' as high as two bills.

Yessir I can smell the pussy overthere. In Cameroon , it seems so much sweeter out there. Not just cheaper, but relatively safer too. I've been itching to get outta town and I've always wanted to see Africa, maybe sometime next year we could trade pussy stories over a cold beer.