IT is expected for students in higher institutions to know their left from their right. To this end, they have the freedom to make self-decisions that have to do with their emotions, feelings and perhaps their lives in general.
Though some of the students in the Nigeria tertiary institutions sponsor themselves, the majority are sponsored by parents or guardians. These parents should mount surveillance to monitor and check the children’s exuberant actions and decisions.
Campus cohabitation involving a boy and a girl dating seems to be a popular but worrisome concept in our society today. This pattern sees male and female student renting and residing in the same apartment as though they were married. They do all manner of domestic activities together like bathing together, cooking together, taking joint decisions, sleeping together and in some cases, operate a joint account. Most of all these are done without their parents knowledge.
A handful of justifications have been given for this couple’s life on campus. Some opined, it is good because it helps pool resources such as food stuff and money together from their silver-spoon partners to enable them survive in school. They also gain experience on how to handle marital life, share views and engages in group reading. It is also for sexual satisfaction. It also check infidelity. Some others believe it would aid intimacy and fully cement the relationship ahead of formal approval by their parents. To those with these beliefs, co-habilitation builds trust as the couples involved may have little or nothing to hide from each other. They are able to monitor each other by mounting surveillance to check for intruders.
To some others, campus cohabiting is mere partnership programme for sexual exercise. The argument above may not stand to verify cohabiting by campus lovers. In Nigeria, such practice is culturally and religiously unacceptable as it violates the concept of marital rites and blessings.
Cohabiting is mostly practiced by premature and ineligible persons and in some cases, are unprepared for a long-lasting union. Mutual Deciet! Without doubt, cohabiting is certainly a lead-way to sexual interaction of pre-marital sex which can lead to early or unwanted pregnancy. Certainly, unwanted pregnancy is the staircase to the abortion arena. Abortion is the sliding route to death or organ damages which may result in barrenness. This is the relay race where the male partner would vanish into thin air. According to Miss. Tricia Igbe, a student of the Delta State Polytechnic, Ozoro (DSPZ).
“It is biblically and morally wrong. It leads to unwanted pregnancy, abortion, infections and emotional trauma especially for ladies who may suddenly be disappointed by the man involved.” She further posits, “cohabitation can also scare genuine suitors away from a lady. Should the cohabitation collapse, not many guys would want to make the divorcee  their sweetheart. The ladies are always the worst hit whenever such relationship hits the rock.”
In some cases, the male partner can wake up one day and desire a change of taste having found the cohabiting monotonous and boring. Cohabiting does not necessarily  guarantee eventual marriage. The story often change later. They have been cases where a guy would turn his once sweetheart to a punching bag all in the name of cohabiting. What a naivety on such girls!
Cohabitation on campus also has effects on the academic performance on those involved. The campus girl carrying the burden of cooking for his campus husband, washing his clothes among other unwarranted matrimonial functions may not be at her best academically.
In the same vein, should a male be cohabiting with a nagging or nasty girl, he can get entangled and frustrated thus causing emotional or mental torture which may lead to poor academic performance. It is disturbing that many students spend their school fees to carter for their so-called school husband or wife, and end up spending extra years in school. Some others had even dropped out due to this unscrupulous act.
It is however shocking that some parents approve cohabiting on campus. This is nothing, but irresponsibility as they are contributing to the destruction of the future of their children. For parents who shake their head to pity those who cohabit whenever they read articles like this, a smart surveillance may reveal to them that their own innocent and sober looking children also engage in this practice. Hence, there is the need for parents and stakeholders to mount a campaign against campus lover’s cohabitation. It is doing more harm than good to the lives of those involved. This practice must be discouraged.

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