Cohabitation in Nigeria Tertiary Institutions: A Case Study of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, Ondo State, Nigeria
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.58885/ijssh.v3i1.27.adKeywords:
cohabitation, undergraduates, tertiary institutions, Nigeria.Abstract
Cohabitation in tertiary institutions in Nigeria has continued to attract scholarly attention because of the strong assumption that the phenomenon portents erosion to some of the cultural values highly esteemed in Africa. This study therefore investigates cohabitation among undergraduate students of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, Nigeria. The study was a descriptive survey research and a total of 250 undergraduates were randomly sampled from the six faculties of the university. The research instrument used for study was a 20 item questionnaire that sought information on reasons for cohabitation among the respondents. The instrument used was adjudged adequate and valid by sociologists and female specialists in women studies. Both frequency and percentage were used to analyse the data collected. Some of the major findings from the study reveal that between 25% and 50% of the university students engage in the act of cohabitation, implying that cohabitation is a menace among the university students. Also, 71.8% of the respondents agreed that cohabitation contributes to high level of moral decadence in the society, thus confirming that cohabitation have negative impact on students‟ moral development and invariably their health and academic development. Based on these findings, it was suggested that the menace could be curbed if parents monitor regularly their wards in school while the university authority should provide adequate hostel accommodation for students who live off campus, and of course proper counseling on marital issues should be provided for the vulnerable undergraduate youths.
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