Three incidents that happened in Nigeria last week call for an urgent response from everyone who values the gift of life. Maybe it would not be out of place to have policies around such. Early last week, the social media space was choked with news of the ‘housemaid from hell’. Her service was sourced following an advert on OLX, a listing and classified website that allows users to advertise products and services for free.
The housemaid, one Juliet, succeeded in luring two kids, Rafael and Michael, ages three and 15 months respectively, away from their house. One can only imagine what is currently going on in the minds of Mr. and Mrs. Esharegharan, the parents of the kids. While it sounds unbelievable, it points to the reality that not everything on the Internet is true. One prays the kids are found and returned alive to their parents.
The second incident is that of the young man who was reportedly beaten blue black by soldiers at Polling Unit 046, Sam Sonibare Street, Surulere, Lagos. His offence was that he snapped pictures of some soldiers who were patrolling to ensure that no pandemonium broke out during the election. One isn’t sure of the state of health of the young man now but it is safe to say he would prefer the incidence did not happen. This, however, pales into insignificance when one reviews the event that equally happened last week on the rail track at the Cappa area of Oshodi, Lagos. The rail track became a track of death for a young man who did not hear the horn of the train as it approached him. His ears were reportedly plugged with an ear piece and the moving train sadly hit him and got his body mangled. Whatever it was he was doing with his phone at that moment, he was clearly oblivious of his surroundings.
This sad incident is not only a Nigerian thing. In 2013, a 37-year-old Scot, by name Kevin Street, was killed in the United States on a train track as well. It was reported also had his headphones on and did not hear the train until the last moment when it was too late for him to step away from the track.
In each of these three instances, it is easy to put the blame at the feet of the victim but the reality is that it could have been anyone; especially, anyone not too keen on being careful with online transactions or public decorum when it comes to the use of mobile phone. If enough behaviour change communication is not invested in them, it’s scary to note that more of this may happen in the coming days.
At the moment, there are about 6.8 billion mobile phones in the world and the number of Internet users is an estimated three billion. This brings to fore the issue of use and misuse of these devices. I do not have records at my reach but it would be revealing to see what the causes of road accidents are in Nigeria asides from bad roads. It is not uncommon to see a driver texting while on the wheels and it is also a common sight to see commercial motorcycle riders picking calls while on the two-wheel machine.
Not a few Nigerians have been embarrassed to see how others use their phones in the public. If it is not someone speaking at voice pitch, it will be an air passenger who is insistent on receiving a phone call even when the plane is already taking off. In some cases, it is the shock of seeing someone crossing the road while receiving a phone call. And you are forced to ask – Couldn’t the receiver have waited till the call is over or could he or she have ignored the call and returned it later when in a safe environment?
As to information souring in cyberspace, not everything on the Internet is true. Several people have fallen victim to this at various times. The missing kids’ saga happened because of that poor decision. With online information, it does not take phenomenal intelligence to tell a truth from a lie. OLX is also in the middle of this given that it was the bridge the maid used in crossing into the now distraught family. But OLX’s caveat that the onus of verification lies on users exonerates it.
Founded in 2006, and now owned by Naspers, OLX currently operates in over 106 countries in the world. Users can simply search for products they wish to buy or list those they wish to sell; and both can be done for free. The platform however makes its money by offering premium services which allows users to pay to have their ads listed above others in the categories they are in and therefore have more people see it. Like most platforms today, OLX can also be accessed on mobile phones.
Technologies like the mobile phones were invented to make life better for us and not to put our lives at risk. Its use should have safety at the back of our mind. Don’t drink and drive is not enough warning for road users again. Don’t make or receive calls also counts for safety. Being a critical reader and cross checking the source is a good place to start. A phone number is not enough assurance that the person at the other end is genuine. When meeting an Internet-sourced contact for the first time, a public space and maybe in company of a friend is a great start.
A couple of months back, a young man on my Google Hangout contact list sought my help to put together a cover letter for him. There was something generic about the letter he wanted even though he claimed it was meant to say Thank you to previous employers where he had interned and he needed that letter to go with the report. The story did not fit but I kept promising to help. I decided to do a couple of checks using his email address and the name he claims to bear. Bingo! I found my proof. He turned out to be a scammer who simply needed a ‘neat’ document for his trade. The cyber space is an invisible space where our attitudes, intention and behaviours cannot be clearly measured; at least not now. Maybe a time will come when technology will be able to measure a person’s genuineness over the internet, I look forward to that time but, until then it is our duty to watch how we deal with online personalities for our own safety.
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