AWARENESS OF EFFECTS OF COHABITATION AMONG UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS IN NIGERIA UNIVERSITY.

The problem caused by cohabitation of undergraduate student in Nigeria tertiary institutions cannot be over-emphasized. This study specifically investigates students cohabitation and academic performance in Adekunle Ajasin University. Akungha Akoko. Three (3) research questions were raised to guide the study. The study adopted descriptive research design of survey type. The sample selected for the study were three hundred (100) students through simple random techniques. The instrument used for data collection is questionnaire. The questionnaire contains (20) items constructed from the three (3) research questions. Frequency counts and simple percentage were used for the analysis of the research questions. The findings of the study shows that the cohabitation is a normal trend and have more positive influence on student lifestyle. It was also revealed that peer pressure, sexual satisfaction, poverty, physical weakness of female and ignorance of the consequence of cohabitating are the main reason for cohabitating. Further findings also revealed that cohabitating in most cases leads to unwanted pregnancies and abortion, indulging in social vices, molestation of females and inability of student to successfully complete their academic pursuit. The study concludes that the trend of cohabitation have a negative effect of students' academic performance. Based on the findings, the researcher recommend that; Accommodation should be made affordable to students on campus so that indigent students could not be made vulnerable for all kinds of exploitation including cohabitation. The University authority must find a way of regulating and monitoring the conducts of the students who live off campus with the help of the community leaders within the neighborhoods where students live. Finally, students should be adequately enlightened during orientations about the dangers of cohabitation.