Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Student Trends over Her Surname, Says Lecturers Struggle to Say it

• A female student of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), Bauchi, has opened up about the challenge associated with her surname
• The business student said her surname is a case study, noting that she always has to pronounce it for her lecturers as they struggle with it
• Mixed reactions trailed her surname as people also struggled with its spelling, while others mentioned their unusual surnames

A business student at Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), Bauchi, has caused quite a stir on social media owing to her unique surname.

The lady, who hails from Nando in Anambra state, said her surname is a case study and posted a short clip from her class presentation.

The high point of the clip was when she had to say her full name and pronounce her unusual surname.

Bauchi varsity student's unique surname

The undergraduate student's full name is Chioma Stella Offorkansi. Chioma said her lecturers have a hard time saying "Offorkansi", causing her to always pronounce it for them.

Read also

Regina Daniels returns to social media with fresh post: "If plan A fails, there are 25 others"

According to TikTok's timestamp and geolocation, the video was shared on Monday, February 10, while she was on campus.

Watch her video below:

Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University student's surname trends

🌺PinkyPresh🌺 said:

"Urs is simple sef 😂 even my lecturer told me to do and marry so that I can change my surname."

Aimer said:

"This offorkansi is a very rare name sorry my mom's late uncle is the only person I knew with the name."

Kbaby⭐️ said:

"Omggggg!!!! We have the same surname and I always go through this!😭 Started dreading occasions where I have to say my surname. Dam.n!"

Joanna Chika said:

"Only your surname shows where you came from. Oyi na Omambala Axis (Nando, Umueri , Aguleri, Nteje etc)."

Thealphawriter said:

"My surname is Izzy and honestly, I’m not losing that name even when I get married cos I love itttttt, it’s so unique."

𝐷𝑎𝑚𝑖ꨄ︎ said:

"What of me “Ebhojie” 😂 and na only me get that surname for this whole world."

Read also

Tomboy TikToker Blackchully under fire over strange way she carried son in clip: “Put am for pocket”

Otega rose🦋🥀🌹 said:

"Lol yours is even easy to pronounce and spell…if you hear mine ehn."

Diana of Africa 🌍 said:

"Ok and here is me with NWATURUOCHA as a surname (White lamb abi goat )."

In a related story, Legit.ng reported that a University of Ibadan 400-level student had gone viral because of his unique full name.

Offorkansi as Igbo name

According to a genealogy portal, Forbears, "Offorkansi" has a limited number of people bearing such a name. It arguably put the number at around 999 individuals.

It said the name is peculiar to people from Enugu city and Abia state. Forbears gave a variant spelling of the name as "Oforkansi".

Effects of mispronouncing students' names

Education Week noted that students might feel marginalised if their names are constantly mispronounced in school. This could also affect their sense of belonging in such an environment.

Read also

Taaooma shares Quranic school 'Ile-Kewu' experience, how she escaped punishments as clip trends

A research paper, Enduring Effects: Name Mispronunciation and/or Change in Early School Experiences, by Bonika Sok and Tina Bonnett, said that due to the awkwardness that comes with name mispronunciation, students may also be hesitant to participate in class activities, thereby affecting their performance and social interactions.

Speaking about the experiences of people documented in the research, it said:

"All the participants conveyed that the mispronunciation of their names made it apparent to the class that they were different. For example, Rana explained that being identified as different, on top of being a minority, meant she would be perceived as 'not normal'."

Student with unusual full name reacts

Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that a University of Ibadan 400-level student with an unusual full name had opened up about why his parents named him such.

He talked about how he felt when he came of age and learned his full name. The young man said he only realised his name sounded like a question when he got into the university. He told Legit.ng:

Read also

Tragedy strikes as actor Foluke Daramola loses her mother, shares clip of last moments: "My mum is gone"

"As hard as it might be to believe, I actually only realized my name sounded like a question when I got into university. And as regards feelings, it sort of came as a way to constantly ensure I'm always on my feet making sure the answer to that question is a "Yes" and well here we are, everyday it's looking more and more that the answer would be a definite YES."

Joseph Omotayo, the HOD of the Human Interest Desk, contributed to this article, adding the effects mispronouncing names may have on students

Proofreading by Nkem Ikeke, copy editor at Legit.ng.

Source: Legit.ng