These examine the menace of secret cults in the Nigerian tertiary institutions. The origin of cultism was traced to the Seadog confraternity (a.k.a Pyrates), founded by Wole Soyinka and six others at the foremost University of Ibadan in 1952. The peaceful, and non-violent confraternity set up then, in the 1980s, metamorphosed into a secret cult whose activities have been characterized by some bizarre and violent activities.
The major causes of cultism in tertiary institutions were influence of peer group; parental background; societal decadence; erosion of education standards; militarization of the Nigerian polity; lack of recreational facilities; quest for power and protection among others. However, some of the effects of cultism include loss of lives and properties, disruption of academic activities on campuses, unsafe university environments.
It was therefore recommended that all the stakeholders in the university education system should fuse efforts to combat the menace. It was also recommended that government should be more aggressive in her quest to eradicate cultism in the universities. Problem facing tertiary institutions in Nigeria today is the menace and aggressiveness of cult members and cult related activities.
Never before has the potential for destruction of lives and property on campuses been so great or escalatedso fast and horrible as now. There is hardly no academic session without reported cases ofcultism in most Nigerian institutions. There is no single Nigerian institutions of higher learning that has not experienced the menace of cultism forsometime now. According to Okwu (2006), as till September 2003, 5,000 students and lecturers have died on Nigerian campuses as a result of cult-related violent clashes.
The recent destructive cult activities on cam-puses are mind-boggling, irritating and distaste-ful. Lives of promising young men and womenhave been cut short by the bloody hands ofmurderous gangs on campuses.The Oxford Concise Dictionary of Sociology(1996) gives the sociological definition of cult asa small group or religious activities whose beliefs are typically secrete, esoteric and individualistic.Lexican Webster’s Dictionary defines secret cult as a group of people who share a common cause and whose mode of meetings and agenda are unknown to the public and where initiation intorank and file is usually done in secret. Ogunba-meru (2004) defined secret cult as any form of cultism.
CULTISM IN NIGERIAN TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS
Cultism in Nigeria dates back to pre-colonization when a group of people with the mainaim of seeking protection from their ancestors conducted rituals. Secret cults have alway sexisted in many parts of the country. The Ogbonisecret cult is notable among the Yorubas, Ekpe secret cult among the Efiks, Ekine cult in the Delta region and Owegbe cult among the Edos (Adelola1997).
Almost everywhere in the world, different types of secret rituals groupings are manipulatedin the articulation of organisation functions for avariety of social and political purposes. These societies differ in what is kept secret and what is made public. In some, membership is secret, butthe rituals are not, while in some others,The effects of secret cults in schools are numerous. Such cult had newer dimension to the educational problems we already have. The rate at which cults are causing disruptions in the smooth running of various institutions of learning is assuming an alarming proportion.
For example, in the wake of the 90’s, there has been a great rise in the dastardly activities of the 90’s, there has been a great rise in the dastardly activities of the cults in as recorded on the pages of various national dailies. To help us appreciate the negative effects of cults in our institutions, we examine a well documented newspaper report and other eye witness accounts as recorded in Olaoye (1996), five occult members were shot dead by members of rival secret cult at the university of Benin, one was shot dead while thirty got drowned in an attempt to escape arrest at the University of Calabar. More so, four were shot dead at the University of Ibadan.
A science laboratory was set ablaze by cult members at University of Jos. About twelve cult students among whom were two female students from tertiary institutions in Kwara State were in police custody for being in possession of dangerous weapons. One was murdered while another was shot at the Federal Polytechnic Offa. Occult members struck at the Yaba College of Technology leaving four dead in 1994, nine students of Baptist High School Abeokuta, were caught performing initiation rites for members of their cult in the midnight.
A similar incident was reported at a secondary school in Abia State where a principal caught thirteen students with guns. Moreover, nine students of Federal Government College, Indoani in Ondo State were expelled for belonging to secret cults. Occults members also struck at the College of Education in Ila-Orangun leading to destruction of properties. Bulus, (2003).
The moral decadence in our tertiary institutions can be traced to the family, which is an institution that permits safe guarding of the child during the period of biological immaturity and also provide for the child’s primary socialization and initial education. Parenthood is rapidly becoming a highly self conscious vocation Mitchell, (1996) and it is in the realm of inter-personal relationships and social interactions that the self conscious operates. According Ehigie (2007) stated that there are some major reasons why student join secret cult activities.
Protection: Many ignorant students join one secret cult or the other all in the name of being protected by the cult leaders who cannot even protect themselves.
Popularity: Many students join cult because they want to know where ever they are because of their ever activities.
Superiority: some other students believed that as a cultist they have gain superiority over the non cultist (Jews).
Access to girls: Many boys think that cultist at trust girls and there will be no scarcity of girl friends for the cultist. Verse versa.
But today cult’s activities have change from it original plans. It is now a saying that cultist’s activities are all evil and satanic and the youths who are future leaders of this nation be the one involved in this activities (cult). People differ in their opinions some blame the cause on the parents while some blame the cause on school authorities while others are of the views that the students themselves and even the government are not helping matters as regards the issue of cultism in our tertiary institutions.
Our assumption in this study therefore are many factors, on why students join cultism such as students socio-economics background, search for self-image or self-esteem and student desire to belong. It is also assumed that inferiority complex on the part of the students has a lot to do with cultism in tertiary institutions. It is assumed also that the influence of home environment, peer group pressures and many other factors are all contributory factors that cause cultism in our tertiary institutions, now that the research i To curb cultism in our institutions therefore, government must ensure it creates an enabling environment to promote teaching and learning.
Government should also engage in the provision of massive infrastructure which would include recreational facilities for sports to engage the students positively.
BELLA INIOLUWA ANTHONIA
toniabella278@gmail.com
