Cultism menace: A case study of Nigerian tertiary institutions

Christian E.C. Ogwudile

Abstract


Cultism is a major vice which is common in Higher Education
Institutions in Nigeria today. The study examines menace of
secret cults in the Nigerian higher education institutions and
proffers some solutions for curbing this monster. Cultism itself
according to history, started for a good cause but over time, its
purpose and modus operandi has changed. The existence of
cultism and cults in our universities poses continuous threat to
life and peaceful co-existence. In spite of drastic measures and
laws against membership of campus cults, cultism continues to
assume a major social menace and a serious obstacle to peace
and harmony in many tertiary institutions in Nigeria. Cultism is
defined as the practices or activities of a group of people with
one common spiritual, religious or philosophical belief. Whereas
cult groups and activities were purpose oriented at the initial
stage; they have become destructive and violent in the recent
past. The menace has attracted the concern of stakeholders
within and outside the educational institutions. Its increasing
negative impacts on education evidently manifest in the
disruption of academic activities, destruction of school
infrastructural facilities and loss of lives calls for investigation
and drastic measures to eradicate cultism. It was against this
backdrop that this work examined the possible causes and
consequences of cultism in Nigerian higher education institutions
and the approaches to be adopted to totally eliminate cultism.
The study found out that some of the causes of cultism include: influence of peer group, parental background, societal moral
decadence, erosion of educational standards, lack of recreational
facilities, overzealous quest for power and protection among
others. The study also observed that some of the aftermaths of
cultism include: loss of lives and properties, disruption of
academic activities and depletion of youth population. The study
recommends that all the stakeholders and government should be
more aggressive in their approach to eradication of cultism in the
tertiary institutions.

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