Curbing the menace of cultism and secret societies

It is a matter of deep regret and embarrassment to the society at large that Nigeria’s tertiary in­stitutions and even some com­munities have remained theatres of the absurd-killing fields of the most bestial type-in the name of secret cult. Recent developments in some universities and even the cult war in some parts of Rivers State before the last legislative elections have once more brought to the front burner of national discourse the ugly incidents of senseless killings in the name of cultism in many parts of the coun­try. It remains a big dent on our ban­ner that undergraduate students- the quintessence of good manners and true essence of the country’s future- now parade the campuses armed with the most sophisticated weaponry, from hand weapons to Kalashinkov assault rifles. What is more, most of these undesirable acts are often carried out in broad day light in a country that boasts of all arms of security outfits.
It has been established too that ev­ery cult group, as divergent as they are in our higher institutions or else­where, enjoys one form of encour­agement and support or another not only from their loco-parentis but also from the high and mighty in our larger society. This is in addition to the fact that most of the students involved in this aberration come from privileged and affluent parents and homes. Again, the militancy embedded in the activities of these cultist groups seems to borrow from the larger society. Indeed, cultism in Nigerian universities, like fraterni­ties in, say, American universities, is not a present day phenomenon. What is new and which is generally decried, is the added military jingo­ism, gun-totting and other bizarre shows of physical power as a direct replacement of intellectual prowess. Students these days are intellectually lazy and defective.
In fact, cultism connotes struggle for power in the same way military might was the yardstick for who became anything in Nigeria in the recent past. Cultism flourished in Nigeria during our dark days of mil­itary rule because might was right at the time. It is still very strong on our campuses because violence is now the national anthem. How then can we curb the menace of this hydra-headed monster in our country? The interest of the Federal Government in ensuring that cultism is eradicat­ed in the country is commendable. But words expressed in cold prints in the name of law cannot curb the excesses of these blood –sucking, mindless hooligans on our campus­es and elsewhere. No doubt, there are adequate laws in our statute books to deal with the menacing ills of secret cults. Indeed, what we real­ly need is the political will to say no to the problem of cultism and other aspects of insecurity in our country. The incessant assassination in our polity is due to the endemic culture of cultism in our country. But how can we halt this monster?
The government can do this through diligent prosecution of all those caught in one form of criminal activity or another. All those arrest­ed on cult and cult-related activities should be formally arraigned before a court of competent jurisdiction to answer to the offence(s) com­mitted even if it is a mere breach of the peace. The strict application of our ordinary laws, like the criminal code, which is all embracing, should effectively eliminate the pornog­raphy of violence from our educa­tional institutions and the cities.

Consequently, membership of a cult should be secondary since a student who is constantly in and out of jail does not need to be restrained from his criminal activities. This is a more pragmatic approach to the eradica­tion of this stone-age bestiality. Only a sincere and determined resolve on the part of all the authorities con­cerned can save the situation.
One very important means of eradicating the menace of campus cult is for the universities and other higher institutions to be given a free hand to run their affairs. A situation whereby administrators and vice-chancellors are foisted on universi­ties instead of the time-tested tradi­tion whereby qualified candidates vie for the position of vice-chancel­lors through election encourages de­viation. Again, government should de-proscribe all the so-called secret organizations in our higher institu­tions to encourage the various insti­tutions to formally register them. In this way their leaders are known and therefore answerable to constituted authorities. It can be argued that the activities of these campus cults were not as nefarious until they were pro­scribed. Undue stifling gives room to these clandestine activities. This openness should be subject to the laws of the land.
Parents should also endeavor to be alive to their responsibilities of providing good training and pro­tecting their family names. In the main, the seeming insurmountabil­ity of cultism in our institutions of higher learning can be overcome if there is a collective resolve to do so. While government should en­courage hardworking and brilliant students by awarding them scholar­ships, the block-headed ones whose only preoccupation is to cause trou­ble on campus should be flushed out of the system. The university is sup­posed to be a state self-governed and whose membership should be abso­lutely based on a purely intellectual franchise. It should not be the breed­ing ground for criminals or scum of society.