Campus cults have become the most potent
cause of insecurity in the institution of higher
learning. It is elevating the challenges facing
the average students to new and dangerous
levels.
Several reports showed that between 1997 to
2012 hundreds of students were expelled or
suspended from their various institutions,
while some were arrested and detained by law
enforcement agencies and subsequently
charged and prosecuted.
However, there is no doubt that institution
such as Bayero University, Kano , have
uprooted this evil practice, thereby
encouraging more students to enrol into the
institution.
Cultism in Nigerian institutions plays a major
role in increasing the level of thugs’ activities
among Nigerian youths. They damage public
property deliberately without
any fear because they believe that their
association or group will protect them from
any persecution that may befall them.
Strange marks in the body of student also
shows sign of membership of cults
association, therefore, parents should take
good care of their children.
A cultist shows no respect to constituted
authorities, because he always thinks that he
can overpower everybody, that’s why you will
see many people or students doing
what they like at any place they like.
Students, who lack the confidence to face the
rigors and challenges of academic work, seek
refuge from cult groups in order to obtain
favourable grades through intimidation and
blackmail of lecturers.
These students lack the belief in their own
ability to do things and be successful. But
some parents don’t give good attention to
their children. While their children bring home
with them bad behaviours that the
parents should investigate, they just turn blind
eyes to them.
On the other hand, some parents are
working so hard to see that they persuade
their children to shun cultism and violent acts
in general.
But since most of the students that are
studying in tertiary institutions, most
especially universities, are
staying in the campus, they find it difficult to
regulate the behaviours of their children.
Lack of parental care and lack of monitoring
contribute immensely to the existence of vices
in the society.
The reasons behind the involvement of some
students into cult group are to avoid
harassment and intimidation by other cultists
and to be regarded as super stars or high
flyers. Male cultists believe that no
female student on campus can resist or refuse
their love advances and some also
erroneously believe that they must pass their
examinations, whether they work hard or not.
Of course, others join cult groups because
they were officially asked to leave the
institution, after all the sufferings they
experienced and hard work from primary
school to the higher institution.
Cultist families are always in state of danger
because at any time the member of that group
can be requested to sacrifice one of
his family members.
Moral education should begin at home. In
other words, the role of parents, especially
mothers, is crucial in the proper upbringing
of their children. Some young people pick up
bad habits like smoking, alcohol consumption
and promiscuous life styles from home.
Children from broken homes are
victims or particularly vulnerable in matters of
this nature.
The primary and secondary schools the boys
and girls attend before they go to the
university have a role to play in ordering the
scale of presences of their students, too. It
is advisable for all students, lecturers, parents
and government to join hands in fighting this
menace by working together to bring up
worthy and morally upright children
who would lead our country in the future.
Written by Sa’Adatu Shehu Dauda (Mass
Comm. Dept., Bayero University Kano)

Source: www.coougist.com