Nigeria educational institutions are beset by many kinds of cancerous problems like cultism. Perhaps, this is one of the prices Nigeria has to pay for it efforts at developing its human and material resources. It is against this background that this paper x-rayed possible causes, and consequences of cultism in educational institutions of learning in Nigeria. Also, some suggestions/solutions and counseling implications to cultism are made.

Cultism

That education is a crucial factor in the social, economic, political and technological development of a nation is not in doubt. And Thompson (2000) strongly believes that “the greatest asset to any society is her citizens and their various abilities”. These abilities can be acquired through quality education. Imogie (2002) noted that no nation can rise above all the quality of its educated citizenry. Unfortunately, despite all concerted efforts by the federal government to provide its citizens with quality education, the reverse is the case. Nigerian educational institutions are beset by many cancerous problems. Undoubtedly, one of such social vices confronting Nigerian institutions today is cultism.

There is hardly no academic session without reported cases of cultism in most Nigerian institutions. In fact, there is hardly no single Nigerian institutions of higher learning that has not experienced this menace of cultism. Over a decade and half hundred of souls have been to an early grave through the nefarious and nocturnal activities of these cultists. From the university of Ibadan through University of Maiduguri, down to Port Harcourt where cultists were currently holding sway, the length and breath of the nation seem to be under the siege of cultism.

The presenter at this point would want to explain what secret cults are. According to Tijani (2005), secret cults are those organizations whose activities are known to members only. They are signs and symbols that may not make any meaning to outsiders. They engage in nocturnal activities like initiation ceremonies, and meetings that involve blood oath taking.

Chambers 21st century Dictionary (1999) defined secret cult as something which is popular and regarded as particularly significant by a certain group of people: a fashion, craze or fad. Oxford advanced Learners dictionary defines cultism as a system of religious worship especially one that is expressed in rituals.

In summary, cultism can be defined as a ritual practice by a group of people whose membership, admission, policy and initiation formalities as well as their mode of operations are done in secret and kept secret with their activities having negative effects on both members and non-members alike. Inside its practices are music and dance.

The existence of cultism in Nigeria dates back to pre-colonization when a group of individuals with the main objective of seeking protection from their ancestors conducted rituals. Initiations were normally carried out for those who wanted to belong to the secret cult. And once initiated, the secrets were religiously and sacredly observed by members.

However, Nigerian educational institutions were not associated with secret cults until 1952 when the first secret cult – the Seadogs confraternity (a.k.a Pyrates) was formed at the University of Ibadan by a group of seven students namely Prof. Wole Soyinka, Pius Olegbe, Olumuyiwa Awe, Aig-Imonkhuede, Ralf Opara and Nat Oyelola. It must be stated that the formation then was in good faith as their activities and operations included fighting colonialism/oppression. They also rendered social services as blood donations to hospitals and presentation of gift to orphanage homes etc.

After about two decades, rancour, fend, factions set in. thus in reaction to the excesses of the Pyrates the Bucanneers Association of Nigeria was founded by Nolaji Carew in 1970 at the University of Benin; the Mafia confraternity (The family) was founded at the University of Ife in 1979, the National Association of Air Lords (Eiye Fraternity) was founded by Adegoke Adeniji at the University of Ibadan in 1965. much later, the Vikings fraternity was founded at the university of port-Harcourt in 1982; while the nmeo Black Movement (Black Axe confraternity) was inaugurated at the University of Benin in 1984 and the War Lords (Brotherhood of Don) was at Ambrose Alli University Ekpoma, and the Jurists at Delta State University, Abraka in the early 1980’s. By the early 1990’s there was cult explosion such as the Maphites; K.K.K; the Mgba Brothers, The red Devils, Red Berrets, Black Berrets, Green Berrets, the Scorpions, the Black Cat, the Trojan Horse etc while among the female folks are the Daughters of Jezebel, Supreme Daughters of Medusa, White Angels, Dirty Virgins, the Amazons, Dirty Bra, River Angels, the Sharons, Daughters of Eve and Black Queen, etc.

Reasons Why Students Join Cults

Despite the fact that cults has become an abode of evil, where all manners of evil such as maiming, murder/killing, examination malpractice, robbery, rape, arson, intimidation of fellow students and lecturers for good grades, love (girlfriends) and clashes of rival cults groups, some students still find it fashionable to “blend” or join cults groups for different reasons. According to Ezeali (2000) the following are the reasons why students join cults:

1. Search for responsibility: Some students join cult groups in order to perform certain services for the members. For example to fight perceived injustice in their campuses against their members
2. Search for Satisfaction of ones aspirations and needs: For example, a student may belong to a cult group whose part of their objective is to ensure high success of her members in academic examinations.
3. Search for security: many students, especially the females join cult groups for protection. Some male students join to secure their girlfriends.
4. Search for social identity: There are also students who join cult group to be popular. They want to be regarded as powerful people; for them, it is a way of achieving prestige and greatness. It is their belief that they could influence decisions on campus-that they could dictate the pace during Students Union Elections.

To Oshodumo (1999), some students join campus cults to gain respect and recognition and to acquire protection against sanctions from members of the community. He also added that students join cults group for reasons based on past negative experiences at the family level. There are others who join cults because they want to create avenues to exhibit and diffuse frustrations from the family, school and society. There are students who join cult group for reason of wealth (financial assistance) while others join cults to hide their weaknesses (inferiority complex) – academic or social. Some are forced to join while others feel that the objectives of the cults are landable and worthwhile.

Causes of Cultism in Nigerian Institutions of Learning

Cultism is an anti-social behaviour which is a deviant act. It is at variance with the established norms of behaviour. It is a non-conforming behaviour which usually contravenes the social rules of an institution in particular and the society in general.

In spite of the negative consequences of cultism, it still thrives. Some factors responsible for this are:

1. Identified as some of the causes of cultism. Parental and Home Background:Student’s participation in cult activities may be influenced by parent’s involvement in similar activities. Parents who are members of secret cults will not see anything wrong in their children’s involvement in cultism. Parents may encourage their children to join cults so that they may maintain the traditional titles that have been given to them (that is parents). Children from broken homes may also find solace in cultism. A home that is characterized by child abuse, intolerance, violence, insecurity and hostility may be a breeding ground for prospective cult members.
2. The society: The Nigerian adult society is materialistic. There is the mad ambition for wealth and power. Some powerful members of the society sometimes unleash terror on the other members of the society. Some of them recruit young adults to perpetrate heinous crimes in the society and can erase the long arms of the law. They are the fraudsters, kidnappers ritual murderers, etc. children who grow up in this kind of environment may see nothing wrong in cult activities that involve maiming and killing of innocent people. “Godfathers” who are ready to protect cultists from prosecution sponsor cult activities.
3. Emotional Sickness: Children who have emotional sickness tend to be frustrated and fed up with life. In an attempt to express their anger against neglect, they may join cults to unleash terror on the society that has caused emotional distress. Some children are possessed by the demon. Those children can grow up to become criminals because of the evil spirit in them.
4. Peer Group Influence: Motivation for joining cults may come from peer group’s influence. Some students have become cultist because their friends are members. The members of the peer group influence one another with the experiences they have had in their various families and environments.
5. Support Given By Staff Of Educational Institutions: In some institutions, certain administration and lecturers are members of secret cults. The student cultists are used against other members of the community to promote selfish interests. There are allegations that some Vice Chancellors were sponsoring cult activities in their universities to silence the voice of dissent.
6. Government’s Lukewarm Attitude: Cultist in our educational institutions watch how government officials break the laws of the land with impunity because they are members of secret cults. Government also fails to apply sanctions against cultists who contravene the laws of the land because of the protection offered by those who are close to the corridors of power. Cultists are therefore given the impression that they can go away with any acts of lawlessness.
7. Unconducive Learning Environment: Learning facilities provided in educational institutions are grossly inadequate to the extent that some students cannot cope academically. Because of the craze for certificates, such intellectually weak students join cults to harass lecturers and administrators so that they can be given undeserved marks.
8. Inadequate Religious and Moral Instructions/Education: Some parents have abandoned their responsibility in the area of moral upbringing of their children because of the craze for material wealth. They hardly shoe interest in the progress of their children at school. Such parents rarely attends parents’ forum meetings. Educational institutions teach Islamic and Christian Religious studies for student to pass examination without emphasizing the moral lessons that can be learnt from such topics. The heart of the young ones therefore left for the devil to manipulate. Some religious leaders are not showing good examples to the younger generation.
9. Administrative Style of Institutional Administrators: A number of institutional administrators are autocratic and maintain hostile relationship with staff and students. They hardly involve the members of the community in decision-making thereby promoting rumour mongering. They ban student unionism at will. This atmosphere promotes violence and cult activities because peaceful resolution of conflicts has been made absolutely impossible. Some institutions maintain boarding facilities but administrators rarely find time to know what is going on in these hostels. They don’t monitor students and staff activities.
10. Mass Media: The mass media also expose our young ones to all kinds of negative behaviour. There is the importation of magical films, occultism literature and obscene behaviour. Advertisements are made in the media on how youths and adults can join occultism organization both locally and abroad.
11. Inadequate Welfare Programmers For Students: Our educational institutions have inadequate basic amenities like accommodation, transportation, recreational facilities, to mention a few. Students are therefore encouraged to join violent groups like secret cults that wreck havoc in these institutions because of the insensitivity of government and institutional administrators to their (students’) plight. The factors discussed above are not exhaustive.

Activities/Consequences of Cultism

According to Echekwube (1999) cult activities have been very much on in our tertiary institutions, leading to the constant harassment of students, staff and destruction of properties. The nefarious and nocturnal activities of secret cults have also led to the untimely death of cultists and innocent students and staffs/lecturers of our institutions of higher learning. Cult groups have gradually turned the campuses of Nigerian institution of learning into killing fields – threatres of war. Here are some samples of both students and lecturers that have been killed as a result of cultism:

• September, 2005, Bloaji Toniwa, a student of the Lagos State University was killed
• October 2003, three students – Kehinde Dosuma, Omotayo Suraju and Olalekan Ajao of Kwara state polytechnic, were killed
• June, 2005 Gbenga Joseph, a policeman and leader of Anti-cult squad of Kwara state police command was killed by suspected cultists from federal polytechnic, Offa
• March 2005, Ashifat OLatunji Saheed, a student of Ibadan Polytechnic, Ibadan was murdered
• On Tuesday, March 9, 2004, Vincent Uloho of university of Benin, Benin, was killed in cold blood
• February 2004, Yomi Edeki of University of Benin, was killed
• November 12, 2003, Tony ILeogbuna, acting Head of Geology at the Enugu State University of Science and technology was murdered
• July 10, 1999, five students of Obafemi Awolowo University were killed
• July, 2004, Wale Adeyori and Banji of the Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro, were killed

Again, some members of cult groups are caused bodily harm that may result to physical injuries and or death especially during their initiation ceremonies. Closely related to this, is the fact that some of them risk health problems because of harmful drugs they take.

Moreover, some cultists have their educational career terminated abruptly (expulsion or rustication) or they may spend more than the required number of years for graduation. For example, on March 27, 2005, a 32 years olf Ikechukwu Okomah Anthony was arrested. He had spent over ten years pursuing a Higher national Diploma in the Department of Estate Management, Ibadan polytechnic.

Cult groups often used to subvert genuine students’ unionism and destabilize university administrations, which do not condone their nefarious activities. For instance, in April, 2004, suspected cultists threatened to kill the then university of Benin Vice Chancellor, Prof. Emmanuel Nwanze for daring to set up a committee on “Renunciation and Cultist” to investigate the killing of two medical students of the institution by suspected cultist.

More importantly, cult activities may disrupt the academic calendar of the nations institutions of learning. The Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, generally regarded as the hot-bed of cultism, was closed for 10 months by the then Lucky Igbinedion in the year 2000 for the purpose of sanitizing the university.

Before and during examinations, students are always organizing night vigil and prayers for a successful end of exams and or semester. They always sleep with one eye closed.

Cult activities are no longer secret or done in the dark. They now operate in the public – under the full glare of the public.

Implications for Counselling

Cultism is an anti-social or deviant behaviour which usually contravenes the norms or social rules of an institution that is meant to pro vide education for the individual or student. It is speculated that cultism does not thrives in the nations higher institutions but that a number of primary and secondary school students are also members of secrets cults. It is in the face of this emerging challenges and other reasons that the federal government deemed it of great importance to introduce Guidance and Counselling to all levels of the nations education (NPE: FRN 2004).

Guidance and Counselling like education is concerned with the all-round development of the student. Cultism as earlier mentioned is a deviant behaviour. And the broad defined objectives of counselling is to help the client/student achieve self-understanding; to help individual towards overcoming obstacles to their personal growth and development wherever these may be encountered and towards achieving optimum development of their personal resources. Thus the resultant effort is the individual having a balanced personality.

It is therefore surprising that some of the nations institutions of higher learning has not deemed it fit to employ Guidance Counsellor so as to help students towards development of a healthy personality. By training, the Counsellor is equipped to devise several preventive and constructive programmes for dealing with maladaptive or deviant behaviours and for inculcating those values outlined in the NPE (FRN 2004), section 1; subsection 3 as follows:

1. respect for the worth and dignity of the individuals
2. faith in man’s ability to make rational decisions
3. moral and spiritual values in inter-personal and human relations;
4. shared responsibility for the common good of society;
5. respect for the dignity of labour; and
6. promotion of the emotional, physical and psychological health of all children

To be specific the counselor should:

1. Show films on repercussions of cultism and other anti-social behaviour such as exam malpractice, sexual immorality, robbery etc and giving opportunity for former victims to give testimonies
2. Encourage students to expose any secret, unauthorized group meetings of students as this could lay the foundation to secret cult formation
3. Organize and execute orientation programmes (every semester) for the new and old students pointing out the dangers/evil inherent in their membership of secret cults
4. To assist students and staff/lecturers in better understanding of themselves and emotional conflict that impact their lives, to offer effective means of coping with personal problems and to assist them in effectively pursuing their positive goals
5. Working in close relationship with the students’ affairs as well as other service units of the institution to facilitate conducive environment for learning
6. Counsel parents/guardians and seek their cooperation in certain areas as it affects their children and wards; and
7. Organize at least once in a semester, students – Vice-Chancellor/Rector/Provost forum where a dialogue