EDUCATION-NIGERIA: Winning The War Against Cultism On The Campus

By Toye Olori Reprint | | Print |

Toye Olori

LAGOS, Sep 3 1999 (IPS) - When Nigeria’s new President, Olusegun Obasanjo, ordered heads of universities and tertiary institutions in July to flush out cultism from their institutions within three months, critics viewed the order as a very tall and hard one.

Handing down the order, the Minister of Education, Tunde Adeniran, told the heads of universities: “We are giving you a maximum of three months within which to eradicate cultism in your various institutions. From now on, both the institution’s administration and governing councils will be held accountable and responsible for any breakdown of law and order on campus”.

Today, less than six weeks after the order, government is winning the battle against cultism as the university authorities have adopted a new approach to fight the menace.

Instead of an all out war, and suspensions, expulsions and rustications of erring cult students, which had resulted in attacks on innocent persons by cult members in the past, university authorities have now embarked on subtle campaigns and enlightenment programmes aimed at persuading students to quit cultism.

The approach has yielded good results as many cult students across the country’s 132 universities and tertiary institutions are already renouncing their membership.

“Reformatory rather than punitive measures would be the most reliable means for ensuring permanent penitence as well as preventing cultism. That is why we have emphasised voluntary renunciation over panic-induced expulsions and rustication,” says Richard Anao, Vice Chancellor of the University of Benin.

He says cultism, being mainly a student affair, requires students themselves to devise tactics and strategies to combat it.

No fewer than 548 students at the University of Benin, have renounced their membership of secret cults and cult activities as the deadline given by the university authority expired on Aug 30.

“We feel proud to report that our pacifist policy of allowing the cult members in the first instance, a window of opportunity to renounce, has already begun to yield very encouraging results,” said Anao, at a news conference organised by the National Anti- Cult Movement of Nigeria (NACUMN) in Benin last week.

“As of yesterday, 30 August, 1999, not less than 548 persons representing eight different cult groups have taken advantage of this opportunity and renounced,” Anao said.

Reports from other higher institutions say many students are also renouncing their membership, while some universities are inaugurating anti-cult committees with mandates to persuade students to renounce their membership of the group which has turned campuses into death zones.

Last week, 75 students at the Akanu Ibiam Federal Polytechnic, in the eastern state of Ebonyi, renounced their membership at a ceremony attended by a mammoth crowd of students and lecturers.

In the neighbouring state of Enugu, 12 students at the State University of Science and Technology (ESUT) also on Wednesday renounced their membership of secret cults.

The renunciation climaxed a three-day campaign, which included a seminar, a prayer session and presentation of papers by several organisations including the State Secret Service. It was organised by the university to flush out cultists from the ESUT.

But as more students renounce their membership of secret cults, analysts are worried about their safety on campus, since their identities have been revealed, exposing them to reprisals by aggrieved students.

However, the school authorities have called for the re- integration of former cult students into campus life, while various rehabilitation therapy are being put in place to give the former cult members a new orientation.

Acting ESUT vice-Chancellor, professor Anikpo assured the 12 students who renounced their membership that the university would provide them protection.

Anikpo appealed to cult students, who are still active, to renounce membership. “There is nothing secret anymore about secret cult. The names of members are already known, how and where they operate are also known,” he says. “With the whole nation focused on one issue – cultism, there is no doubt that cultism is dead.”

Godwin Amasiatu, Rector of the Akanu Ibiam Polytechnic, has urged students to integrate the former cult members “as it is not easy for one to publicly renounce his misdeeds”.

Amasiatu also appealed to the various religious groups on the campus to ensure the spiritual direction of the former cult members for peace to prevail on the campus.

As part of campaign programmes, the Examination Ethics Project (EEP), a non-governmental organisation (ngo), Wednesday donated 310 copies of books, posters and handbills to enhance the campaign against campus vices to the National Association of Nigeria Students (NANS).

EEP chair, Iky Onyechere, who presented the materials during the Education Revival Crusade of the Students, says the challenges confronting education system in Nigeria required the contributions of all segments of the society.

“The eradication of campus cult and examination malpractices from the educational system requires total attitudinal transformation not just of students but also of parents and teachers,” Onyechere says.

Meanwhile, the University of Ibadan, based in the Western State of Oyo, Wednesday inaugurated its 18-member anti-cultism campaign committee.

Olumuyiwa Awe, chair of the committee, assured the students and staff that it was not set up to witch-hunt anyone but rather, the committee would intensify awareness campaign to sensitise the university community on the evils of cultism.