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A CRITICAL LOOK ON THE PROBLEM AND SOLUTION TO CULTISM IN OUR TERTIARY INSTITUTION

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1  BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

The role of education in the development of a society has been vastly documented in academic journals, and we do not intend to revisit it here. This section will concentrate on the need for Nigerian leaders to pay close attention to the needs of the educational sector, and treat it as a public-health issue, because the sociopolitical and economic development of a nation and (or her health) is, in many ways, determined by the quality and level of educational attainment of the population. Political leaders should take politics out of education, as the continued neglect of this sector would lead to social paralysis. The youth should be given the appropriate quality academic training and an environment that would enable them to reach their full potential.

Nigeria has toilet with some educational programs, which have only served as conduits to transfer money to the corrupt political leaders and their cronies. For instance, the nation launched the Universal Primary Education (UPE) in 1976, but as noted, the program failed due to lack of fund necessitated by corruption, among other factors. Nigeria has again launched another mass-oriented education program, this time branding it the Universal Basic Education (UBE). The President, Olusegun Obasanjo, declared during the launching of the program in Sokoto that the nation ‘cannot afford to fail this time around.” However, not long after that, the federal government reported that the falling standard of education in Nigeria is caused by “acute shortage of qualified teachers in the primary school level.” It is reported that about 23 percent of the over 400,000 teachers employed in the nation’s primary schools do is the minimum educational requirement one should posses to teach in the nation’s primary schools (Ogbeifum and Olisa; The Vanguard Online, July 1, 2001.

Education has been traditionally thought of as the preparation, learning, acquisition of certain things because they will be useful. It is a preliminary to something more important to happen later on. Childhood is only a preparation for adult life, and adult life for another life. Also, the future, not the present has been the significant thing in education. Education is thought of also as something needed by some human being merely because of their interdependence on others. We are borne ignorant, unversed, unskilled, immatured and consequently in a state of social dependence. Instruction, training, and moral discipline are processes by which the adult gradually raises the helpless to the point where they can fend for themselves. The business of childhood is to grow into independence of adulthood, through the guidance of those who have already attained it.

1.2     STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

In the late 40s, the higher institutions in Nigeria were not associated with secret societies. The first secret cult in Nigeria came into existence in 1952 when a group of seven students led by Professor Wole Soyinka, Olumuyiwa Are, Ralph Opara, D,. Aig-Imokhuede, Tunji Tubi and Olu Aguuloye founded the Seadogs Confraternity (a.k.a Pyrate) in the University of Ibadan. The sole objective of founding the cult was to fight colonialism, ensure the dignity of man and to rid the Nigerian society of elitism and tribalism. Its members engaged in humanitarian activities such as donation of blood to hospitals to save lives and presentation of gifts to orphanages, to assist the helpless in the society. “Everything we did then was healthy, firm harmless and above board” recalled Muyiwa Awe, one of the founding fathers. Although they left school for different locations they remained members of the organization.

Twenty years later, the Pyrates Confraternity began to change significantly. Rancours, feud, factions degenerated into divisions and splitting of factions. It began with the breaking away of a faction of the group known as the Buccaneers confraternity in the campus scene in the year 1972. The rebellion of the Buccaneer was led by a group of thirty led by Dr. Bolaji Carew whose cult name was “Rica Ricardo”. He is presently the Supreme Eye and Spiritual Head of the Association. The logo of the Buccaneer reads “A dog has a Master and the Master is a Lord.” This is an open challenge to the Pyrates confraternity. Other slogans of the Buccaneer are “Blud for Blud”, Odas is Odas”, No price no pay. On the 10th anniversary in 1982, the Buccaneer confraternity became the Buccaneer Association of Nigeria. The Buccaneers (a.k.a Sea Lords) was soon followed by the Vikings confraternity. “There were general disenchantment with the activities of the first two cults” a spokesman said, “Those who once claimed they stood against oppression later resorted to it as a means of subduing their fellow students who were civilians”.

So came the three sailors whose aims and objectives were almost the same, whose major difference have remained their ‘modus operandi’ and their choice of camouflage and logo. While the Sea Dogs took red as their color, the Buccaneers and the Vikings chose yellow and black respectively. Admission of new members into the Sea Dogs was highly restricted at inception, the same became true of the Buccaneers and the Vikings. As a result of this, students who for one reason or the other wanted to “belong” started gathering and in most cases ended up with a group of their own Needless saying that as the group continued to split their objectives and aims also metamorphosized from engaging in humanitarian services to cannibalistic tendencies. Since the 80s, the rate of splitting and disintegration had been rapid such that presently, we have over one hundred different cult groups with fanciful names, in our higher institutions. Some of the cult groups that later developed after the monopolistic tendency of the sailors include Black-axe, Eiye, Mafia, Maphite, Klansman Confraternity, Black Beret, Black Cat, Black Cross, Jurist, Mgba Mgba, Thomas Sankara Boys, Black Brassier, etc. But one thing that is common among them all is that they have lost the vision and mission of the founding fathers and have all degenerated to unnecessary rivalry and violence amongst themselves leading to unnecessary carnage and hair-splitting bloodshed in our higher institutions.

So many unsuspecting students have been lured into joining secrete cult societies through deception. Such deception include; becoming one of the untouchables once you are a member of a secret cult, owing the most beautiful girl on campus, passing your exams without study, etc.

For those who are lured through such lies there is no apology because it is only a highly mischievous, untrained, and morally deficient students that would subscribe to such lies. For, what manner of student are you, that membership of a secret cult will enable you to short-circuit studies. The fact is that there is no student without studies!

Lie is a major characteristic of secret cult members. These lies are quite misleading especially for those who have no idea about their activities. We owe it a duty to lay before the youths the facts about cult activities.

1.3     SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The study is very important because Parents will check their children’s activities and friends. Academic and non-academic staff will go extra miles by adding value to their job in order to prevent students from joining cult. Academic researchers, government and all those involved in curriculum planning will see the need to embrace education that touches life or learner centred education in order to keep the students mind into active reasoning.

1.4     PURPOSE OF STUDY

The study exposes the consequences of cultism and the damage it causes in our tertiary institutions.

1.5     RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1.     Is cultism a healthy practice among Nigerian youths?

2.     To what extent has pedagogy made dormant the minds of our youth?

3.     To what extent has conventional method of teaching caused youth restiveness in the tertiary institutions?

4.     What can be done to help Nigerian youths become morally, caring and responsible citizens?

5. Is given learner centred education, the rightful approach to youth enhancement in tertiary level of education?

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