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Cultism As A Misnomer

A news report in The Tide (Wed. 30/10/2019) that “158 Cultists Surrendered Arms in Emohua”, makes it needful to throw some light into the cult phenomenon. It is in the religious angle that the cult phenomenon rightly belongs, representing break-away extremist, radical, resistant groups which can resort to terrorism to defend their beliefs and methods. Leaders of such break-away groups often claim to have some calling or illumination directing them to veer into unusual practices and beliefs. Cultism relates to epistemology.
In Nigeria currently, there are many such break-away sects who claim to have some unusual powers for healing, exorcism, miracles and wonders. Through serious investigations, one finds that there is an element of sublimation whereby the generative power is diverted away from sex and procreation into psychism. There are such groups like the Illuminati, the case of Rev. Jim Jones who led his followers into mass suicide in Guyana; Emmanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772) who went into exploration of the psychic world, etc.
The case of Joan of Arc (1412-31) was a combination of altered state of consciousness (ASC) and anamnesis. Anamnesis is the recall of experiences of thousands of years ago, which can also come about through regressive hypnosis. Some people get fascinated with these claims and the exploration of the psychic world. Many who step too far into such project often lose their mind. Regression into insanity or witch-craft is an open invitation.
Really worrisome aspects of cultism come from secret activities of the security community and faddishness of fans of great celebrities in music, sports, films and other charismatic heroes. Despite the coming and going of chief executives in governments, national security outfits constitute a cult of cryptocrats of which only the topmost hierarchy are the patrons. Through research and experiments, series of brain-control techniques and mechanisms have emerged, through which means anyone can become a zombie.
Without going into how the cryptocracy works, let it suffice to say that secret service operatives world-wide enjoy a wide immunity and anonymity, making it possible for them to reach anyone and do anything but get away with it. What is cult if not secrecy, invincibility and mysteriousness!
From the angle of faddishness, youths can easily be influenced and carried away by charismatic stars and celebrities. Groups of fans soon turn into clubs, misnamed cults, whereby passions and fashions grow into attitudinal change, with some attendant change in mindset and life-style. The possibility of such groups of impressionable youths having a god-father, with cash and other largesse to dispense, can provide wide channels of expression.
There are various international groups fishing around for youths to entice for various purposes, including the possibility of injecting “occult blood” into them through various electronic means. Some of Nigerian youths, in and outside universities, as well as various political office holders, are not quite themselves. There are many factors responsible for behavioural aberrations among Nigerian youths.
From the angle of criminal fraternity, cultism develops because of devotion and deep commitment to what the patrons and barons present as the ideal. Because oath-taking is involved for the purposes of secrecy and protection, minions hired for covert activities are afraid to pull-out when they know more of what they are into. Fields of criminal operations include drug peddling, arms trade, smuggling, oil theft, terrorism including kidnapping for ransom, etc.
What we call cultism is the enthronement of gangsterism as a system of governance, whereby hustlers for political power engage and use groups of youths as vanguards and support team at grassroots levels. With money, arms and oath-taking, coupled with some fetish rituals, devotion, commitment, secrecy and solidarity develop among the footsoldier, misnamed cultists.
Recruitment and brain-washing of some youths became common during the Nigerian Civil War, whereby local youths, out of fear and the desire for protection, served groups of soldiers in some unethical errands. Even now, there is a belief in some quarters that force, gangsterism and arms-twisting are essential means to drive the society. Existence of various contending interest groups, coupled with mass docility, resulted in the creation, arming and buying of various groups of gangsters, misnamed as cult groups.
It is an interesting and instructive field of journalistic research to understand the antics and operational mechanism of cultism in Nigeria. For the younger ones who would fear to die, there is a limit they can go. Cultism has more to do with devotional commitment to some religious ideals, and for some people, these would include use of terrorism and gangsterism to achieve some goals. Thus, where the end justifies the means, no harm is done.
Perhaps, the features of belief, devotion, commitment, secrecy and solidarity account for the use of the term “Cult” for all kinds of extremism. Thus, cultism as a belief system would include all groups of terrorists and gangsters in the domains of religion, politics, crimes, etc, who see the justice of their methods in the end result of their activities. This idea cannot sell in a sane and democratic society.
The use of unconventional drugs, weeds, brute force, secrecy and chicanery to get results through the abuse of the human mind and free will, cannot be described as right or ethical. Various studies in the ways that power has been abused in human history reveal quite shocking strategies, ranging from abuses of the human mind and body, to the abuse of the Name of God. In the political front, alliances and cabals have used power for personal and group benefits, at the expense of the masses. From the angle of symbolism, cult is defined as the use of mask to carryout tasks and for ceremonial purposes. Include Yahoo boys and their mothers.
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I’m Committed To Community Dev – Ajinwo
News
RSG Tasks Rural Dwellers On RAAMP …As Sensitization Team Visits Akulga, Degema, Three Others

Rivers State Head of Service, Dr (Mrs) Inyingi Brown, has called on rural communities in the State to embrace the Rural Access and Agricultural marketing project (RAAMP) with a view to improving their living conditions.
This follows the ongoing sensitization campaign by the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) visits to Degema, Abonnema, Afam headquarters of Degema, Akuku Toru and Oyigbo Etche and Omuma local government areas respectively.
Dr Brown who was represented by the Deputy Director, Special Duties in her office, Mrs Dein Akpanah, said RAAMP was initiated by the Federal Government and World Bank to economically empower rural dwellers.s
She said the World Bank understands the plights of rural farmers and traders in the State, and therefore came up with the programme to address them.
According to her, RAAMP will improve the conditions of farmers, traders and fishermen, and therefore, behoves on every rural communities in the State to embrace the programme.
The Head of Service also said the programme would support the youths to be gainfully employed while bridges and roads will be built to link farms and fishing settlements.
Also speaking, the State project coordinator, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the programme has the potential of creating millionaires among farmers and fishermen in the State.
Kpakol who was represented by Engr. Sam Tombari, said RAAMP would help farmers and fishermen to preserve their produce.
According to him, the project will build cold rooms and Silos for preservation of crops and fishes while access roads will also be created to link farmers and fishermen to the market.
He, however, warned them against any act that will lead to the suspension of the projects by the World Bank.
Kpakol particularly warned against acts such as kidnapping, marching ground, gender based violence and child labour, adding that such acts if they occur may lead to the cancellation of the project by the World Bank.
During the visit to Oyigbo local government area, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the team was there to let them know how they will benefit from the Raamp.
The coordinator who was personally at Oyigbo said the World Bank introduced the project to check food insecurity in the State.
He said already 19 states in Nigeria are already benefitting from the project and called on them to embrace the project.
Meanwhile, stakeholders in the three local government areas have commended the World Bank for including their areas in the project.
They, however, complained over the incessant attacks by pirates on their waterways.
At Degema, King Agolia of Ke kingdom said land was a major problem in the kingdom.
King Agolia represented by High Chief Alpheus Damiebi said many indigenes of the kingdom are willing to go into farming but are handicapped by lack of land.
Also at Degema, the representative of the Omu Onyam Ekeim of Usokun Degema kingdom, Osoabo Isaac, said Degema has embraced the programme but needed more information on the implementation of the programme.
Similarly, while High Chief Precious Abadi advised that the project should not be narrowed to only crop farming, a community women leader, Mrs Orikinge Eremabo Otto, called for the construction of cold rooms in all fishing settlements in the area.
At Abonnema, Mr Diamond Kio linked the problem of the area to incessant piracy along waterways.
He also expressed fears over the possibility of the project being hijacked by politicians.
Also at Abonnema, a stakeholder, Ikiriko Kelvin, called on the World Bank to design an agricultural project that will suit the riverine environment, while at Oyigbo, HRH Eze Boniface Akawo expressed satisfaction with the project.
John Bibor
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Senate Replaces Natasha As Committee Chairman

The political mudslinging between the Senate leadership and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan continued yesterday as the Senate named Senator Aniekan Bassey as the new Chairman of the Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations.
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the appointment during yesterday’s plenary, confirming Bassey’s replacement of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who is currently on suspension.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was reassigned to the Diaspora and NGOs Committee in February after she was removed as Chair of the Senate Committee on Local Content during a minor reshuffle.
Bassey is the senator representing Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District.
Although no reason was given for her removal yesterday, the change is believed to be connected to her unresolved suspension.
In May, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court ordered her reinstatement and directed her to tender an apology to the Senate.
However, the Senate has insisted it has not received a certified true copy of the court judgment.
Akpoti-Uduaghan who represents Kogi Central, has yet to resume her legislative duties despite a recent court ruling that voided her suspension.
In a televised interview on Tuesday, Akpoti-Uduaghan said she was awaiting the Certified True Copy of the judgment before officially returning to plenary, citing legal advice and respect for institutional process.
Although the Federal High Court described her suspension as “excessive and unconstitutional”, a legal opinion dated July 5 and attributed to the Senate’s counsel, Paul Daudu (SAN), argued that the ruling lacked any binding directive to enforce her reinstatement.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, one of only three female senators in the current assembly, said the continued delay in allowing her return was not only a denial of her mandate but also a blow to democratic representation.
“By keeping me out of the chambers, the Senate is not just silencing Kogi Central, it’s denying Nigerian women and children representation. We are only three female senators now, down from eight,” she said.
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