Cultism is a major challenge ravaging our tertiary
institutions today. It is most rampart in our campuses these days as a result of oppression of non-cultists by cultists, the crave for power and popularity by students pressure from peer groups and the need to feel secured.
Cultism in Nigeria’s tertiary institutions dates back to professor Wole Soyinkas college days, when he organised a cult group named pirate confraternity with the help of some friends of his. Their aim of forming the cult group was to bridge the gap created by ethnicity and tribalism, but along the line our youths hijacked aims purpose and started doing it for negative purposes?
This vice has brought several negative effects. It has caused massive destruction, death fear chaos and confusion in our campuses.
In recent times, the university community and indeed, a great number of the Nigerian society no longer live in oblivion of the nature and activities of cult groups in Nigerian Universities and other institutions of learning.
They have caused by the violent cult activities in our universities and other tertiary institutions has become a source of worry and concern to so many students, lectures, parents, guardians and the government at large.
There are incidents of cult activities on our campuses with oath-taking, and blood shedding ceremonies.
Cases of theft, burglary, House breaking and rape are usually reported.
Some members of the groups are ???? by drugs and posses dangerous weapons like guns, matchets, spears and axes.
There are many cult groups in the universities. They are pirate confraternity, Vikins, Eiye fraternity black bra, black barret, qreen barret and so on.
Students in the campuses die very young because they are involved is some criminal acts. Like on the case of Aluu “4” in Uniport, they were beaten and burnt to death because people believed they were cultists and one among them was seen with a harmful weapon.
Cult activities have led to the mutilation and even killing of students. It sometimes leads to expulsion of both the guilty and innocent students, thereby reducing the number of graduates from our tertiary institutions.
Further more, cult- related violence has led to the loss of school property that are mostly used for teaching activities. This hampers learning, while damaged infrastructure will require score resources to replace. Money  meant for important projects will be eventually used to re-purchase equipment which the institution already has thus amounting to colossal waste.
Following the activities of cultists, students’ movement have been curtailed. Also, students’ activities carried out us part of campus life have practically ceased.
Worse still, lectures are publicly attacked did disgracefully treated by cultists. Most cultists have no regard for moral values and respect for elders.
Fear has made the lecturers to give the cultists high grades in order not to be attacked. Even school workers are afraid to carry out their duties as a result of the activities of cultists. Some graduates have opted out of school as a result of cult activities. These activities have led to the production of half-baked graduates and the provision of low quality education.
The increasing rate of cultism in our higher institutions have made some parents to deliberately avoid some institution noted for cultism when making a choice for their kids.
The allure of power and dominion, desire for protection against real and imagized enemies are usually the bait used by cultists who go about enlisting like-minds.  And there are instances where unwilling students have been thoroughly beaten into indentifying with these blood letting cliques.
Students engage in cultism to dare and show up their ego; to intimidate their fellows students and lecturers. Some join for protection and have used it court the best girls on campus. This trend has even put fear into host and neighbouring communities of higher institutions who have constantly live in fear from incessant shootings and other dreadful activities of the evil students.
To end this menace therefore a massive and aggressive enlightenment campaign should be embarked upon by both university authorities and government. Also, security should be increased within and around host communities and school premises, to checkmate the carrying of arms and illegal weapons into campuses.
Tertiary Institutions should establish tribunals that would ensure that cultists are properly tried and sentenced when caught in the act. Parents should monitor their wards / children to ensure that they are not negatively influenced by peer groups. And religious organizations should organize youth programmes that will discouraged cultism. The high cost of education should be reduced because poverty and lack of money are part of the reasons some youths indulge in cultism.
The havoc caused by cultism on our campuses is very enormous and if not properly checked, it would transform into something else and would reader our communities and campuses uninhabitable
Ernest is a student of UNIPORT.

Cynthia  Ernest