HON OLUWATOSIN ONAMADE: SOLUTIONS TO CULTISM IN OUR COMMUNITIES ®™√ INN Nigeria ©

Cultism in our communities today has become a deeply rooted norm that only indicates negativity and promotes mayhem on the fabric of our societal growth.

A lot of youths and teenagers has been a victim of this notorious faction of lifestyle and some have been cajoled and Initiated into different forms of confraternities that have Nothing to offer them in fostering a good standard of living.

In one of my publications I canvassed on the issues of cultism in our communities and its consequences, But this time I will be highlighting ways we can use to eradicate this challenge and restore peace in our land.

Before diving in I want to appreciate the effective contributions from The Law Enforcement Agencies In Ikorodu and also Contributions from the Nigerian Bar Association Ikorodu Chapter, May God Continue to strengthen us as we collectively address and combat this nightmare with hopes of completely Uprooting whatever seed they have planted in our land.

How does cultism affect the society

THEFT AND ROBBERY

This is one of the major effects of cultism because this set of individuals goes out as a group to do notorious activities as ordered by their toppers (i.e their Captain, Capon, Don etc) which is mostly in the night.

EXTORTION

Extortion is a form of covering someone else property and possession. Cultists operate in an intimidating space that allows them to Forcefully possess items from others which doesn’t belong to them. This measure has made them cajoled insecure individuals into joining the acts of Cultism as they feel vulnerable when attacked.

RAPE

Members of cults groups find pleasure in abusing and raping their female counterparts. They also adopt the use of drugs and substances to subdue females that refused their interests. Innocent ladies have been victimised both in schools and communities by cult members and has been taken advantage of thereafter.

The Major Causes Of Cultism In Tertiary Institutions Are:

• Influence of peer group
• Parental background
• Societal decadence
• Erosion of education standards
• Militarization of the Nigerian polity
• Lack of recreational facilities
• Quest for power and protection among others.

Consequences Of Cultism And Solutions

Consequences/Effects of Cultism The consequences of cultism include the following:

• Threat to peace and security in the community and the larger society when intra-cult clashes occur.
• Cultists cause death and cause unhappiness to the families affected by their activities.
• They make those who work diligently not reap the result of their hard work.
• Maintenance of discipline among youth in communities becomes difficult as cult members specialised in taking laws into their hands.
• Infringement on the right of others.
  Fall in academic standard in campuses as lecturers are sometimes intimidated to award unmerited grades by threats.
• Dismissal from school when the law catches up with cult members.
• They give bad names to the community and the society at large.
• When caught, they give bad names to their families.
• Many cultists risk health problems because of the harmful drugs they take.
• During initiation, they are made to drink dangerous concoctions, which may cause sickness or death.

SOLUTIONS TO CULTISM

• Awareness of the evils of cultism should be constantly made known to our youths and teenagers on social media.
• Our community leaders, Stakeholders and Royal fathers should frequently come out to publicly condemn the acts of Cultism and thus actively partner with our law enforcement agencies to Effectively fight and eradicate Cultism from our land.
• Government should implement a form of rehabilitation platform for renounced cult members to orientate them to lead a better life.
• The evils and dangers of cultism must be inserted into primary, secondary and tertiary institutions’ syllabi.
• Laws that discourage cultism should be passed into the constitution.
• Government should work to increase the standard of living in society.
• Our religious bodies should also synergise with the government and Communities to initiate platforms that encourage vulnerable youths and teenagers to speak out and seek help whenever they’re cajoled to be initiated due to their insecurities.