OYSCATECH students warned against cultism, immoral conduct

By Bukola Hameed

Against the backdrop of the recurrent infectious spread of cult-related deaths in the country, students of Oyo State College of Agriculture, Igboora have been warned to eschew cultism and other immoral conducts.

This was the hallmark of the lecture delivered by the admissions officer of the college, Alhaji Onike Rahaman at the orientation programme for fresh students on Thursday held at 800-seater lecture theatre.

Alhaji Onike harped on the need for the students to shun in its entirety, anything that has to do with cultism and other social vices because of their detrimental effects in the future.

The admissions officer sued for urgent action by all stakeholders to put a stop to the activities of cultists, which he said could jeopardise students’ lives.

“The atrocities committed on daily basis by the cult groups are obviously beyond imagination. The menace of cultism, indeed, has become a social problem that calls for urgent and collective social action.

With the prevalence of secret cultism in Nigeria tertiary institutions, one can predictably submit that except urgent measures are taken to curb the menace, the future of this country would be bleak for cultists are likely to end up as armed robbers, gamblers, rapists, assassins, kidnappers and gangsters.

Of course, these anti-social vices which are associated with cultism attract various punishments or jail terms under the Nigeria criminal code and justice adminiistration.

Cult groups/secret societies device various ways to recruit members to their fold. Often, students with poor study habit, low self esteem and probably those who are suffering from complexes either superiority or inferiority complex easily fall prey of cult groups for recruitment”, he concluded.

He highlighted some of the negative effects of cultism in higher institutions learning to include, among others; disruption of academic calendar and its attendant instability in the school programmes, poor learning outcomes, threats to lives and property on campuses, maiming and killing of innocent students, and predisposing factor to armed robbery, kidnapping, hired assassinations.

Alhaji Onike submitted that to really address the problem of cultism, there should be adoption of holistic approach to combat the menace of cultism in higher institutions of learning.

However, earlier in his welcome address on Wednesday, the acting registrar of the college, Mr P.K Oyediran, charged the freshers against involvement in any forms of vices such as examination malpractice, indecent dressing, smoking, drug abuse, cultism, hooliganism among other unethical behaviours.

The Acting registrar therefore emphasised that there are several registered clubs/societies and organizations which the fresh students can belong to, adding that thry are at liberty to socialise and recreate without hindrance.