Cultism In Nigeria: Causes, Effect, and Solution
By Ovrere Gift Oke
There are several factors that causes the rise of cultism in society. One major cause is peer
pressure; many young people join cult groups because they want to gain acceptance from
friends and also feel among, they get engaged in activities they weren’t meant to engage in just
because they have been pressured by friends.
Bullying also contributes to the rise of cultism;
many young people get engaged in cultism sadly because they have been bullied by their peers
and they feel less of themselves, their self esteem have been diminished because of their bullies
and in other to have the sense of security and courage they engage in cultism, they do that as
well to get revenge on those folks who bullied them. Partiality and oppression also leads to
cultism; a lot of the young ones engage in cultism because in one way or the other someone
cheated them it could be in business or in life by their peers or even people higher than them,
they were oppressed and forcefully collected what was theirs, especially when it has to do with
money, it has made so many youths to go into cultism to either fight for what is theirs or either
getting vengeance on their oppressors. Poverty and unemployment also contribute to the rise of
cultism; so many individuals are being deceived by promises of financial benefits and protection,
when they can’t get what they need they intend to go to those who has what they need, and that
alone brings them to the corridor of cultism, also when they see their mates living lifestyles
they’ve always dreamed of and can’t afford it, they intend to go into cultism to find a way out.
Furthermore, poor parental guidance, broken homes, and exposure to violence can increase the
indulgence in cult activities, when parents failed to raise up their children in good morals and
values, they end up living a wayward life which encourages them to join cultism, and when both
parents go separate ways leaving the responsibility for one party, it’d be very difficult to raise for
that one party to do a perfect parental job on the children.
Cultism has so many consequences
and they are numerous and harmful. Cultism often involves in violence which leads to injuries;
many innocent blood have been shed due to violence caused by cultists, so many lives have
been cut short, loved ones have been lost due to violence of cultism, destruction of property; a
lot of properties both government and private properties have been destroyed in conflicts
caused by cultism, houses have been burnt down, cars have been destroyed, functioning
businesses have been shut down because of violence and fear within communities; people getsso scared to go about with their daily activities in the community because of conflicts caused by
cultism. In schools, cultism disrupts academic activities and creates an unsafe learning
environment, it discourages students from going to school to study because they fear for their
lives. As a result, social and economic development is hindered.
In order to reduce and fight against cultism, there are certain requirements needed which
includes the collective effort of families; parents should raise their children with high morals and
standards that would give them a life useful to the society. Schools also should emphasize more
on the dangers of cultism and the consequences of indulging in cultism. Religious organizations
like churches and mosques should preach more sermons on the consequences of cultism before
God and the Christian community. Communities should created safe spaces for reforming and
rehabilitating cultists, and government agencies like the law enforcement and security agencies
(The police) should actively track and find cultists to dismantle their networks, also when they
get to arrest and prosecute members involved in cultism would sound a great warning to others
still involved in it. Parents should also provide the needs of their children and monitor their
children’s activities. Schools should strengthen guidance and counseling services while
promoting positive extracurricular activities. Law enforcement agencies must enforce laws
against cult-related crimes, and community leaders should educate young people about the
dangers of cultism via different programs. Providing employment opportunities and youth
empowerment programs can also help reduce the attraction of cult groups, a lot of youths would
be engaged in useful activities that would bring growth to the country and their various
communities rather than causing destruction and violence at the detriment of the community and
innocent souls.
In Summary, cultism remains a major challenge in our today’s society. Its negative effects
on individuals; losing lives, properties and businesses can’t be ignored. Its negative effects on
educational institutions as well whereby creating an unsafe environment for learning can also not
be ignored, and Its negative effects on communities whereby people can’t live in peace and go
about with their daily activities anymore cannot be ignored. By addressing the root causes of
cultism and also promoting positive values, society can reduce the spread of cultism and create
a safer environment for future generations and also, every citizen has a responsibility to promote
peace, never indulging in cultism despite the pressure, to also discourage violence and finally
support efforts to bring cultism to an end completely.
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