The University of Ibadan Anti-cultism Campaign Committee under the auspices of the Centre for Social Orientation (CenSo) has explained the ills of cultism in our society to secondary school students in Ibadan so that they could be encouraged to face their studies and achieve their life goals.
The Chairperson, Anti-cultism Campaign Committee, Prof. Helen Labeodan said cultism is an anti-social problem that could ruin the life of anyone that takes part in it.
She noted that cultism begins from harrassment to violation and would move gradually to smoking, drug abuse, and other illicit acts.
She said these could make a child lose focus, become confused, forfeit all the investments of his parents, and become a nuisance in the society.
Prof. Labeodan said the Oyo State Government is also against cultism and had requested that all students should say ‘no to cultism’, the same way the University of Ibadan has zero tolerance for cultism.
She counseled the students to face their studies and put in extra efforts to compete with their contemporaries to ensure that they gain admission to higher institutions on time, to pursue their dream courses of study and achieve their life goals.
Prof. Labeodan advised both male and female students not to allow anyone to touch their bodies inappropriately because their bodies belong to God and themselves only, therefore, “nobody has the right to violate them”, she said.
She noted that such violation can result in teenage pregnancy and expulsion from school.
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The representative of the Chief Imam of the University of Ibadan, Dr. Lere Ibrahim counselled the students to justify the purpose of coming to school by turning out well so that their parents could be happy and fulfilled. He added that the students must also ensure that they partake in home chores so that they could be well groomed.
The Hall Warden, Independence Hall, Dr. Olumuyiwa Ajetumobi said cultism destroys and kills. He gave the example of a student who was rusticated for two years for being a cultist, and when he returned to complete his six years programme, he was killed two weeks to his final examinations by a rival cult group thus wasting the efforts of his parents and bringing sorrow to his entire family.
Dr. Ajetumobi charged the students to desist from evil associations that would make them bully their fellow students, steal, take drugs like cocaine, collorado, shisha, et cetera, that may make them develop mental problems that will jeorpardise their great dreams.
The President, University of Ibadan, Students’ Union, Mr. Oluwatobiloba Samuel said cultism makes students disobey their teachers and the school authorities and to be unserious in their academic work.
He charged them to be responsible, take stock of their daily activities, improve on the activities, and always prepare for opportunities that will make them excel in life.
Some of the students of United Secondary School, Ijokodo, Ibadan were in their native attires as today was the cultural day of the school.
The Anti-cultism Campaign Committee today visited two secondary schools, namely Ikolaba Grammar School 1, Ikolaba, Ibadan, and United Secondary School, Ijokodo, Ibadan.
