Director of Army Public Relations, Colonel Emeka Onwuamagbu has stated that men of the Nigerian Army might be brought in to enforce law and order if the Nigeria Police fail to control the problem of cultism in universities and other institutions of higher learning in the country.
As part of our constitutional role, the President and Commander-in-Chief can request the military authorities whenever law and order break down to restore order. So, we advise them (students) that if they let the situation on this campus (UNN), to degenerate to the extent the police is not able to contain it, and if the army is brought in, we shall definitely bring it under control,” Onwuamaegbu declared.
The Colonel who on Wednesday delivered a paper entitled: “Curbing The menace of cultism in Nigerian universities: The Nigerian Army contribution,” at the 8th Cultural Week Festival of the Student Union Government of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), though expressed delight that the students were very eager to ensure that cultism was wiped out on university campuses in the no distant future.
Saying that the Nigerian army frowned at the issue of cultism in institutions of higher learning in the country and elsewhere, Onwuamaegbu said cultism has remained one of the worst evils, which pervaded the contemporary society, and gave reasons why it has continued to grow in the Nigerian environment.
At the macro level, the Army Director of Public Relations attributed negative values system, poor educational policies and corruption in high and low places while at the micro-level, poor parental upbringing, weak personality, peer pressure, imbibed negative social values, low intelligence and lack of emotional intelligence are responsible for the increase in the rate of cult activities in institutions of higher learning in the country.
Proffering what he called, “The Nigerian Army solution,” he recommended sound education policy and entrenchment of positive value system in Nigeria at the macro level to the curtailment of cultism in the country.
At the micro level, he emphasised games and other forms of physical exercise as complementary to their mental exercise as well as on recreational activities and healthy competition among students. He also called for good students’ unionism, intelligence activities or surveillance against bad eggs, strict disciplinary procedure against defaulters and motivation/good reward system for excellence as another solution to the menace of cultism in the country.