At least, 10,000 people have been killed in cult-related violence within and outside campuses of Nigerian tertiary institutions from 1996 to 2019.
Mr. Ike Onyechere, the founding Chairman, Exam Ethics Marshals International who stated this in a press release said more than 40 different cult groups with over 12,000 chapters operate on campuses across Nigeria.
Onyechere stated too that more than 100,000 have been injured, harassed, raped, arrested, detained, suspended and expelled while lecturers are intimidated and blackmailed into awarding underserved high grades by cultists fuelling examination malpractice and academic dishonesty.
Based on the fact that cultism for the education system in Nigeria has become existential, he called Federal and State Government Agencies and Institutions in Nigeria to join forces in a new inter-agency offensive to stamp out cultism and sex-for-grades in education.
He noted that “The first step in the renewed effort is the National Consultative Conference of Education Leaders scheduled to hold in Abuja from 9th t0 13th December 2019 to formulate strategic action plans for combating cultism and sex-for-grade in education to be implemented under the inter-agency collaborative framework with the Federal Ministry of Education.
“Other agencies involved in supporting and facilitating the consultative conference include: Nigeria Police Force (NPF), Nigeria Television Authority (NTA), National Commission of Colleges of Education (NCCE), Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), National University Commission (NUC) and State Universal Basic Education Boards (SUBEBs). Tertiary Institutions and Education MDAs, Unions and Associations, as well as Education Committees of Federal and State Legislative Houses, are also participating.
“The December Confab is a follow-up of the first phase held in Abuja in September in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Education which identified cultism and sex-for-grade as catalysts of exam malpractice and “ticking time bombs in the belly of education” that need to be diffused before they explode and irreparably shatter the education system.”
According to him, “The matter is made worse with cult groups moving their operations beyond tertiary institutions into streets and creeks with extensive connections to alumni members in positions of power in academia, politics, business, judiciary, and public and private sector organizations who serve as godfathers, sponsors, financiers, and protectors. Most alarming is the fact that cultism is now spreading fast to primary and secondary schools.
“Sex-for-Grade has become so worrisome to stakeholders in tertiary institutions that the Sexual Harassment Prohibition Legislation Movement was convened under Exam Ethics Marshals on 1st November 2019 to petition the National Assembly for fast track action on passing the Sexual Harassment Prohibition Bill. The online petition has already been signed by 5000 people at the time of this statement. The link to the on-line petition is https://www.change.org/p/the-national-assemby-abuja-join-the-movement-petition-against-sex-for-grade-in-tertiary-schools.”
