“Whether or not she wants me, I will have her.”
“By the time she fails my course and two others, she will give in, an extra session will make her succumb, I will show her.”
“It is either they buy my handout or they fail.”
“I will get the class captain to give me a list of those that bought. Woe betide those who do not buy”.
“As far as this school is concerned, I am the Chief executive. No court can order me to reinstate any student. I have to discipline these students. The court has had its say, I will have my way has Vice-Chancellor.”
Of course, those thoughts are from imaginary people within the educational environment who wield considerable authority over students. They may or may not be words spoken to another. It is instructive however, to note they clearly show the state of mind of the three different people involved — a randy lecturer, an avaricious lecturer and a high handed Vice-Chancellor or rector or provost. One three runs through the three scenarios.
FRUSTRATION: the three student reaffirmed to in the three scenarios are frustrated.
Government itself is frustrated, we are all in an impossible situation.An atmosphere of frustration has made fraternities to thrive, with it, avoidable violence, carnage and insecurity. Academics have taken the back seat. A dog eat dog situation has this been engendered. A sorry star indeed. Lest us face it: a female student has been put in the hands of a randy lecturer. He can and may cause the students’s academic career to suffer. He may even go further to pass the word around his fellow lecturers. Of course, lecture sets have their own fraternity, no matter how informal it may be; it is known to be formidable.
Not too long ago, the universities in Lagos, Ife, Port-Harcourt and Ibadan were all rocked by scandals of this nature. The polytechnics are worse. Sex has somewhat been legitimized as a form of bargain: you give me, I favor you. A girl of easy virtue is bound to give in sooner or later. Would you blame her? The cost of keeping her in school is taking a toll on her father, who just got retrenched. In fact, the girl actually persuaded herself to play ball. That is because she has no choice. What about Ada who has a choice? A cast iron will power, a protective boy who is in any case in a fraternity? Such a lecturer, if ignorant of Ada’s connections will persist with his nefarious deeds. In the events that he is privy to Ada’s clout, not only will he look for another idea, he will quickly look for a way to ingratiate himself to Ada. It is situations like that that continuously compel students to flick to fraternities. Assume for a moment that Ada’s boyfriend is not even a fraternal brother; his ordeal is enough to push him into a fold of a fraternity to protect his love, more so if he loves Ada genuinely. Fraternities have come to give students, right or wrong, a sense of security. A feeling of protection from the many frustrations of campus life.
Investigations also prove that lecturers get friendly with fraternity members. This friendliness, it is believed, get both parties beautiful bed mates, good grades, cash and other presents. Some of these lecturers might have been members in their undergraduate days or may just be cronies of the fraternal members. This symbiotic situation cannot therefore be whipped out overnight. At best it may only be limited. Lecturers who persist in the exploitation of students have been warned time and time again by these fraternities. It went beyond warning at the University of Nigeria , Nsukka and Delta State University, Abraka. At the end of the day, lecturers had their belongings burnt and threats of a more devastating effect issued. Till date, the police have done little in getting their culprits to book.
The bond of love existing among cult members is extremely close. So much so that even at a point of death, they may refuse to divulge the names of their members. Threats of violence expulsion themes levels have done little to open their mouths. This is because a member who lets out information is ostracized and eventually expelled from the group. Expulsion is not without reprisals. Severe ones. One mode is to get the member very drunk, beaten to a pulp and then abandoned in front of the female hostel, NAKED! By the time the student comes to the point where the humiliation is too much, he abandons his career and transfers to another school. On getting there, the local mannered respect the process all over again. Except such a person is of privilege percentage or status, he cannot go abroad to finish his studies. For this reason, members ratepayers break the bond of silence. The Mafia call it OMARTA!
On the other hand, by keeping faith, he gets something in return. If he graduates (the normal case), he is surrounded by a network of contacts which he can tap and benefit from. Those are go graduates earlier are in a position to help him get a job, a visa or even harbour him in their house until he gets a job. There are indications that the Buccaneers have initiated a scholarship scheme to help deserving members, Pyrates, for over two decades have floated their ‘anchor points’ which serve as a solidarity rallying point for members nationwide. Today, the Axe-Men, some of whose members have made good in ‘deals’ assist their ‘brothers’. In the event that one of the members gets into trouble with the school authorities, Menderes rally round him. He gets legal representation and heads for the courts. Most of the time, incriminating evidence against the student is either tampered with or as in most, the case evidence does not go far enough. The police is empowered by law to deal with criminal matters not the school authorities so the matter is handed over to the police who often times succumb to the lure of intimidation and/or bribery and ‘419’ money is readily on hand.
Vice-Chancellors and Rectors know this, but they can do nothing. If they expel before the police successfully prosecutes, they act ultra vires, i.e, beyond their powers. If they decide to await the outcome of the police case, many years will go by, and in which the student graduates. Over the years, a myth has grown that only rich students are members. This is not entirely true, as students of humble percentage belong, but in times of trouble, a lot of money is raised by all members thus giving the humble student considerable financial muscle. If the court decides to reinstate the student, instead of complying with the court order, some vice-chancellors refuse. As a way of compelling compliance, members issue threats or violence is unleashed. Sooner or later, the VC complies. Not too long ago in Edo State, this scene played itself out at Ekpoma. Money was hardly used since seven lawyers (graduate fraternity members) defended the student free of charge. It was even alleged that the prosecution did a poor job of the case because a high ranking member of the police was interested in the case. It is a matter of speculation if the top police officer is a member.
On more campuses, Rectors and Vice-Chancellors seek to control all student organization; student union government, social clubs, voluntary organizations, cultural unions, religious bodies, etc. This is done by installing stooge presidents and executive members. Hostile student governments are dissolved and compromising caretaker committees installed. Thus, the will of majority of the students are subverted. It is to the pride of fraternities that the authorities cannot penetrate their organization, much less install stooges. If anything, it is the fraternities that have penetrated the network of the student union, school authorities and government as a result of the activities of their innumerable and faceless graduate members.
The consensus is that no personal authority can influence activities of these fraternities only a force that is part of it, the members themselves, graduate members or the local heads of the school’s fraternity. It is therefore clear that frustration is the main cause of the existence of these fraternities. How then can they be eliminated without first of all eliminating frustration in all facets of campus life? To do otherwise, is to persist in idle talk. We cannot isolate these issues. When in 1952, Wole Soyinka founded the pyrates confraternity, he had at the back of his mind, the acute frustration then prevalent on campus. When the buccaneers in 1972 decided to break off the pyrates, again, it was frustration that led them to it. Pyrates, as it is said became a bully, thus, losing sight of their laudable goals. Investigation reveals that the frustration of students who sought to join the Buccaneers and the Pyrates led them into forming other relatively less known fraternities. If government can tackle the frustrating state of our campuses then, the social precondition for the existence of these groups, that is, their very foundation will have been shaken.
In his days at university of Ibadan, Wole Soyinka was frustrated. He left with a poor grade owing largely to frustration by lecturers and the authorities. He took a trip to England, Leeds University, where he took a very good degree for his worth to be proved. He repeated his bachelors. Even then, Nigeria gave him no award or recognition (in spite of his numerous seminal works) until he won the Nobel prize in Literature. Only then did IBB hastily gave him an overdue national award. There are so many Wole Soyinkas in the system whose frustration has gone unredressed. Such people flock to fraternities as a way of having their own back in the society. Sociologists acknowledge worldwide, the influence of peer groups on socialization of individual behaviour. Like minded fellows tend attract, rather than repel, add to the intelligence.
Of the group and its penchant for anonymity, then their influence on campuses gets enormous. It is true that today, these fraternities have run amok. The awe, charisma, and intelligence of the pyrates and buccaneers of yester-years is steadily being eroded by the brute force and bravado of today’s monster fraternities. Gone are the days of diplomacy. What we have today are mostly students with criminal instincts, little brains and a shocking fond for carnage and sadism. There is a longing on campuses today, for a return to what comparatively, can be nostalgically said to be the good old days of avoidance rather than confrontation. As criminologists say, society creates the crime, the criminal merely commits it. Today’s cult members have gone amok, they missed the whole point. Other reasons also account for the rather disturbing cases of criminality masquerading as cultism. Truth be told, some students have no business being on campus. They are not intellectual materials. However, Nigeria’s over reliance on paper qualification (certificate) compels them to join the bandwagon. University is about producing high-level manpower and polytechnics, middle level manpower. It is ironic that in Nigeria, the craze for paper qualification forces sub-standard material to graduate by all means possible- fair or foul. In any sane society, one need not be a graduate to be actualized or even to attain recognition or success in life. There is for example, sports, music and other vocations that should interest youths. It is in this light that we welcome Post- Jamb examinations to help sift grain from the chaff.
The herd instinct also encourages cultism as there is the inmate human psychological need to associate and socialize with others. This feeling of strength in numbers and the accompanying high feeling of glamour associated with cultism encourages people to join. What is more, fear or threats is also used to coerce membership. Misguided youths believe they are above the law. This feeling of invincibility is further re-enforced by the notoriously slow pace of our criminal justice system. Corruption of police and the judiciary has further helped many to escape justice for good, it is only in Nigeria that a victim or victim’s family is expected to pay bribes to get the system to work. Against a rich suspect who can pull strings, justice will forever be denied as in any case, the law is an ass. A tool employed by the haves to suppress the poor.
Some school authorities and even the government officials shield the cultists from justice. Some thugs used to rig elections are actually cultists, one of the most controversial Southern Governors who is very dark is rumoured to be a cultist and his rich state’s resources is used to support fellow members (contracts) who are not even from his state. How then can the Anti- cultism bill work if there is no political will to enforce same?
The authorities must do a re-think and improve student welfare by all means possible-feeding, accommodation, and recreation must be improved. It is in this regard that the efforts of the Uniben Vice- Chancellor, Prof. Emma Nwanze must be commended as he has embarked on improved accommodation for students whilst encouraging cultists to renounce membership and all will be forgiven, no question asked.
This exit and safety valve must be reciprocated by students. No need to act macho as there is no loss of face. It is true that Sec. 40 of the 1999 constitution guarantees freedom of association, but not when it borders on criminality as one man’s right begins where another’s ends. It is live and let live.
Before the 1980’s, Pyrates, Buccaneers and Palmwine Drinkers Club reigned supreme. Palmwine drinkers were seen more or less as jokers who even allowed ladies into their fold. The Pyrates of yesteryears are like harmless boys scouts compared to their counterparts in other cults on campuses today. Buccaneers broke off from the Pyrates and the Black Axe came along much later.
Attempts by newer groups to recreate their own template led to these orgy of violence. Proliferation of groups led to indiscriminate recruitment of members and standards dropped. It used to be that the best brains dominated fraternities of then, it is difficult to say today as most saner members have left on their own, especially graduate members.
But cultism can only be managed to remove the violence content. The groups (like all student groups) should be registered and their officials (graduate and undergraduate) known. They should be monitored and allowed to meet on separate days and venues. They should have staff advisers as good can come out of them if their energy is properly re-channeled. Any group that refuses to register must then be proscribed. Voices of dissent cannot be suppressed forever. As Shakespeare said “rather an uproar in the market square, then a murmur in the cellar”. Empty threats of banning them these decades have only succeeded in driving them underground. The strategy of containment has got to change. If the Military could not destroy them, why expect the civilian to do better.
Reported by Sule Abdulahi, Boma Clarke, Jean Okorie and Obiageli Okafor.
