Browsing by Author "Surajo, Aminu Zubairu"

Cultism on Nigerian university campuses is a serious phenomenon. It creates a problem not only for undergraduate students and the university community, But, to the entire educational, social, economic and political structures of the country. Consequently, it is essential to conduct an empirical study on this issue in order to produce data needed to resolve the menace of cultism and violence among different rival cult groups in some Nigerian university campuses. The present study aims at examining the motivational factors to join cult groups among undergraduate students, the relationship between campus cultism and violence, the impact of campus cultism on the Nigerian educational system, as well as the role of the government in eliminating campus cultism in Nigerian universities. To ensure a complete analysis of the data, the study utilizes a qualitative methodology. This involved in-depth interviews with 20 respondents whose responses are coded into themes based on the objectives of the study. The study revealed that campus cultism among the respondents was motivated by a wide range of social, personal, economic, emotional and political factors. The findings of the study also indicated that there is a strong relationship between cultism and violence. Among the causes of cult violence include drug abuse, lack of parental training, struggle for dominance among different rival cult groups, failure of cult members to respect one another, snatching of cult members’ girlfriends and lack of tolerance among different cult members. Therefore, cultism affects the higher educational system of Nigeria in a greater proportion. The effects of the inter-cult crises includes damage done to university facilities, interruption of the planned academic calendar for the semester, suspension of social and recreational activities on campus, reduction in the number of prospective applicants into the affected universities and migration of qualified lecturers from the universities. The solutions to the problem of campus cultism include moral reorientation campaigns, public enlightenment through conferences and workshops, parental training and attachment, guidance and counselling as well as involvement of students in sporting activities. Moreover, the results of the study also disclose that the government has an important role to play in bringing a lasting solution to the problem. So, the findings of the study require a complete and multi-dimensional method to address the problem of cultism and violence on Nigerian university campuses.

Unemployment among educated youths is a serious phenomenon in Nigeria. It constitutes a problem not only for the youths themselves but to the overall social, political and economic structures of the country. Therefore, it is important to conduct an empirical investigation on this issue in order to generate data which are needed in resolving youth unemployment. The present study aimed at examining the causes and consequences of unemployment among the educated youths in Kano, Nigeria. It also examined the reasons why some of them engaged in deviant behaviours. The role of government in eradicating this problem was also investigated. To ensure a comprehensive analysis of data, the study used a qualitative method. This involved in-depth interviews with 20 respondents whose responses were coded into themes according to the objectives of the study. The study revealed that unemployment among the respondents was triggered by a wide range of demographic, economic, social, psychological and cultural factors. Depending on the youths’ psychological make-up and available resources, the findings show that unemployment had both detrimental and beneficial effects on the unemployed youths. In terms of negative outcomes, the results show that they suffered from poverty and experienced a wide range of health and psychological problems. Furthermore, some of them developed a negative outlook in life and became vulnerable to crime and deviation. However, unemployment also provided them an opportunity to be creative, resourceful and religious in order to cope with the crisis. In addition, the study also shows that despite the harsh effects of joblessness, very few were involved in deviant behaviours due to religiousity. The reasons for their involvement in crime and deviation are deprivation, frustration, feeling of rejection, lack of endurance and emotional trauma. Furthermore, the results also reveal that the government has a critical role to play in promoting the employability of educated youths. Therefore, the findings of the study call for a comprehensive and multi-dimensional approach to address the unemployment problem of this important segment of the Nigerian population.