The Vice Chancellor of the Lagos
State University, LASU, Professor John Obafunwa, has heaped the major
blame for the prevalence of cult activities on Nigerian campuses on
politicians.
Obafunwa, who spoke as guest
lecturer at the 40th anniversary celebration of the Epe Club in Lagos,
western Nigeria, said cultism and its activities on campuses have
persisted because politicians have continued to use members of the
groups to execute political activities.
According to him, the politicians arm and “use them, dump them and go for them again” whenever the need arises.
He disclosed that cultism now transcends Nigeria’s tertiary institutions as it is now more of street gangsterism.
Obafunwa urged students to desist from cult activities.
He also pleaded with students and
youths across the nation to stop demanding for money from politicians
and instead concentrate on asking them questions on accountability and
holding them responsible where possible as this would make them sit up.
He told the guests, mostly made up
of students from different tertiary institutions, that the state
government was planning to re-introduce the pre-degree science students
programme in Epe area of the state as well as securing approved
assessment for the Agriculture programme of the institution.
He told students to also study
different vocations jand advised prospective students of higher
institutions to be careful when choosing courses of study as some
courses would make them perpetual job seekers.
“We need to be careful when choosing
careers. The class of people who make the money are not those who have
white collar jobs, but the artisans.
“In the medical school at Ikeja, I
have two students who make clothes. One of them recently produced a pant
trouser for me and I was happy to pay. He now has a clothing line and I
know he may not practise as a doctor when he graduates.
“Does it make sense to go to the
institution to study Business Administration? What business are you
managing? Public Administration and Psychology?
“Does it make sense only to go to school and depend on government for employment?
“If you are going to school just for
the certificate, then fine. But you have to think of a course that
would make you independent of government,” he advised.
He appealed
the government to come to the aid of Epe people concerning electricity
as, according to him, power remains the bane of development in the area.
Before presenting cheques of N25,000
each to 53 students of tertiary institutions who are from Epe, the
President of Epe Club and former Commissioner in Lagos, Chief Lanre
Razak, described the club as one aimed at unifying the Epe people and
bringing peace to the community.
Some of the beneficiaries thanked the club and promised to carry on with humanitarian activities in the future.
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