WE NEED JUSTICE, LOVE AND PEACE FOR NIGERIA TO BE THE LAND OF OUR DREAM - A clarion call for renunciation of campus cult members

-  Being a Speech by Akin’ Okunowo, on 20th June 2012 at the Book Review Workshop for Anti-Cult Lessons in Nigeria held in Lagos State University, Ojo, Lagos, Nigeria


What are we going to do when you give a boy a gun?
Is there any place to run? There is no place to run
When he holds it in his hand, doesn’t matter if he’s wrong
He wants the chances you took from him – nothing else he wants
Before you can read the writing on the wall
Bam! Bam! Bam! Will shoot us down!

In the year 2000, I was dismissed from the University for leading a protest against school fees. I could not afford the new fees. Unlike today that the authorities dialogue more with the students; in those days, they sent police and cultists after us like the way criminals abroad are chased with CCTV cameras and intelligence. In 2001 and 2002, students who were expelled for cult activities that involved killing in the university were reinstated back to school. What a world! It was unfair because we didn’t kill anybody! We were just poor students who could not afford to pay school fees! Is that an offence?! We protested again and a meeting was organized by the governor to discuss my reinstatement back to school. A Commissioner was assigned to discuss with me.

The Commissioner said the cults work for them and there was no way they could help us fight them. He noted that we (anti-cult) criticized their government too much. He advised that we work with these cults so that their own party wins the upcoming election in 2003. He promised that the government would reinstate me back to school after the election. I was to go and think over our discussion and give him a feedback.

I was confused because that was not what I expected to hear. I wanted the Commissioner to understand that we were deliberately victimized by the school authority, but my point appeared irrelevant for our discussion. We felt the listening ears of the government would arouse sympathy in our favour and correct the injustice, but the government would not listen. After the meeting, there was nowhere else to appeal and secure a brighter future. The only choice we had was to either be on the side of the government or stand in the path of righteousness (that is, against the government). The government that was to be our last hope turned out to be the masquerade behind our nightmare. Now, in God alone we trust. If you were in my shoes, what will you do?

The danger involved in cultism is worse than what the cultists themselves could imagine. The devil enticed many of them who have great future into cultism purposely to cut their lives short and reap their souls. So, there was no way we could work for the cultists or support a government that promotes Satanism and terrorism. Campus cultism has costly consequences for the individuals involved, the parents, the educational system and the society at large. It jeopardises one’s personal welfare and physical health, resulting into waste of precious time, loss of human life, loss of money and property. Cultists inflict dehumanizing pains and sorrow on fellow human beings; they commit sins against God, disrupt examinations and academic calendar. Members of cults face expulsion and their names and photographs published in the media. They become known criminals in the society and this negatively affect their future the more. Cultism creates atmosphere of fear and high insecurity in the society, the emergence of social misfits and dropouts, the production of half-baked graduates, and insurrection against constituted authorities. Cultism is more terrible than what anybody or their group stands to benefit. We all, the society at large, including the cultists and the concerned people, have a lot to loose at the end if the menace continue to transform into more serious social problems.

Today, the politicians have learnt their bitter lessons, I assume, and there is more work to do than before. We must not let the high rate of insecurity in this country get out of hand. It is necessary that we provide counselling and rehabilitation support for our citizens; provide employment opportunities for the youths and make our education worth sacrificing for. We need mental health development programmes and encourage cultists to live better life after renouncing their membership. Career, guidance and counselling centres in our schools need to operate independently, enjoy societal support, good funding and resources to rehabilitate renounced cultists. Those who are encouraging terrorism must change; we don’t need to quarrel over calling ourselves to order as brothers (citizens) in progress. Fellow Nigerians must stand up to their duty and responsibility by engaging our youths positively and not influencing them into crime, Satanism or evil. The mindset of our youths for the future matters a lot.


Corporate organisations should stop promoting more of disco and dance, and many meaningless programmes to merely entertain the public; rather, they should promote core academic values and contribute more meaningfully into the lives of our people. They should promote human creative ventures and support lucrative ideas that will develop our youths and the society. Let the system work right so that the people will believe in it. Stop corruption at all levels because the youths can do worse than the bandits. Let your no be “no” and your yes be “yes.” Be a man of integrity and honour in position of power. Stop running government like a secret cult. Let there be punishment to correct offenders and defaulters of the law, no matter their positions and the kind of connection they have. If you televise the person that stole “magi” on Crime Fighter, televise the person that embezzled public money on Crime Fighter too. Don’t spare the rich and suffer the poor.

Another thing we should worry over is “what are we teaching the upcoming generations?” I remember yesterday when we were growing up in this country, we were taught many bad lessons. It is a shame that campus cultism has been operating for so long that the society cannot stop it. People who are discouraging campus cultism are not protected by the system, rather their lives are exposed to danger by top-top people in the society. Corruption has been the order of the day and the easiest way to make quick and fraudulent money in this country. We saw guns and bribes used by the politicians to win election. Politics is practiced as a dirty game; and your neighbour whom you could reason along with to make a difference is just a coward. People do not expect anything good from the society – they fight for their own pockets. The media also promote sex, drug and crime that consequently encourage the youths wrongly. Just imagine too many bad lessons we were taught by the society. Definitely, there is need to resolve all the wrong lessons many of us have picked so that we can correct our thinking and improve once again as a giant nation.

Our generation is resourceful and never a waste because we are begging to be engaged and it was the society that was not helpful. When the society is not engaging the youths rightly, the devil gives them attention, using the cults and other evil platforms to rule their mind and cause disaster, suffering and hardship. If the youths are given a sense of belonging in the affairs of our society, there will be better transformation in this country. The system has failed us and it appears no one else is there to promise our own children for sure that they will be the leaders of tomorrow. It’s still the same old lies in new sachets. What will they believe? Nobody believes lie any more. The sacrificial option we have is to get empowered to afford quality education for our children and a conducive atmosphere to also train them. You know those giving you guns do not train their own children in this country. They don’t even use the hospitals we use, nor suffer the hard times we are facing. It is you and I that are trained in this country, and you can imagine the future we are living today. A future where things no longer work right. Meanwhile, their own children come around to flex their muscles while you go around them like beggars, bodyguards and errand boys. Instead of leading, we are the slaves of our tomorrow. Life must not continue like this, we have to change it. Please, be prepared to make yourself better enough to convince our children that there will be a better tomorrow. Campus cultism can not convince anybody that tomorrow will be better. So, you have no other choice than to renounce now!

Do not allow yourself to become a waste commodity. Shun the deceiver and be a man. A failure is the man that falls and refuses to rise again. Rise up now and renounce cultism! Study well to improve your knowledge and skills for tomorrow. You are our hope for better days to come; so it is wise you start doing something good today. Don’t forget that whatever you do today, the younger ones are watching you, and it will form part of their knowledge and experience. If you are not acting right, definitely you are teaching them bad lessons too. If we start doing the right thing together, the thinking of everybody will change. I know people can change into better persons only if they believe they can and given the chance. A man with negative mindset can never fulfil his destiny. I believe in destiny, and I believe that everyone’s destiny lye in his own hands. All you need to do is to make the right choice in life, and before you know it, you are up there. That is how many great people we were thought about became who they were. Now that civilization has come, we can become better than they were.

You must understand that campus cultism is full of negative thinking that gives no room for you to ponder good ideas on your mind. Stop believing that because you know cultists or you are one of them makes you safe. The insecurity in a nation will not exempt anybody therein, including the perpetrators of the evil or the innocent people, since anything can happen. Moreover, most of the cultists believe things can never work for them if they renounce cult membership. Many of them feel they will die. Their colleagues whom they are afraid of are equally looking for the easiest way out. It’s like they are all in chains; in fact, they are in serious bondage. Some of them feel they have sacrificed too much for cultism and cannot renounce or change without having any gain to show for it. What gain will a man get from evil? Be wise!

Some cultists think their network will be reduced or come against them. Some have benefited in terms of connection, contracts and other opportunities that they continue to lure more people into cultism to keep their own selfish gains booming. It also makes some people most talked about in the news, and the “Senior Cultists” are always there to lie that black is white to the society. Some believe nemesis might catch up with them too quickly. Many cultists cannot just purge their conscience of the numerous negative thoughts that have grown larger than life in their mind. They have too much to worry about and be restless over. They do wish away the reality that they are practicing Satanism too; and even if it is, they want to assume not to believe in the devil. Meanwhile, they worship the bush-gods of their respective cults and bear bush-names (secret names) that associate them with the attitude of belief, dedication and devotion to serve. However, you don’t need to believe in the devil before it uses you; cultism is a platform for the anti-Christ among us, once you belong, then you’re an instrument of the devil.


No matter what the bad lessons have turned you into, if you take a wise decision today, your life will change for good. Start a new life now and set good tasks for yourselves. Change your ways; follow the path that leads to your place of honour. Today’s failure can become tomorrow’s success. It is not too late to make a better decision now. Don’t bother about those friends you keep; bother about your tomorrow and who you will become because the man you can call a friend must be a reflection of who you are. Act right and act now!

Change will make you discover good friends that will help you become what you dream to be. Renounce campus cultism now and you will be on top of your problems. If you feel it is not possible to renounce, or you are convinced that changing from bad to good will not work for you, then you have assumed that you have no destiny to fulfil. Circumstances that cultists find themselves oftentimes discourage them to change and make them wrongly believe that they can never live a better life again – a costly mistake already, eh? But one thing I know is that champions believe they will win and that is what makes them who they are. It is possible to see a man survive a serious situation and another man die in the same situation – the fundamental difference is the choice each of them makes. Perhaps, the will of man is the greatest power God gave to man. You just try it and it will work for you. That is why nothing can stand between you and what you have decided in your mind to do. If you believe you can become the messiah Nigeria need, of course, you can become just that in a matter of time. I believe it. What about you?

I advise you particularly to make a good change today and start fulfilling your destiny – and your dreams will come true; and until you finish, you got to be strong! If we come together as one, and believe in this positive change, nothing can stop us. God knows! If you think well, you will do well and get to your place of great honour. The time to transform Nigeria into the land of our dream is now. We need you; and without you, we cannot do it all. The transformation starts with every one of us changing from evil ways. Running abroad or away from challenges will not help us. The richest and most successful men in this country are living and making it in this country. We can build a better place here. If we believe it and do it together, we will achieve justice, love and peace. So, let’s do it now!

Where there is no will, there is no way! Please, put away all your sorrow, your anger, your pains and worries behind you. Join the train of change now. Remember that tough times don’t last but tough people do. You can become tougher than your fear by infusing fear into fear, fear is emptiness. Become our hero today and honourably save our motherland. Renounce campus cultism now because your future, family and nation need you. Come out of it and regain your place of honour today!

Let peace reign in Nigeria today and there will be a better tomorrow for all of us and our children, and our children’s children, and our children children’s children. God bless Nigeria, God bless Africa, and God bless the whole world and bring a lasting peace for all. Amen.