An Investigation into the Causes, Effects and Solutions to Cultism in Tertiary Institutions in Southwest, Nigeria
Abdu-Raheem Bilqees Olayinka Ph. D

Abstract
This study investigated the causes, effects and solutions to cultism in tertiary institutions in Southwest, Nigeria. The study adopted descriptive research design of the survey type. The population consisted of all lecturers in universities in Southwest Nigeria. The sample conprised of 500 lecturers selected from 10 universities including Federal, state and private owned using multistage sampling procedure. Simple random sampling technique was adopted to select two federal, three states and five private universities. Simple random sampling was also used to select fifty lecturers from each university sampled to make a total of 500 lecturers selected from ten universities. The instrument used for the study was a questionnaire titled Causes, Effects and Solutions to Cultism in Tertiary Institutions Questionnaire(CESCTIQ). The validity of the instrument was established through face and content validity while the reliability of the instrument was determined using Cronbach Alpha and a reliability co-efficient of 0.77 was obtained. The data collected were analyzed using mean and percentage statistical tools. It was found in the study that the major causes of cultism are collapse of family, inadequate care of children, peer influence, ignorance, indiscipline and boosting of ego of cult members. It was also confirmed in the study that effects of cultism are poor academic performance, suspension and expulsion of cult members, and loss of innocent lives of students and staff in the universities. It was therefore recommendedthat parents should avoid divorce to give adequate care to their children. Children should obey theparents and keep away from bad groups. Government should improve the quality of education.

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