Nigeria stands at a critical crossroads. Over half its population is young—the continent’s greatest demographic asset. Yet cultism and drug abuse threaten this strength, eroding morals, destabilizing communities, and snuffing out bright futures.
We must confront this with courage and urgency.
“When a nation loses its youth to cults and drugs, it mortgages its future to fear and regret.”
The Rising Tide of Cultism
Once limited to universities, cultism now infiltrates secondary schools and streets. What started as ideological confraternities has morphed into violent gangs fueled by rivalry, intimidation, and crime.
Youths join for false promises: protection, money, status, and belonging. Curiosity or peer pressure blinds them to brutal initiations and lifelong chains.
Cultism’s dangers ripple outward:
- Violence and Bloodshed: Rival clashes kill and maim.
- Academic Ruin: Involved students face expulsion and wasted potential.
- Community Insecurity: Cults drive robbery, kidnapping, and election thuggery.
- Psychological Trauma: Members and victims bear lasting scars.
“Cultism doesn’t empower youth—it enslaves them to violence and fear.”
Campuses turn from learning halls to battlegrounds, robbing society of its promise.
Drug Abuse: A Silent Epidemic
Drug misuse surges in parallel—cannabis, tramadol, codeine syrups, and narcotics abused for thrills. Unemployment, depression, peer pressure, broken homes, and poverty drive this escape.
Temporary highs hide devastation:
- Health Damage: Addiction ravages brain, heart, and organs.
- Mental Disorders: Anxiety, paranoia, psychosis follow.
- Crime Surge: Theft, fraud, violence fund habits.
- Family Collapse: Emotional and financial ruin.
- Lost Productivity: A doped generation stalls national growth.
“Drugs promise escape but deliver imprisonment—of body, mind, and destiny.”
The Deadly Nexus
Cultism and drugs feed each other. Gatherings use substances to steel nerves; drugs aid initiations and attacks. Cults often traffic narcotics, amplifying insecurity and decay.
“Where drugs cloud the mind, violence finds a home.”
Root Causes of Vulnerability
Condemnation alone fails. Address these drivers:
- Unemployment and poverty breed desperation.
- Weak parenting leaves gaps.
- Peer pressure trumps judgment.
- Moral decay prizes quick riches over integrity.
- Lax enforcement invites boldness.
- Scarce counseling starves support.
“An idle mind is vulnerable, but an empowered youth is unstoppable.”
The Way Forward: Collective Action
No single fix—demand a national push.
- Strengthen Families: Parents, monitor friends, moods, behaviors.
- Reform Education: Revive morals classes; build counseling units.
- Boost Economy: Create jobs, fund startups, teach skills.
- Enforce Laws: Security must act decisively.
- Engage Communities: Leaders, faiths, groups—campaign and mentor.
“Nigeria’s future won’t be won in cults or dens, but in homes, classrooms, and honest work.”
A Call to Action
We can’t lose our youth to self-destruction. Each victim is a deferred dream, a lost leader.
Guide and empower them with urgency and compassion.
“Protect our youth today; they’ll protect the nation tomorrow.”
The time is now.
Umoru Abdulkadir Ileonikhena writes from Edo State
