A former student union activist and a renowned educationist, Professor B.K. Ijomah has stated that cultism thrives in our universities because academic work has ceased to be demanding on the students.
In a paper titled, "The Role of Student Unions in University Governance" presented recently in Abuja, the university don said the population explosion of students in the face of dwindling resources also means that institutions are unable to recruit enough staff to ensure adequate supervision of students in order to foster the expected close relationship between the staff and the students.
Prof. Ijomah posited that understaffing in the universities means that the recommended staff/student ratio cannot be achieved, a situation which he said further exacerbates the situation.
According to him, recent exercises in all universities show that a large number of students were not qualified to gain admission into universities.
"My study of students' unrest shows a high correlation between poor academic performance and inducement in students' crisis. In the case of one of the universities, peace returned to the campus only when those who gained admission through dubious means and those who were not qualified were expelled.
It is necessary to bear this fact in mind because those who are most active in students' politics are generally the weak students," he said.
Prof. Ijomah pointed out that before 1980s, those involved in student unionism included some of the finest students but regretted that the reverse was the case now that being a member of the cult group has become a requirement of any aspirant to the leadership of student union government.
He regretted that those who were involved in university governance are radicalised students who see themselves as mere watchdogs of students' rights and privileges.
"At best, students union should be seen as pressure groups, which it is, to articulate the needs of students and to press for implementation of whatever promises university management might make to the students.
The good of students union is not to govern the university. It is principally to cater for the welfare of students in auxiliary capacity to the university," he said.
He described as unfortunate, the idea of students taking the vice-chancellors hostage, adding, "That many student governments have taken advantage of this situation to dictate to the university authority when examinations could commence, when students should pay fees and how much they should be paid.
The don posited that only students with grades above average be allowed to participate in student unionism.