By Ebunoluwa Sessou

LAGOS— THE Lagos State House of Assembly, yesterday, summoned some commissioners to appear before it to present actionable plans and concrete strategies aimed at curbing the rising menace of cultism, particularly among the youths in the state.

Those invited include the commissioners for Economic Planning and Budget, Youth and Sports, Education, Local Government Administration and Chieftaincy Affairs, as well as the Commissioner for Police.

This resolution was made under Matters of Urgent Public Importance, where Olayinka Kazeem expressed concerns over the growing unrest in the Mushin area often fueled by the activities of rival cult groups.

Kazeem lamented the increasing involvement of school-aged youths in cult-related violence and criminality, saying “Most of the young individuals ought to be in classrooms but have chosen to engage in destructive acts that threaten our communities.”

Supporting the motion, Ladi Ajomale, who represents a neighbouring constituency, decried the spread of cultism in secondary schools, describing the situation as “alarming and unacceptable.”

Ajomale called on the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development to initiate targeted youth engagement programmes as a means to dissuade young people from joining cult groups.

On his part, another lawmaker, Mr Stephen Ogundipe said: “This issue has evolved into a serious societal threat and requires a broad-based, collaborative effort that includes re-orienting the minds of the youth and providing them with positive alternatives.”

In his contribution, Mr Femi Saheed described the cultism challenge as a socio-cultural problem compounded by the decline in the quality of education and the absence of State policing.

In his response, the Assembly Speaker, Mr Mudashiru Obasa, stated that the issue of cultism is not peculiar to Mushin but has become widespread across the State.

Obasa said: “We must begin to look inward, revisit the laws, and expand the scope of intervention. Sports and creative engagements must be intensified.

“Local governments must also rise to the occasion by deploying security personnel to strategic locations and initiating rehabilitation for errant youths.”