ABSTRACT

This study was aimed at assessing the effectiveness of Akwa Ibom State polytechnic billboard campaign against cultism in Akwa Ibom State polytechnic, Ikot Osurua, Ikot Ekpene. The study made used of survey research design. The sample size for the study was 350 and simple random sampling was used to administer the questionnaire to the respondents. The findings of the study revealed that; Students are aware of the cultism activities though the billboard erected in campus, the extent to which  billboard erected in strategic location in the campus enlighten the students on the effect of cultism is large extent, extent to which school management employ the use  of billboard in campaign against cultism in moderate  and billboard advert campaigns effect the students of Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic in the following ways; Reduction in the proliferation of cultism in the campus, initiate fear in the students who are cult members thereby preventing public display and discourages the new students on joining cultism. It is recommended that the school management should increase the billboard campaign against cultism in order to increase effectiveness on the students.

TABLE OF CONTENT

Title page             –         –         –         –         –         –         –         i

Certification         –         –         –         –         –         –         –         ii

Dedication           –         –         –         –         –         –         –         iii

Acknowledgement       –         –         –         –         –         –         iv

Table of contents           –         –         –         –         –         –         v-vii

List of tables        –         –         –         –         –         –         –         viii

Abstract      –         –         –         –         –         –         –         –         ix

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1     Background of the study        –         –         –         –         1-6

1.2     Statement of the problem       –         –         –         –         6-7

1.3     Objectives of the study           –         –         –         –         7-8

1.4     Research questions       –         –         –         –         –         8-9

1.5     Scope of the study-       –         –         –         –         –         9

1.6     Significance of the study        –         –         –         –         10

1.7     Limitation of the study          –         –         –         –         –         10-11

1.8     Definition of terms       –         –         –         –         –         11-12

CHAPTER TWO

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

2.1     Concept of Billboard Campaign or Advertising         –         13-14

2.1.1  Types of Billboards       –         –         –         –         –         –         14-17

2.1.2  History of Billboard      –         –         –         –         –         –         17-19

2.2     Origin of cultism in tertiary institutions            –         –         19-22

2.3     Effect of cultism –         –         –         –         –         –         –         22-25

2.4     Possible solution of cultism   –         –         –         –         –         25-27

2.5     Factors that attracts the public to billboard Advert –            27-32

2.6     Strength and weakness of billboard         –         –         –         33-36

2.7     Benefits of using Billboards instead of other media –           37-38

2.8     A brief history of Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic         –         38-39

2.9     Theoretical framework –         –         –         –         –         –         40

CHAPTER THREE      

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3.1     Research Design –         –         –         –         –         –         –         41

3.2     Population of the study          –         –         –         –         –         41

3.3     Sample and sampling procedure    –         –         –         –         42

3.4     Instrumentation  –         –         –         –         –         –         –         43-44

3.5     Validity and Reliability of instrument      –         –         –         44-45

3.6     Method of data Analysis        –         –         –         –         –         45

CHAPTER FOUR        

DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS

4.1     Data presentation and Analysis      –         –         –         –         46-53

4.2     Discussion of findings –         –         –         –         –         –         53-56

CHAPTER FIVE

SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

5.1     Summary   –         –         –         –         –         –         –         –         57-58

5.2     Conclusion           –         –         –         –         –         –         –         58

5.3     Recommendations        –         –         –         –         –         –         59

References

Appendix

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1: Distribution of Respondent by Gender          –         –         46

Table 2: Age Distribution of Respondents         –         –         –         47

Table 3: Responses on the awareness on the awareness

of cultism activities in Akwa Ibom State polytechnic through billboard erected –         –         48

Table 4: Responses on the extent of enlightenment of billboard

on the effects of cultism erected  in strategic

location in the campus –         –         –         –         –         –         –         49

Table 5: Responses on the extent to which school

management employ the use of billboard in campaign

against cultism    –         –         –         –         –         –         –         –         50

Table 6: Responses on the effect of billboard advert

against cultism on students of Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic       51

 CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1     Background of the Study

Cultism is dated back 1952, when Wole Soyinka winner of the 1986 Nobel Peace prize for Literature and a group friends at the university of Ibadan formed the pyrates confraternity with the motto “Against all conventions”. The skill and cross bones were their insignia, cultivating abehemian style that ridiculed the colonial attitudes mode of dress of the day.

This caught on among students and over the next two decades, the fraternity, a non-violent body became established in all the tertiary institutions that emerged in post-Independence Nigeria. The emergence of campus cults as they are known in Nigeria today began with a split to the pyrates confraternity during the early 1970s when a break-way group formed the Buccaneers confraternity followed by the emergence of the Black axe or the Neo-Black movement inter-group rivalry then self in, even though skirmishes between them were limited to first fights. The 1980s saw the multiplication of cults in the more than 300 tertiary institutions across Nigeria as new groups such as the Eiye, Vikings, Amazon and Jezebel emerged bringing with them more intensely violent rivalry by 1984. When Soyinka initiated the abolition of the pyrates confraternity in all tertiary institutions, the phenomenon of violent had developed a life of its own. By the mid. 1980s, report had it that some of the cults have been co-operated by elements of the intelligence and security service serving the military government such that they were used as foils to the left wing students unions which along with university teachers were among to only remaining bastions of opposition to military rule. Cultism includes the activities of secret cults or societies that are very rampant in our institutions of learning today. The founding fathers of such societies do not have the mind of carrying out evils but as a pressure group that can monitor and defend the interest of the immorality of students’ populace without violence but the activities of the various cults seen day in our institutions are far from the above reasons. They have constituted themselves into gangs of “never do well” self of people. Their mission today is to loot, kill, steal and destroy lives and properties at will. The violence associated with them is reported to be as a result of battles for supremacy among them. They have a constituted themselves into a big log in the wheel of Nigeria’s education development. Indeed, the growth and maturation of examination malpractice tendencies in our tertiary institutions have been considered as one of the direct fallouts of cultism hardly a month passes these days without reports of deaths of students or staff resulting from cult related violence.

This has not only created an atmosphere of insecurity in our campuses, it is also diverting attention from the primary purpose of the universities which is education.at a time when  funding of these institutions are inadequate, and the standard of education is said to be falling, cultism and examination malpractice tendencies are clearly a big problem for the concerned authorities. Tawo (2004) declared that “What we are all witnessing today in the education sector is a sad reflection of corruption in the society and the low priority placed on standardization and improvement of the intellectual custodians of our time by those in governance. This is against the fact that members of these cults are from rich homes and are never serious with their studies, thus prompting their venturing into examination malpractices. Whenever they fall their courses, they react violently through their cult members against the teachers in charge of their failed courses.

They operate at night and conduct initiation of new members at down in these institutions coming out with dangerous weapons at the middle of the nights when students who are ignorant of their activities fall victim. The recent arrest of some students who were believed to be cult members at Esa-Oke Federal Technical College serves as typical case in points. The fire of cult terrorism on the campuses which raged on for about one year after the half heated spray of cult antidote by the federal Government in 1999 has steadily intensified and burst into flames once more. In the first two weeks of August 2004, 33 students of three universities were brutally murdered in cultic butcheries suspected to have been perpetuated by cult members among students of tertiary institutions.

To this end, the research seeks to examine the effectiveness of billboard advertising campaign on campus cultism among student of Akwa Ibom State Polytechnics.

1.2     Statement of the Problem

Cultism an anti-social practice peculiar among particular group of people, has remained a worrisome phenomenon in most tertiary institutions across the globe. Studies have shown that series of crises often experienced in most high institutions across the states of the federation have always been caused by different cult groups inspire of the fact that federal government have promulgated different forms of laws against cultism, illegal behaviours such as rape, vandalism, infliction of injuries, killing of non-cultism members, armed robber among other offences members often associated in most tertiary institution are still rampant.

In 2010 records have it those three students of Akwa Ibom State polytechnic Ikot Osurua were killed following a reprisal attack for the killing of a viral non-cultist inside the examination hall. However between 2010 till date, there has been no serious case of cult related issue in the institution. It is not known what brought the issue to an end. The intention of this project is to assess the effectiveness of billboard advertising campaign against cultism in Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic.

1.3     Objectives of the Study  

1. To find out if students are aware of cultism activities in Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic.
2. To find out whether billboards erected in some strategic locations on campus have educated and enlightened students on the effect of cultism.
3. To find out the benefits of billboards campaign against cultism on student of Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic.
4. To know if billboard advertising campaign against cultism has prevented students from joining cult groups.

1.4     Research Questions

1. Are students aware of cultism activities in Akwa Ibom Polytechnic through billboard erected?
2. To what extent do billboards erected in some strategic locations on campus educated and enlighten student on the effects of cultism?
3. What are the effects of billboard advert campaign against cultism on students of Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic.
4. Has billboard advertising campaign against cultism prevent student from joining cult groups.

1.5     Scope of the Study

The research directed on effectiveness of billboard advert campaign on campus cultism among students of Akwa Ibom state Polytechnic. The institutions which is comprises of five major schools of study which are; School of Applied Science, School of Communication Art, School of Engineering, School of Environmental and School of Business. The researcher decided to work on these five schools to achieve a wider area and detailed pieces of information for the study.

1.6     Significance of the Study

The research will help to excavate the evolution and the remote causes of cultism on campuses and proffer an enduring solution to it.

It will awaken the management of institutions on how use mass media and public relations to curb cultism.

Students will also benefits from this work, by knowing how to resist joining cultism.

Public relations department will know how to carry out their duties to curb cultism on campus.

1.7     Limitations of the Study

It is not an overstatement that a work of this nature cannot be carried out without some hard experience however below are some of the constrains of this work.

Demand for money by some respondents; but was over come through adequate explanations, that the study was specifically an academic requirement.

Delays on the path of respondents to respond to questions on the questionnaire, was over come through exercising of patience so as to achieve my priorities.

Financial constraint but was overcome by sourcing for fund in all possible way considering the  importance of the study

1.8     Definition of Terms

1. Billboard Advert: These are various billboard erected on campus of Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic, Iree with the view to educate and enlighten students shun cultism and violence.
2. Campus Cultism: These are group of secret people creating some socio-vises on campus such as Eiye, Vikings, Amazons and Jezebel, Alora etc.
3. Tertiary Institution: it is synomous to college of higher learning or school for advancement of knowledge such as university, polytechnic, college of education etc.
4. Billboards: This is a large outdoor advertising structure, typically found in high traffic such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertisement to passing pedestrians and divers. Typically showing large ostensible witty slogan and distinctive visuals.
5. Advertising: It is a mean of communication whose purpose is to influence potential customer about product and services, slogans and distinctive visuals.