The Pyrates Confraternity, which later metamorphosed into cultism in
universities was founded by seven prominent Nigerians back in
their days as undergraduate students at the University of Ibadan in
1953. It was the brain child of Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, who
got 6 of his friends - Nat Oyelola, Sylvanus Egbuche, Pius Olehi, AIG
Imokhuede, Ralph Okwara and Prof. Bolanle Awe, involved. Prof. Awe, who
is now a pastor at Fullness of
Christ Evangelical Ministry (FOCEM) in Ibadan explains how it all
started...
The idea was conceived by Wole himself, at least I know he was the one
who talked to me. I don’t know who spoke to the other five members but
we actually assembled at Teeder Hall, the second hall to be completed
after Melamby. We assembled in the basement and just made merry in the
evening. We were just out to be different and I saw it to be fun. None
of us envisaged that we were laying the foundation of a virulent cult in
that 1953/54 session, though the association insisted that it was in
1952 hence they celebrated their 50 years in 2002. At that basement we
had something to drink, nothing potent, we went around the campus in
unusual ways, we were well known and there was nothing like secret oath,
nothing spiritual about it all.
You earlier said people doubted your new life because of what you have dipped your hands into. What were these things?
I am one of those who founded Pyrates Confraternity (PC) and I am one of
those who maintained that though PC which transformed to National
Association of Seadogs (NAS) truly dissociated itself from PC on
campuses, it can not really separate itself from it. This was the basis
of the attack of Prof. Wole Soyinka on me at their 50th anniversary
where he gave an 18-page lecture, where substantial part of it was an
attack on me and my ministry. That only showed me that his camp noted
that someone has left them. In fact, I have just finished writing a
reply to him on that.
My attitude is that whatever we may say today, it was the idea of PC
that gave rise to these virulent cults. Even though we were not violent
when we started it and we didn’t call it cult, but the cult culture
began after when we started. Today, they still recognise we the founders
as the Magnificent 7! The NAS does not want to agree with that. Though
they decreed that no PC should not exist on campuses, but we all know
that they still do. The fact is if they say they have no link to the
ones on the campuses, I’ll be prepared to accept that but to say they
don’t exist on campuses, I disagreed and we parted ways on that.
At the time you started, what was the criteria used to recruit members
It was solely based on friendship. My own interpretation was that at the
appropriate time, Satan hijacked what we started since we didn't know
where we were going.
What were the creed of the association?
I wrote it somewhere I can not locate now. I think they were to abolish
convention, revive the age of chivalry (where you show deference to the
weaker sex) etc. In any case I can’t remember anything that we did to
promote those creeds. The motto was; Orders Is Orders. Also, Wole did not stay long enough because he
left a year after for Leeds, because he wanted to study English honours
which was not available as a course in Ibadan then. I think Ralph Opara
took over from him as the head. But I stayed till 1956 when I left for
Britain. Three of us Wole, me and Pius Olehie, who formed the PC, were
from the same class in Government College, Ibadan while Ralph Opara was a
year before us.
So when would you say Pyrates Confraternity became virulent?
I think by the 1980s. The thing is that at the beginning, there was only
PC and so many people struggled to be a member because it was a
prestigious thing. When I returned from Britain, some students who
wanted to become members needed a lecturer to sponsor their membership,
those who came to me got my nod.
Up till about 1972, PC was the only association, but when there was
schism over one of them who violated the law and he was not ready to
subject himself to discipline, he left and started a rival organisation
and that was how the Buccaneers Confraternity started. About the same
time, Eye Confraternity started. You must not also forget that violence
was become rife in the society. This began in Ibadan with Operation
Wetie around 1964/ 65. Things became intolerable until the coup in 1967.
Violence became the order of the day and it crept into PC by the time, I
had become disenchanted with the club and was ready to leave. Some of
the PC members had their vision beclouded by violence and the old PC
decided to form National Association of Seadogs and went ahead to
register it at the Corporate Affairs. They said PC should no longer
exist on campuses but there is a difference between saying and
establishing it.
So the whole thing between Wole and I was the inability to establish
what they proposed, and so other groups began to spring up in various
universities using the name Pyrates Confraternity because nobody has any
right on the name. This is the problem between Wole and I.
At what point did you renounce your membership?
I must say that I did not officially renounce until I became a
Christian. I kept being less and less active because I kept seeing it as
an activity for children and younger people. But when I became
born-again and established this ministry, I consciously went to God and
confess that we were the people who started this thing, which has become
something we did not envisage. I asked Him to forgive me and forgive
the rest of us and I confessed on behalf of others too. That is the only
time I’ll say I renounced it. It was a private thing.
Have you done that publicly?
No, I have not bothered but I’ve told all who are concerned that I’m no
longer one of them. At any public opportunity, I always say it and they
know that I am no longer one of them. If Wole could take the trouble to
attack me in an 18-page report, then I know it has registered that I am
no longer one of them.
Did they make any effort to ask you why you were leaving?
No, we did not bond ourselves to be members forever. I think when they
found out that I stopped turning up for their meetings that must have
convinced them that I was no longer interested. But I didn’t make any
statement concerning them until I started this ministry and got involved
in the University as chairman of Anti-cultism Campaign Committee.
Did you take the cultism to a higher level like joining the Ogboni, as people believe it happens?
As I said, I was only active in it between 1953 and 1957after which I
left for Britain. When I came back in 1960, I was on the staff of the
University and was just an adviser to them. I didn’t know what they did
at their services (meetings) I didn’t know when the oath taking, etc
started or if it was actually done. However, I know it is done today.
This is what the Seadogs pretend not to know.
Have you spoken about Christ to Wole Soyinka?
I have not but I will certainly welcome the opportunity. The only
problem I envisage is that unless God softens Wole’s heart, it might be
difficult to speak with him on Christ....
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