Photo Of Proof: Soyinka & I Were Cultists, We Created Pyrates Confraternity’ – 82 yr old Prof. Awe reveals
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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