82 Yr Old Prof. “Awe” Reveals How Him &
Prof. Wole Soyinka Set Up Pyrates
Confraternity



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 s*x) 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.
Interview with Elife
culled from elife


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[quote author=Feranmicharles

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