Contrary to speculations making
the rounds that the first African Noble laureate and writer Prof. Wole Soyinka
was the founder of cultism in Nigerian universities and other institutions of
higher learning, the cerebral thinker poet in a chat with newsmen explained
that such insinuation is false, unfounded and baseless...
He told journalists in an
interview that he founded anti-corruption and justice-seeking student
organization and a cult group. The Ogun state born writer equally added that as
a global citizen, he sometimes felt like denying my identity due to the
plethora of corruption in Nigeria.
Read excerpt from the interview
Your
are widely considered as the godfather of cultism in Nigeria because of your
role as co-founder of Pyrates Confraternity in your days a student of the
University College, Ibadan…
Soyinka: (Cuts in) Because those who
say that are willfully ignorant. Everybody knows that fraternities are a normal
culture in all colleges. It exists in all colleges. President Clinton was a
member of a fraternity. In fact, anybody who goes to College in the United
States is a member of a College fraternity. There is absolutely nothing evil or
occultic about fraternity.
But here, the media is largely
responsible for fuelling the ignorance of society of the word cultism and
fraternity. This is a disservice and I have said it again and again. There are
evil cults, whose members must prove themselves by going to rape. There are
others whose entry test is to slash or beat somebody or rob, it has nothing to
do with College fraternity. The media owes the responsibility to constantly
tell the public the truth. But they go on and children grow up believing that
college fraternity is Satanic, demonic, and this is wrong.
I was on the Disciplinary
Committee in University of Ife. It will surprise you to know the number of
students who we recommended for expulsion as a result of cult activities;
despite the spineless attitude of some members on the committee who would beg
for clemency for children of the elite. If you know the people that were
involved, Commissioners of Police were involved, always writing letters.
Imagine, a student just gang raped a girl because he is a member of a cult and
you ask me to review that violation! These are letters which I received from
the elites of the society because their wards were involved in occultic
activities. I said this is not fraternity, this is criminal and normally such
cases should be charged before the court. But while I am a member of this
College, this type of character does not belong here and must be expelled.
Society itself is responsible for
the degradation where it takes place from fraternity into cultism but the
distinction must be made. The Buccaneers call themselves a fraternity; they
originated from the original Pyrates Confraternity. They were thrown out for
misbehaving and destroying the efforts of the fraternity. Black Axe, these are
cults, the leaders know, they won’t deny it.
What we formed in my University
days was anti-corruption and justice-seeking student organization, not a cult
group as many ignorant Nigerians want to make believe. I am still a member of
Pyrates confraternity and anyone who wants to accuse me of cultism is making a
big mistake and incidentally, there have been cases where the Court declared
the Pyrates confraternity as non occultic or secret society. The judgments are
there and yet the public is still ignorant of the clear difference. It is when
they are fighting Wole Soyinka that is when they say Wole Soyinka is the father
of cultism, their father is the founder of cultism (laughter).
As
a global citizen are you often embarrassed by Nigeria’s reputation for
corruption?
As a global citizen, I sometimes
feel like denying my identity.
Rubbish talk be this one na...
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