‘The Confraternity Thing, Stands?’ -By Oniororo Oladele Orepo

Nigerian Universities have all, in their time, experienced terrorism through cultism. It has dealt an unforgettable blow that will span into time immemorial even. Some of us are aware of the epic story of George Iwilade (Africa), the Obafemi Awolowo University revolutionary student leader who stood against the powers and also shed his blood in the process. He is remembered today for the part he played and his feat is sung by a large lo and beholds student of the University. This, I find fascinating and heroic. However, I do not feel shedding his blood would be able to wage it entirely in these lands, if we do not face the truth. An important question we should ask is, why the need? Why would anyone want to be a part? Why does it exist? What’s the aim? What’s the brain behind it?

In the case of the traceable emergence of confraternities in the Nigerian universities, the Nobel Laureate winner, Oluwole Soyinka, a cofounder of the Pyrates confraternity’s aim was to wage war against elitism, to root egalitarianism and for freedom. These goals made it glaring that there was the existence of oppression. Although it may now have reached a stage of perversion and dilution, these too, is as a result of the sabotage of its mission.

A vital thing to be noted is that we create hierarchies in people and this sets the possibility of events of someone somewhere being denigrated, disrespected, maltreated and this person tries, to react against these superior pedestals. Majorly, this is the case. You feel vulnerable and you are promised power and security somewhere. Basically, confraternities are a reaction to an illness in society.

The French revolution with its three tenets, equality, liberty, and fraternity, with its latter, fraternity, explains the need for this empowered secrecy to carry out a radical change, confront a higher power and usurp it. Hence, it can be made use of positively. However, this often gets out of hand. Why does it get out of hand? It is an ill battling an illness, it will produce an ill.

The Joker, a 2019 controversial picture showcases an estranged man. A man who fought to attain a humble status in his society yet was denied this, but he was rather trampled upon, betrayed, and laughed it. This man, in his reprisal, killed, maimed, expressed the disgust the larger part of the society shared with him and voila! he led a revolution against the system. This movie is a popular one with an unpopular ideology.

The storyline is loathsome because it turned savagery as its solace, by its refusal to follow along with a long-suffering and hopeful path. The story rather showed the reaction of a man to the ethics that was rarely respected and this aches the public. The society is a doubled standard society where an issue is only immoral when it is against the will of some people, hence, a confraternity would be wrong. Calling a revolution would be wrong. Even merely crying as a reaction to discomforts like hunger or the lack of basic amenities would be treacherous.

We loathe these reprisals but are unheeded to the causation. A truth to always be remembered is that the society that fails to tender to its ills would have a villain become its hero. The question of if cultism is ethical is now out of it, as the writer remains indifferent due to its dualistic nature, but I will place this piece into an abrupt conclusion with a seemingly disappointing answer to the question with a condition to say: Confraternities would not stand where there are fairness and equity.

Oniororo Oladele Orepo is a final year student of philosophy, studying at Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye Ijebu, Ogun State. He is a passionate Human rights activist through policy agitation. A Pan-Africanist indeed.

Contact: obaorepo@gmail.com
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