Being Ogboni does not stop you from going to church or mosque —Olori Oluwo

Seasoned administrator and chartered accountant, Francis Oluwagbenro Meshioye, is the Olori Oluwo (Supreme Leader) of the Reformed Ogboni Fraternity. Meshioye bares all about the fraternity he says takes its roots from Nigerian culture in this interview. Excerpts:

PEOPLE perceive the Reformed Ogboni Fraternity (ROF) negatively but you joined and over the years rose to become the Olori Oluwo (Supreme Leader), what was the initial attraction for you?

I wanted to understand my culture, to know why I am here. Why was I not born in India as a Hindu or in China to embrace their culture and religion? This made me to begin to look within myself to know who I am and I extended this to what I have within my area. I am a firm believer in the Yoruba saying, ‘Animo ni peregun laso’ meaning you add to whatever you have. If that is the case, I wouldn’t leave what I have found within my environment to embrace other things. I do embrace other things, mind you, but I believe that there is something we inherited from our source.  I wanted to know why I am a Nigerian, a Yoruba man, what is my culture like and what is wrong with it amongst other things.

Aside these, I wanted to know God my own way because if you know God and His laws, you will be a better human being. Thereafter, I realised that what I wanted was in my immediate environment. I looked at my culture and realised that it is very useful to realise my oneness with God. Our culture does not cast aspersion on any other and I found out in the Bible – I was raised a Christian – ‘Thou shall not judge’. The bible also says ‘search all things, find out the one that is true and hold on to the truth.’ So, I looked at everything and opted for Ogboni. Incidentally, Ogbonism does not prevent you from going to the church or the mosque.

So, you still go to church?

Yes, Ogbonism does not prevent you from doing whatever you want to do. It is about understanding our culture which guides in living a better life and improving the society. These were the things that prompted me to go into our culture. I wasn’t particular about Ogboni but it satisfied my urge of knowing what we have in our culture to assist in living a better life, a respectable life. I love to be respected and I love to respect people and I like to be a noble character.

I had the same line of thought about Ogboni as the public before I joined. When I was contemplating joining, I had nobody to direct me because you don’t see them easily but I had heard about them; so I said if they are bad I will leave. I later found somebody who introduced me to a member and during the period before induction, they were observing me but I was also observing them. They love each other and are respectable people so I got interested and got glued to it. I found out that it is excellent and what I had been looking for.

What are the criteria for joining the fraternity?

You must be known by someone who is a member because we want people of good character. You must have a sponsor who will attest to your good character.  You must be an adult according to the laws of the land; you must have a verifiable source of livelihood and you must be industrious. You apply and your letter will be sent to the state where your sponsor lives; you will be investigated, apparently without your knowledge. If you are found lacking in those key areas during the investigation period, we will tell you sorry you can’t be our member. If you don’t have any shortcomings, you come for an interview. You meet people who will discuss with you and if you are successful at the interview you are on your way to joining.

That’s a rigorous process and from your explanations, it appears it’s not an all comers affair.

It is not because many are called but few are chosen. The criteria are to ensure that your lifestyle is acceptable to the fraternity. One of the first things you will be asked is do you believe in God? If your answer is no, you will be rejected at that point because that is contrary to our belief. We believe in God and an upright lifestyle. The willingness to live an upright life is vital and you can’t do that if you don’t have a good job, you are not industrious and don’t have a good character.

That’s a good point you raised about uprightness sir. When we were young, we heard stories of members of the fraternity being taken to court and being set free even when culpable by the judge because they both belong to the fraternity. How do you react to this?

We are not like that. We warn anybody that is coming in, you are close to me and we are one so to speak but if you deliberately want to go perpetrate a criminal act, you are on your own.  I have heard similar stories too but they are false. We tell people how to live a good life. If you are linked to the light, there will be no darkness. We are not perfect but we are striving to fine-tune our ways. Ogboni teaches you to be tolerant and respect other people’s viewpoints. We are taught to be law abiding. No judge, if he’s a member, would overturn a case involving a member who sets out to commit a criminal act.

When Archdeacon T.A J. Ogunbiyi started the fraternity on December 18, 1914, he named it Ogboni Onigbagbo. How did the name change to Reformed Ogboni Fraternity?

At that time, there were only few Christian members in the fold but soon after its inauguration, they realised it’s not meant for Christians alone. It’s a cultural heritage and you can’t restrict heritage to religion. In Yoruba culture, we have Christians, Muslims and other faiths. That was why it was changed to Reformed Ogboni Fraternity to accommodate people of different religious leanings, race and political affiliation. It is incorporated and recognised under Nigerian law.

Our past leaders include Sir Adeyemo Alakija, who was the first Olori Oluwo and he was followed by Sir Adetokunbo Ademola. We have had members including Chief Oladeinde Lawson, the late Archbishop Vining, Reverend David Mellor, Nnamdi Azikiwe, the Sardauna, Ahmadu Bello, and Chief Samuel Ladoke Akintola amongst others.

What’s the difference between Aboriginal and Reformed Ogboni?

I can say we have three types of Ogboni. There is Ogboni Ilu, the governing council of a town. In Yorubaland, the governing system in any reputable town is Ogboni Osugbo. So, we have Ogboni Ilu, Ogboni Aboriginal and the Reformed Ogboni Fraternity. However, the major difference between Reformed Ogboni Fraternity and the others is that it focuses on the core principles and tenets of Ogbonism without tilting to the right or left.

The fraternity will be celebrating its centenary on December 18, what are your expectations going forward?

We want people to have a proper understanding of what Ogboni is from the perception of the ROF.  It would be my wish that as many people as possible learn, understand, imbibe and practice the principles of Ogbonism of the ROF because it home-based culture and one’s culture matters a lot. Tribune