The Ogboni Fraternity and the Satanic Diversion of Nigeria’s Destiny
By Moses Oludele Idowu
This second part of the essay will dwell specifically on the Fraternity and how through its networks and operations it has diverted the destiny of Nigeria and entrenched clentelism, discouraged meritocracy, promoted corruption by seeking the benefits of its members to the disadvantage or detriment of other members of society.
The history, and to a large extent even the doctrines of ROF, is problematic on several grounds and even objectionable.
This explains largely why it was bitterly opposed even by many Christians and clergies at its inception. It was not merely the starting of a cult group or fraternity that irked people for there were already several groups patterned after European Freemasonry already in existence prior to 1914.
A partial list includes:
- Lagos Masonic Lodge founded in 1868, with J.B.Benjamin and J.A. Otunba Payne as leaders
- The Ancient Order of Foresters with Rev. A. W. Howells & S A. Coker as members.
- St. John’s Lodge founded in 1898 with Herbert Macaulay, Ademuyiwa Haastrup and C.J. George as members.
- Rose of Sharon Lodge – a branch was founded in Abeokuta in 1898 having Dr. O. Obasa, Dr. Oguntola Sapara and Rev. E. W. Euba as members.
- “Lily of the Valley” Lodge No. 1850 of the National Union Order of Free Gardeners
- The West Africa Psychical Institute founded on April 1901.
- The Loyal Order of Ancient Shepherds A.U. St. George’s Lodge No. 2605
Thus freemasonry or secret societies have existed before 1914 and before ROF without any issues even with ministers and clergies as members.
What irked people about the “Christian Ogboni Fraternity” – as it was originally called before it metamorphosed to ROF in 1934 – is the deliberate allusions to Christianity and the false, tendentious and misleading claim that it was created to blend Christianity with Yoruba customs and nativity.
In its Inaugural release it claims to be an ” alternative of the Aborigine Ogboni Fraternity for practicioners of Christianity.” In essence it claims to be serving the purpose of Christianity.
Its motto is taken from the passage of the Bible in Psalm 133: 1: “Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity.”
Another of its favourite passage is taken from Ezekiel 23: 23 –
“All of them desirable young men, captains and rulers, great lords and renowned, all of them riding upon horses.”
But they are careful to leave the first part of the verse.
Then the use of the Bible during initiation to sanction what is patently an occult rites and Yoruba paganism – paganism in all its ugliness and deformities
These and many more are what angered many people and preachers of that era and why they bitterly attacked the Fraternity and members of the Society.
The claim or attempt to blend or indigenize Christianity is also contestable, if not outrightly false.
If this were indeed the aims why was T.A.J Ogunbiyi not supportive of the Aladura Movement and in particular Joseph Babalola in the 1930’s and Moses Orimolade in the 1920’s, whose works and Movements were the first and the most veritable attempts at indigenization of Christianity? ROF rather than indigenize Christianity has in fact only attempted to Christianize a patently occultic traditional ritual and cultural forms and confer a toga of legitimacy on paganism, thereby decorating occultism with a Christian veneer.
The question is if ROF is indeed sure of its credentials why can’t it stand on its own legs, why can’t it answer its own name and why must it borrow Christian forms and religious appropriations?
If its founding fathers had no ulterior motives why were they trying to use the vehicle of the Church to promote and propagate this cultic institution?
And why were they trying to recruit and poach members from the Church?
So many questions but who will answer them?
Thus it is understandable that the attempt to smuggle this Fraternity into the Anglican Church was fiercely resisted by watchful clergies of that era.
In 1930’s the Alake of Egbaland, Ladapo Ademola, a founding member of this same Ogboni Fraternity, made a visit to England. His son, Adetokunbo Ademola who would become Nigeria’s first Chief Justice of the Federation and who himself was initiated into the Fraternity in 1934 after his graduation from England and rose to become the Olori Oluwo ( Supreme Head) before he died.
His own mother, Tejumade Alakija is the senior sister of Adeyemo Alakija, the first Oluwo of the Fraternity.
You will understand why political appointments in Yorubaland are usually sometimes dynastic and aristocratic and why they seem to revolve around certain families.
Among the entourage of Alake Ademola was Rev. T.A.J Ogunbiyi and one of their ports of call in England was the Lambeth Palace, the official seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury Church of England, the Head of all Anglican Church worldwide. The issue of persecution of ROF members within the Church in Nigeria was raised.
The white man wondered why the issue was being discussed with him directly when there is a bishop in Nigeria who has the facts and knows the matter on ground. He smelt a rat and refused to be used or committed to someone’s else project. However, when the delegation returned to Nigeria the news spread to deceive that they had met the Head of Anglican Church and he was not against the Fraternity.
The Synod report of 1938 therefore carries the Archbishop’s letter and his disclaimer that he did not approve any Fraternity. [ See, ” Ogboni Fraternity,” CMS Diocesan Synod Report 1938 p.20, Box 32, UI Archive ]
Matters finally came to a head in 1944 when the Synod of the Anglican Church exclusively came to consider and deal with the matter of ROF as members and clergies could no longer tolerate their activities within the Church.
However, another European, Gordon Leslie Vining, bishop of Lagos and Archbishop of West Africa Church saved the day for ROF from public anger of the clergy. He was a friend of T.A.J Ogunbiyi and possibly considering the many selfless services Ogunbiyi had rendered for the Church in the past he decided to save the Fraternity and its members from the hammer of outright expulsion, which did not go well with many members.
Few months later as he returned to England for vacation through Apapa- Liverpool he died on voyage – possibly as a divine judgement for his action. It was the year of Our Lord 1945.
The coast was now clear for ROF and it would continue to soar, proselyte and recruit members from both clergies and even general membership since the head of the Church had given them clean slate.
It would be years later before Archbishop Adetiloye would ascend the throne who would again wage war against fraternity and cultism within the church but by then ROF does not need the Anglican Church again because it had become firmly established and spread its tentacles to all corners of Nigeria and even outside the shore of Nigeria.
It had also changed its rules to allow adherents of other religions and people from other tribes to be members so there was nothing again the Anglican Church could do to her. The horse has already bolted so no need to lock the stable door again. The fish had caught the fisherman.
It began to spread everywhere. Even though by 1934 there were only 9 conclaves or Iledis located at Ijero, Ado- Ekiti, Benin, Ilesha, Ilorin, Ibadan, Offa & Ikorodu (see Anyebe 1989)
by 1952 after Archbishop Vining’s approving sanction it had spread everywhere. By 1952 it had 123 branches in all part of the country just before the founder died that year.
As at 18th December 1984 when it had its 70th Anniversary it had 300 conclaves or Iledis with each having about 30/40 members. [ See A.P. Anyebe, OGBONI: The Birth and Growth of the Reformed Ogboni Fraternity , Lagos: Sam- Lao Publishers, 1989]Today members number in the tens of thousands if not in the hundreds of thousands which, according to BBC News consist of the nation’s most notable politicians, businessmen, lawyers, ranking judges, army generals, senior policemen, distinguished clergies, bishops, general overseers and opinion leaders.
Some of the notable names mentioned as members of the Fraternity include: Ladoke Akintola, Ahmadu Bello, Nnamdi Azikiwe, Adetokunbo Ademola, Ooni Olubuse Sijuwade, Olusegun Obasanjo etc. [ See BBC News, Tue., Apr. 6, 1999]
Thus you see why it is a waste of time seeking justice against members of this iniquitous and monstrous occultic entity. I will soon come to that with clear examples and real life cases. Then you will see why Nigeria has no place for merits.
Exploitation and Expropriation of the Masses
It is often claimed by members of Fraternity generally that Jesus was one of their members. Masons usually make this false claim citing the fact that that was why He was a carpenter. Some members of ROF too usually make this claim based on confession of a former member.
The claim that Jesus is the first Apena made by some clergies who are members of ROF to woo new members is even blasphemous and outrightly false.
This pattern of deception is clearly discernible in ROF’s tactics and strategem. For instance on its website for recruiting new members it claims the Yoruba translation of Ezekiel 23: 23 is : –
“Awon Ogboni ti oni okiki..’ – Ogboni refers to a distinguished personage who assists in the administration of a domain”. [ See, ‘ROF: Thinking of Joining’- www. reformedogboni.com]
Now this is false. As anyone who can read Yoruba Bible can readily testify. There is no where in the whole of Yoruba Bible where Ogboni was mentioned. It is deception.
So if a body cannot state the truth about a Bible verse that everyone knows and can crosscheck how can we be sure that the claims of ROF are true and factual?
In the same portal it declares:
“Members of ROF… are encouraged to stand by one another as they are taught to see themselves as brethren. It is our tradition to be ever ready to assist our fellow members…” [ website, Ibid]
Thus they gave themselves away in their own words.
What they fail to add is as they see themselves as brethren they see the rest of us as outers and as they assist and stand by each other they also – it is expected – stand against outsiders who are not their members. They work to promote their members to the exclusion and disadvantage of non-members. This is the root of corruption and oppression in society. The purpose of Fraternities worldwide is to promote hegemony, protect self-centred individualism, preserve elite interests and privileges, encourage clentelism, seek personal advantages and benefits to the exclusion of the others.
How can merit work in a society where members of Fraternity ensure every opportunity and benefits are first distributed to their members and their children?
Hence each member tries to initiate his/ her own son to continue the perpetuation of undue privileges and rewards.
The sad thing is the manipulation of justice. You hardly can get justice against their members because they control the levers of power in the judiciary, police, army, politics, churches, banks, corporate world etc. They seem to even control the whole gamut of the legal profession.
Here are two cases from eyewitness accounts.
- Toyin Falola, World – famous scholar,Texas – based professor of History has a very revealing case in his autobiographical work A Mouth Sweeter Than Salt in which as a boy of barely 11 years he witnessed with his own grandfather one of the worst atrocities and man’s inhumanity to man by a member of this same ROF against a poor farmer in his farming village on the outskirts of Ibadan. In view of the importance of this work I have had to confirm this story personally with Professor Falola to be sure it actually happened before using it here. This Ogboni chief dispossessed a poor farmer named Jacob of his farmland thus robbing him of means of livelihood. He did not stop there. He falsely accused the poor farmer of growing marijuana in the farm and without any evidence or trial bundled him with support from police in the prison. Like Ahab he sat on the man’s land throwing the wife and children into needless sorrow.
Falola’s grandfather, a pastor seeing this in the same village where he worked and to one of his members decided to secure justice for the poor farmer to get him out of prison but to no avail. Having tried to report the matter to other political chieftains for assistance without any help the father decided to do the unthinkable for a pastor. He went to report to the dreaded Reformed Ogboni Fraternity. It was here ROF shows its true colour not as a benevolent society that it loves to pretend to be but as an occult hegemonic entity that cares only about the welfare of its own members and to the detriment of non- members. On arrival Toyin and his father were given a seat while deliberations went on inside. It was not long when the Secretary of the Fraternity came out to declare to Toyin and his grandfather the verdict. And what was that?
Hear Falola himself:
“The secretary said that the Ogboni members had refused to consider the matter as the Elepo chief whom pastor ( the grandfather) wanted to report was a member.” [ Ibadan: Bookcraft, 2013 p. 443]
Since the chief who committed the deeds was a member then there was no case. A non-member cannot bring a case against a member.
The chief is a Yoruba man and the unfortunate farmer he oppressed and put in prison is also Yoruba – the same Yoruba who say they want to create Yoruba Nation because there is oppression in Nigeria!
That incident so seared the innocent soul of Toyin Falola as a boy of 11 that he found it hard to relate with human structures of power and symbols of political authority eben till today.
This is the picture of ROF – of exploitation, expropriation and cheating of non – members to the advantage of their own members.
I have been cheated too by members of this Fraternity to corroborate Falola’s account above.
- Joseph Ojo Oluwaniyi is another account. A former member of ROF whose detailed account is recorded in his book before he found genuine salvation in Christ. He said he was shocked seeing notable members of the society from all walks of life and senior police, clergies, leaders etc as members which further emboldened him to continue in his atrocities.
He was a thug to one of the political parties in the 1960’s around the same period when Falola had his own encounter.
He said he could commit any atrocity and he even killed many opponents and set fire on their houses because he would get away with it since the police chiefs or judges who would consider his case are both members of the same Fraternity. [ See his detailed expose in IRIRI MI NINU EGBE AWO ( MY EXPERIENCE IN FRATERNITY BEFORE I MET CHRIST) ]
Has the story changed today? No.
Root of Corruption in Nigeria
I have said it before that it would be difficult if not impossible to wipe out corruption unless we first wipe out secret societies and fraternities. Occultism is the root, the foundation, mainframe and roof of corruption in Nigeria.
It is the lifewire and mainspring of the massive looting and misappropriation that we now witness and why it is difficult to fight.
Looters are bold because they know that no consequences will ever come to them. Members of the same Fraternity are bound to protect themselves regardless of the case or evidence against them and regardless of the atrocities done against the State and even members of the public.
Thus when a case is brought before a judge, if the judge and the accused are both of the same Fraternity he only need to show the signs and the judge must do everything to help him as the website quoted above – “to stand by one another and see themselves as one.”
Same goes in all the services – courts, civil service, police, army, customs etc.
This is also the reason behind rapid and accelerated promotion of some officials compared to equals without any clear merits.
Some Nigerians will remember this story in the early days of this Fourth Republic.
One Mr. Makanjuola, a Permanent Secretary in the Defense Ministry was accused of misappropriation or embezzlement of N400m ( four hundred million naira!) and was to be tried. But the president, Olusegun Obasanjo intervened stopping the arrest or prosecution of the accused.
I leave you to connect the dots.
Cultism also promote inefficiency, indiscipline and insecurity.
An officer in the army or police who is a member of a Fraternity will hesitate to discipline another member who is junior to him in service because he might be his boss in the conclave
. Think of this and the widespread indiscipline this connotes to the nation.
It also distorts merit and meritocracy.
Dr. Lee’s Report to Supreme Military Council
By the 1970’s reports and activities of this Fraternity and how they try to promote their members to the detriment of other members are everywhere. Several cases like Falola’s account above were numerous across the nation.
But the one that touched the Military was the detailed Report given by Dr. Lee.
For hours this converted Christian who was once a member of secret societies regaled the military authorities the operations and modus operandi of the Fraternity and how they destroy merits, their secret signs and codes by which they recognize each other for undue advantage.
It was too much for the military to contemplate. Thus in 1976 General T.Y. Danjuma then as Chief of Army Staff fired the first salvo when during the Nigerian Army Senior Officers Training Week at Ibadan publicly denounced secret societies and called on members of armed forces who were in the Fraternity to immediately resign or be kicked out.
Hence in 1977 the Federal Military Government issued a Circular to all Civil Servants vide a letter Ref. No. 9369/121 of 18th July 1977 requiring all public officials to renounce membership of secret societies and swear or subscribe to an oath renouncing membership of secret societies.
The Federal Military Government circular also defines “a secret society” as those societies by whatever other name called:
“Whose membership is not known or made public;
Whose proceedings are kept secret and whose minutes are not kept;
Whose list of officers is not published or made known;
Whose objective, etc are not made public; and
Whose members are under oath, obligation or other threat to promote interest ( legitimate or illegitimate) of one another, and come to one another’s assistance under all circumstances, without due regard to merit, fair play and justice, to the detriment of the legitimate expectation of non-members.”
On the last sentence alone ROF falls into the category of a secret society.
In that same year the Military Government in Ogun State went further by actually naming the societies it regarded as secret societies. In a release by the Secretary to the Military Government A.K.Degun it listed the following as secret societies:
- Reformed Ogboni Fraternity
- Ogboni Aborigine Secret Society
- Ogboni Ibile Secret Society
- The Freemasonry
- Awo Opa Cult
- Agbekoya Society
The heat was now on against Ogboni Fraternity until the politicians of the Second Republic brought thugs and secret societies back in full force.
And today the cycle is complete.
Sometimes the Military can be very smart and effective, even smarter than politicians and civilians.
While the Constitution Drafting Committee was working the military kept its cool and allowed them to work.
Knowing that some of those senior lawyers could be members of Fraternities and secret societies themselves.
But as soon as they finished and submitted their work the Military then inserted into the 1979 Constitution Section 35 subsection 4:
” Nothing in this section shall entitle any person to form, take part in the activity, or be a member of a secret society, and for the purposes of this subsection a “secret society” means a society or association not being a solely cultural or religious body, that uses secret signs, oaths, rites or symbols –
a) Whose meetings or other activities are held in secret and
b) Whose members are under oath, obligation or other threat to promote the interest of its members or to aid one another under all circumstances without due regard to merit, fair play or justice, to the detriment of the legitimate expectation of those who are not members.”
Again by this last subsection, ROF qualifies as “a secret society”.
It was after this 1979 Constitution that ROF – possibly in a bid to stave off the tag of secrecy and ban – released its own Constitution too.
The Military was also contemplating banning the Fraternity as one of their notable members threaten that the military would be risking the wrath of Yoruba if the Fraternity was banned.
As if this Fraternity exists for the interest of Yorubas.
In the ROF Constitution of 1979 it claims to seek the interest of its members “but not to the detriment of non- members.”
This is window dressing which is negated by both the history and operations of the Fraternity as Falola and several other Nigerians including myself can bear witness to.
This clause was most likely inserted to escape the military anger and outright ban.
ROF has admitted that it is not a secret society but it has secrets, – which does not mean anything.
Anyone can enter a church or mosque and observe what they do during worship; can an outsider enter an Iledi during deliberations?
Since I am not writing a book I must stop here without addressing some of the press releases from this Fraternity. Information from its own website already convicts her of clentelism.
CONCLUSION
This essay has been solely on one of the well- known “secret societies”in Nigeria founded by an Anglican Church reverend T. A.J. Ogunbiyi. He has stated as his aims the indigenization or ( better still the contextualization) of Christianity in our land.
More than 100 years later it remains to be seen whether that objective has been achieved.
On a serious note, it is another objective, a sinister objective that is being achieved.
Today Nigerian society is suffused with cults, fraternities, secret societies in schools colleges, universities, police, army, civil service, churches etc.
And public corruption – the twin evil of cultism – has prospered and blossomed.
Cultists and cultic gangs now terrorise the polity and segments of society without any help or succour from ruling authorities.
About 36 died recently at Shagamu during a gang warfare by rival cultists usually on the payroll of politicians.
In one day in 2001, 9 students of OAU were gunned down by cultists right on their own campus.
The criminals were apprehended and known but till this day no one will try them.
Fraternities and drugs now reign in our schools and have reached even Primary schools as well.
This is the state where we are now in Nigeria.
Politicians take fetish oaths before godfathers who also take oaths before their own masters.
Corruption is now endemic because people are emboldened by their membership of different Fraternities and caucuses and know that nothing untoward can happen to them.
This is the result, the harvest of the seed that what was sown in 1914.
Billions of dollars have come in revenue in the last 25 years of democracy but we are still in debt because those money have found their way out, diverted to private pockets.
It is my thesis that regardless of the true intentions of the founders of ROF in 1914, an altar was laid through their efforts and actions and that altar is being used by the enemies to defray the wealth and blessings of this nation.
When on 18th December 1914 those 6 members gathered to found this Fraternity and inviting the “All Seeing Eye” – the symbol of Sumeria, Babylonian and Egyptian Occult mysteries – they opened a floodgates for the powers of darkness.
By invoking the All Seeing Eye they also invite mighty entities of darkness and the psychic gates going as far as Sumeria, Egyptian and Babylonian antiquities – thereby opening a portal through which the enemies were able to access the spiritual password of this nation and assault its prophetic destiny.
In short an altar was raised to Higher esoteric forces to come to Nigeria.
An altar is a meeting point between two powers, the visible and the invisible.
It is the reason God warned Israel that on reaching Canaan the first thing they should destroy are the altars of the Canaanites because if the altars remained they would not conquer since the mighty entities of darkness will continue to come through those altars and strengthen and embolden them.
Altars are the most dangerous of all occult emblems and in the annals of traditional religious cosmologies. Because they go to the beginning of time.
It is the reason why the story of Nigeria has been that of greed, selfishness, self-seeking, corruption, violence, treachery, poverty, war…
Today Occult mysteries are now prospering everywhere.
You cannot rise to the top in any of the major political parties without connection with the Occult or membership of Fraternity and you can hardly be appointed to any high office in the land no matter the merit you possess.
Many bishops and pastors and General Overseers themselves are members of Fraternity and occult.
Welcome to the Occult Republic of Nigeria.
It is the contention of this author that contrary to popular beliefs in some quarters the Amalgamation of 1914 is not the real tragedy of Nigeria: the real tragedy was the opening of psychic gates of Nigeria for the mighty forces of darkness to access and enter which the founding of Christian Ogboni Fraternity (that later metamorphosed to Reformed Ogboni Fraternity) occasioned through its invocation of the All Seeing Eye, the most notable feature and symbol of Freemasonry from the earliest times.
Welcome to the Kingdom of the cults.
However, things must change. Babylon must now fall. It must not only fall, it must not rise again. Its altars must be razed completely.
“Call together the archers against Babylon: all ye that bend the bow, camp against it round about; let none thereof escape: recompense her according to her work; according to all that she hath done, do unto her: for she hath been proud against the Lord, against the Holy One of Israel
And it shall be, when thou hast made an end of reading this book, that thou shalt bind a stone to it, and cast it into the midst of Euphrates:
And thou shalt say, Thus shall Babylon sink, and shall not rise from the evil that I will bring upon her: and they shall be weary…” [ Jeremiah 50:28; 51:63,64]
He is an Apostle to the Body of Christ and a Professor of Ecclesiastical Theology and Human Development.