Francis Oluwagbenro Meshioye, is the ‘Olori Oluwo’ of the Reformed Ogboni Fraternity. Chief Meshioye,
is a seasoned administrator and chartered accountantm in his current interview,
he shed more on the fraternity, its
roots from Nigerian culture etc.etc. 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.
- See more at:
http://esabod.blogspot.be/2014/12/being-ogboni-does-not-stop-you-
