Held in awe by many, misunderstood by most, the Reformed Ogboni
Fraternity, nevertheless thrives on a wave of controversy. In its 100th
year, the ROF is eager to dispel many myths and old wives tales about
it. Nseobong Okon-Ekong enters the intriguing world of the leader of the
society, Olori Oluwo, Otunba Francis Meshioye
You would be forgiven to think that the head of the controversial
society, Reformed Ogboni Fraternity (ROF) is an old, wizened and feeble
man who supports his gait with a staff. The vibrant middle-aged man who
held court in his expansive living room at Maryland-Lagos did not fit
that description. Yes, he was dressed in a flowing white agbada, his
wrist and neck shackled with shiny red beads - a fitting dress for the
global head of a Yoruba cultural and spiritual sorority. A chair hewed
out of fine, polished wood is mounted on a little dais in a vantage
position where he sat, striking a regal pose. Otunba Francis Meshioye
commanded the presence of royalty. Two of his lieutenants were already
seated when we joined them. With the introduction formalities over, he
signaled to the bottle of Hennessey XO, bidding me to have a drink. But
I’d enjoyed much hospitality in his waiting lounge and I was eager to
engage him.
Contrary to what I thought, the hierarchy of the organisaton had not
been depleted by death or other factors that would have forced
leadership on Meshioye. By the way, the ROF is as old as Nigeria. In the
year that the Northern and Southern Protectorate of Nigeria were
amalgamated to form a united country, Archdeacon T.A.J Ogunbiyi, an
Anglican priest, sifted the bestial practices from the Aborigene Ogboni
to emerge with a new organisation in 1914 called the Reformed Ogboni
Fraternity (ROF). Like Nigeria, the ROF is celebrating 100 years as a
structured, unitary group. Perhaps, therein lies the expectation that
the society should be ruled by an elderly man. Not quite, Nigeria is at
this time administered by a middle aged man (very much in the age
bracket of Meshioye).
To be sure, Ogbonis can be found in all the age brackets between 20 and
90 years. Four years ago, when the issue of leadership became
necessary, the fraternity looked at who best fits the position. Like
King David, Meshioye was the least of the hopefuls. No one gave him a
chance of reaching the pinnacle of the ROF’s leadership. He did not
think it was possible, until the offer was made to him. Having been an
Ogboni for close to 30 years, he had been inducted into the mysteries of
the organisation at various levels. For instance, he was an Oluwo.
Before his present designation, he held the administrative position
called Alakoso, a divisional head, overseeing many conclaves. He was in
that office for quite a while before becoming the Olori Oluwo.
Owing to his elevated position, Meshioye enjoys courtesy from older
persons who pay obeisance to his office. Often the expectation is that
an Oluwo is well versed in traditional medicine. He not only denies this
assertion but admits that he knows nothing about interpreting the
fortune wheel. For him, consulting a Babalawo is not a problem if he
needs one. The Olori Oluwo also swore that he had never slaughtered an
animal. “Once I had a ram and one of my children loved it. We did not
kill it. We gave it out eventually.”
Describing himself as a multi-discipline professional, Meshioye is an
accountant, a company secretary an administrator, a tax practitioner and
an investment adviser. He holds an MBA in Technology Marketing and
Strategy and MSc in International Management from the University of
Liverpool. He is also a director of several companies. He became a
professional accountant at 23 years in 1983. Born into an Abeokuta, Ogun
State chieftaincy family, his name Meshioye alludes to royalty as one
who rides to a gathering on horseback. The name has followed him like a
prophetic mascot.
Today, the position he occupies as Olori Oluwo is a royal office of
sorts. An acclaimed member of the group who previously held that office,
late Sir Adeyemo Alakija, interpreted the office to mean lord of
lords, a kingly position, because there is a throne involved. Meshioye
was on his throne in the course of this interview. So I wanted to know
if the office embraces the associated description, ‘king of kings’.
Being a Catholic and aware of the implication, he danced around it. “You
don’t want to ask me this religious kind of thing. It is not king of
kings. It is not like that. It comes from the fact that Oluwo is a lord.
He is lord over his subjects. He is both lord temporal and spiritual.”
Conspicuously posted on the patio leading into his home is the legend
‘Catholic Family’. Without batting an eyelid, he explained that Ogboni
does not subtract but brings about an improvement on one’s religious
practices. He was keen to canvass Ogboni’s seeming Christian heritage,
which were proudly and firmly established by Rev. Ogunbiyi. Sir
Adetokunbo Ademola another eminent figure in Nigeria history and an
acknowledged Ogboni was a Catholic knight. The fact that he was a known
leader of the fraternity did not dissuade the Catholics from
participating in his funeral.
I had wanted to place my recording device on the arm rest of his throne
to record the interview, but Meshioye momentarily stopped me and folded
away his shawl before allowing me to keep the recording device.
Therefore, I assumed that there must be many rules in his house; a
litany of no-go areas and don’t touch objects. He explained that he did
not stop me from touching his shawl, but he desired that like his cap,
an item that he uses to adorn himself should be respected. He offered to
conduct me round his house, while emphasizing that the only rules that
are observed include those that pertain to mutual respect to every
resident and reverence to God. For instance, members of his household
know that he cannot attend to anything before his morning prayers.
Whenever it is possible to pray together as a family, they do.
Otherwise, he would not disturb anyone to have them pray along with him.
Prayer in the Meshioye household is offered in Jesus name. He, however,
argued that since he believes in the fatherhood of God, if his wife was
a Moslem he would not stop her from practicing her faith.
In its 100th year, the ROF is eager to dispel many myths and old wives
tales about it. For the first time, it is going to town with names of a
couple of its eminent members. Sir Adetokunbo Ademola, Sir Adeyemo
Alakija, Chief Ladoke Akintola, Dr. Nnamdi Azkiwe and Sir Tafawa Balewa.
Drawing a similarity between the Ogboni and other fraternities like the
Freemasons and Lodge, it is established that the British royalty and
many of those who aspire to leadership in the UK must belong to these
organisations. Meshioye argued that this is not unconnected with the
expectation of such office that they want to occupy. Noticing that I was
a little taken aback at the mention of the first Prime Minister of
Nigeria, Sir Tafawa Balewa, as an Ogboni, Meshioye entered a long
treatise on the virtues of the society. “One thing Ogboni teaches you is
brotherly love. You can become a member by desiring to be like someone
whose exemplary life you wish to copy or seeking for information. I do
not know why he joined. Once you join there is no discrimination.
The law permits everybody to relate with you as if you are my blood
brother. One thing Ogbonis are known for is candour. You must be candid
at any point in time. That is one of the meanings of the word. You must
be truthful and fair. Ogboni describes bravery in Yoruba. If you are not
seen to be doing this, you are on the verge of disgracing our
institution and we frown at you. Ordinarily, you want to keep yourself
within the ambit of the law. Even if you err, it would be very difficult
for you to pronounce yourself as an Ogboni. At that point in time, you
are not likely to be meeting properly with fellow brothers.”
Meshioye presides over a kingdom of over two million members worldwide.
His members in Nigeria number over one and a half million. Like its
attitude to religion, the ROF does not encourage an official position on
politics, since the organisation is embraced by people of different
political shades. So what is it about the Ogboni that harbours this hint
of secrecy? “The ROF is not a secret society. It is a registered
organisation and complies with the laws of the land. We file annual
returns every year. We meet at places where people can see us. We meet
during the day. We don’t hold meetings at night.
I am not a magician. It is something people just imagine. Sometime ago,
a section of the world used to think that black people have tails and
they live on trees. They say we drink blood and once you become a member
you will have more money. I work assiduously. Very early you will see
me at work. If you do not have a good means of livelihood, you will not
be admitted as a member. You need to be charitable, you need to host
meetings. Membership fee is about N20,000. Thereafter, N10,000 per annum
maximum. If there is an event, everybody contributes.” Largely known as
a cultural practice rooted in Yoruba culture, Ogboni has become
embraced by other Nigerian ethnic groups and nationalities around the
world. On this, Meshioye noted that, “The truth is one and God is one.
That is why it is possible to do that. The cultural concept of Ogboni
could be practiced by anybody.”
There is a school of thought that posits that Ogboni and Ifa are
apparatus of Yoruba cultural imperialism. For instance, the office of
the Alakoso is known by that title, anywhere in the world. The officer
functions in the same capacity. He understands what he has to do, even
if he is a European. There are many flourishing Ogboni conclaves in
Europe and America. “This tells you that anybody can learn and
perpetrate the truth. In the case of Ogboni, you can find Nigerians who
took it abroad. You can also find non-Nigerians who embraced it and
spread it. .”
Meshioye may be on the throne of an influential confraternity, but the
path of his life has not always been paved with roses and flowing with
milk and honey. Despite his membership of the Ogboni, he has been
visited many times by the vicissitudes of life. Once he resigned a
highflying job as the accountant of a top out-of-home advertising agency
to start business on his own. Things appeared to be going well for a
while. Then came a period of severe financial drought, things were so
bad that he moved from a luxury apartment to a single room. He sold his
cars and started to pound the street of Lagos on foot. “I was an Ogboni
all the while, so if we had powers to give people money, they would have
given it to me. I picked myself up from the floor. I believed in myself
and I believed in God. My wife supported me. I had to do all sorts of
things. I was about 30 years old.”
Still wondering what may come up, I asked to see if he was wearing any
charm or amulet under his agbada. In a flash, he was up on his feet,
descended from the throne and stepped in front of me. He raised the
flowing white gown and tucked it under his chin. He pulled up the
danshiki and emptied his pockets (in which he had a wad of N500 notes).
With his hands in the air, he invited me to feel around his waist. Then
he moved back to his seat and raised the cushion for me to see that he
was not hiding any charm under it. His ‘subjects’ were laughing and
pleading with him to stop the self-scrutiny.
Walking out of his gate, I looked around to see if there was anything
that distinguished it from others in the neighbourhood. It was just
another thickset bar of black iron gate. The ROF calendar permits only
statutory meetings, but many members have adopted January 1 as an
important date to celebrate the New Year. As one of his children was
born on that date, Meshioye often chooses another day in the first week
of January to host his friends, acquaintances and members to a party to
draw the curtain on the previous year while welcoming the New Year. It
would soon be that time of the year when glasses would be raised in a
toast to the Olori Oluwo!
- ThisdayLive
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