National Association of Seadogs

{{Short description|Confraternity organization in Nigeria}}

{{Infobox fraternity

| letters = NAS

| name = National Association of Seadogs

| crest = NAS logo.gif

| image_size = 140px

| founded = {{Start date and age|October 1952}}

| birthplace = University College, Ibadan

| affiliation = Independent

| status = Active

| type = Nigerian confraternity

| emphasis =

| scope = International

| mission =

| vision =

| motto = "Against all moribund conventions"

| virtues =

| pillars =

| slogan =

| maxim =

| tagline =

| member badge =

| pledge pin =

| pledge name =

| colony badge =

| colony pledge pin =

| colors = {{color box|White}} White, {{color box|Red}} Red, and {{color box|Black}} Black

| symbol = Skull & Cross Bones

| flag =

| lifetime = 25,000+

| nickname = Seadogs, Saylors

| address = Plot 55, Gado Nasko Road

| city = Kubwa, Abuja

| state = Federal Capital Territory

| country = Nigeria

| homepage = {{URL|https://www.nas-int.org/}}

| footnotes =

}}

The National Association of Seadogs, popularly known as the Pyrates Confraternity, is a confraternity organization in Nigeria that is nominally University-based.{{cite journal |author=Bestman Wellington |date=July 6, 2007 |title=Nigeria's Cults and their Role in the Niger Delta Insurgency |newspaper=Jamestown |

url=http://www.jamestown.org/single/?tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=4288#.Vb3oJevTXBA |publisher=The JamesTown Foundation |volume=5 |issue=13 | access-date=16 February 2016}} The group was founded by Professor Wole Soyinka and six students in 1952 to support human rights and social justice in Nigeria.

History

Due to the increase of tribalism among social life of students and the increasing population of "wealthy" students to a relatively few "poorer" students in the University College, Ibadan, the National Association of Seadogs was formed as a body in order to combat these societal ills.{{cite book

|last=A.A. |first=Owoseni |date=2006 |title=A Book of Readings on Cultism and Its Attendant Effects on Nigerian Institutions of Higher Learning |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_ZnXAAAAMAAJ&q=pyrates+confraternity+origin+google+books | publisher=Frola Publishers |isbn= 9789780710552|

access-date=2 August 2015}} It was founded in 1952 by seven friends who adopted the name "Magnificent 7".{{cite book |last=R.O. Rom |first=Kalilu |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4vwrAQAAIAAJ |title=Cultism on the Nigerian campus |date=1995 |publisher=SOF & Co. |isbn=9789783273627 |access-date=2 August 2015}} The Magnificent 7 are:

  • Ikpehare Aig-Imoukhuede
  • Olumuyiwa Awe
  • Sylvanus U. Egbuche
  • Pius Oleghe
  • Nathaniel Oyelola
  • Ralph Opara
  • Wole Soyinka

The Pyrates Confraternity went on to become the only confraternity on Nigerian campuses for almost twenty years.{{cite book|author1=Biko Agozino|author2=Unyierie Idem|title=Nigeria: democratising a militarised civil society|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zTaNAAAAMAAJ|year=2001|publisher=Centre for Democracy and Development|isbn=9781902296104}} Membership into the confraternity was open to students who were bright academically regardless of their tribe or religion.{{cite book|author=O. A. Ogunbameru|title=Readings on campus secret cults|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AZtCAQAAIAAJ|year=1997|publisher=Kuntel Publishing House|isbn=978-978-34273-0-3}} To date, over 25,000 people have belonged to the organization at various stages.{{cite journal |name-list-style= |date=1 May 1998 |title=Nigeria: Pyrates Confraternity, including whether Wole Soyinka founded it, whether it continues to exist today, the reason for the name and whether membership in the fraternity now would be problematic (1950 to present) |url=http://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6abf644.html |journal=Research Directorate, Immigration |publisher=Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |access-date=2 August 2015}}

The Pyrates Confraternity was registered with the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Internal Affairs under the Land (Perpetual Succession) Act Cap 98 with the name "The National Association of Seadogs".{{cite web |title=National Association of Seadogs |url=http://www.wolesoyinkalecture.org/national-association-of-seadogs/ |access-date=2 August 2015 |publisher=Wole Soyinka Lectures}} Its headquarters are at Plot 55, Gado Nasko Road in Kubwa, Abuja, FCT, Nigeria.{{Cite web |title=Privacy Policy |url=https://www.nas-int.org/privacy-policy-2/ |access-date=2024-09-28 |website=National Association of Seadogs |language=en-US}}

Symbols

The Pyrates logo is the Skull and Bones in red, black, and yellow.{{Cite web |title=Skull & Cross Bones |url=https://www.nas-int.org/skull-a-cross-bones/ |access-date=2024-09-28 |website=National Association of Seadogs |language=en-US}} Members are known as Seadogs and Saylors.{{cite web | url=https://www.nas-int.org/about-nas/skull-x-bones | title=Skull & Cross Bones | publisher=National Association of Seadogs | access-date=15 April 2016}} Its motto is "Against all moribund conventions". The organization has several sayings used as a sign of respect or greeting, including "Odas is Odas" ("Orders is Orders"), "No Friend No Foe", and "Absolutely No Lagging". Members are known as Seadogs and Saylors.[[Wole Soyinka, a founding member of the Pyrates|thumb|226x226px]]

Chapters

Pyrates has branches throughout Nigeria and in Australia, Canada, Japan, Netherlands, Republic of Ireland, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States.{{Cite web |title=Structure of NAS |url=https://www.nas-int.org/structure-of-nas/ |access-date=2024-05-12 |website=National Association of Seadogs |language=en-US}}

Notable members

  • Wole Soyinka, awarded the 1986 Nobel Prize in Literature{{Cite web |last=Williams |first=Sean |date=September 2019 |title=The Black Axe: How a pan-African freedom movement lost its way |url=https://harpers.org/archive/2019/09/the-black-axe-nigeria-neo-black-movement-africa/ |access-date=September 27, 2024 |website=Harper's Magazine}}

Controversies and member misconduct

Some sinister confraternities have been formed to copy the Pyrates confraternity which led the Pyrates confraternity to dissociate itself from these organizations and also operate outside university campuses.{{cite web |author=Kelvin Keez |date=15 May 2013 |title=Top 7 Confraternities in Nigeria and their History |url=http://www.theimongo.com/blogs/item/top-7-confraternities-in-nigeria-and-their-history |access-date=2 August 2015 |work=Imongo}} The confraternity is also seen as a "political opponent" after several members in Port Harcourt were detained in jail for participating in the disruption of election campaigns in 1997.

References

{{Reflist|30em}}

Further reading

  • {{cite book

|last=Wole |first=Soyinka | author-link=Wole Soyinka | date=2005 |title=Interventions III: Cults: a people in denial |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ENfyAAAAMAAJ&q=pyrates+confraternity+origin+google+books |publisher=Book Craft |isbn= 9789782030559|

access-date=2 August 2015}}

  • {{cite book

|last=Emma Osonna |first=Oguala Ugwulebo | date=1 January 1999 |title=Campus Cults: The Scourge of Our Time |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5xTxAAAAMAAJ&q=pyrates+confraternity+origin+google+books |publisher=Springfield Publishers |isbn= 9789788001256|

access-date=2 August 2015}}

  • {{cite book

|last=Osagie |first=Johnson | date=2004 |title=Secret cultism in Nigerian school |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VcjtAAAAIAAJ&q=pyrates+confraternity+origin+google+books |publisher=Hope Development and Resource Centre |page=16 |isbn= 9789783679795|

access-date=2 August 2015}}

Category:Confraternities in Nigeria

Category:Student organizations established in 1952

Category:1952 establishments in Nigeria

Category:Student societies in Nigeria