Pyrates Confraternity Laments Neglect of University Education

Dike Onwuamaeze

The National Association of Seadogs (NAS), popularly known as the Pyrates Confraternity, yesterday lamented the failure of the federal government to fund the country’s public universities effectively.

The association said that it was scandalous that the members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) would have to embark on a strike to prevent a total collapse of the country’s public university system.

NAS Capoon, Mr. Abiola Owoaje expressed the concerns during the unveiling of the 70th anniversary of the association held in Ikeja yesterday.

Abiola said: “We are, however, saddened by the sorry state of education in our tertiary institutions, especially Nigerian universities. It is scandalous that ASUU would have to embark on a strike to prevent a total collapse of the public university system.

“It beggars belief that a government can be so indifferent to what becomes of a largely youthful demography that is the most populous in the continent.

“The federal government that has not been able to stop the massive leakage of funds meant for development and which does not blink an eyelid while funding the profligate lifestyle of its officials, now finds it difficult to devote funds to run public universities.”

He recalled that the founding members of the pyrates Confraternity benefitted immensely from the good quality public university education on offer in Nigeria at their own time, which enabled many of them to excel in their chosen careers and made the country proud both at home and abroad.

He, therefore, lamented that successive governments in Nigeria “have habitually treated education with the same rankling levity that we are all witnessing today. This unfortunate state of affairs imperils the very future of an entire generation of young people.”

He said the unveiling of the 70th anniversary of the logo/theme officially kicks off our celebration, which will run for the next couple of months.

He added that many activities “have been lined up to showcase the nobility of our organisation, its enduring ethos and our continued quest to create a just society in Nigeria.”

He pledged that as the members of the NAS celebrate its 70th anniversary, they “shall also use the period, especially as we inch closer to the 2023 elections to continue our push for a just society where no one would be a victim of colour, gender, or creed.

“We shall through our celebrations join Nigerians to demand for free, fair and credible elections in 2023. This would be the most fitting climax of the celebration of our 70th anniversary.”

Owoaje noted that the NAS was founded during the colonial era in 1952 by seven young and patriotic Nigerian undergraduates at the University College Ibadan, now University of Ibadan, that took a giant revolutionary leap towards greatness by standing up to obnoxious conventions to form the Pyrates Confraternity.

They were the Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, Mr. Ralph Opara, Mr. Nathaniel Oyelola, Mr. Pius Oleghe, Mr. Olumuyiwa Awe, Mr. Ikpehare Aig-Imoukhuede and Mr. Slyvanus Egbuche.

He said: “In 1952, when the Pyrates Confraternity was formed, its fundamental ethos was not just limited to fighting for the oppressed, speaking for the deprived, and resolving myriad injustices in the march towards the attainment of a just and egalitarian society.

“Certainly, it was a trail-blasing initiative by these seven undergraduates, which restored dignity, confidence, and an enduring sense of worth and justice to a large segment of Nigeria’s population in those heady days of colonial subjugation.”

Speaking on the logo yesterday, the Director, Printing Production, THISDAY Newspapers Group, Mr. Chuks Onwudinjo said the ship in the logo has been sailing for 70 years constantly trying to affect and improve the lives of communities and people.

According to Onwudinjo, we call ourselves sailors and seadogs. There is nothing occultism about the word seadog that represents an experienced sailor.