Buccaneers! Something about the name. You either love it or hate it. One of the most misunderstood organisations in Nigeria. Some people think we are ritualists, some will say cultists, others will say we drink blood or atleast carry out some form of criminality regularly. These are all big fat lies …….at best figments of some warped minds’ imaginations. Who then are the buccaneers?
Buccaneering is an adventure. We are gentlemen, Omoluabis, fineboys, brothers who only just want to come together to build great bonds, values, friendships and relationships that will positively impact our lives and immediate communities. Today, we are 50 years old!!! Wow!!! I promise you that even the founders never envisaged that this ‘thing’ they birthed would go on to survive this long and build so many fine gentlemen. A few young men at the University of Ibadan broke out of the Pyrates Confraternity and birthed the Buccaneers Confraternity.
These young men were tired of being part of an organisation where they could not freely express themselves and the majority were being discriminated against. Therefore upon breaking out our key ethos today are to never discriminate against anybody, never look down on anybody and take out sentiments when dealing with one another. 50 years is a good time to take stock of our past, assess our present and steady the course or plot a new chart for tomorrow if we feel that there are some things we can do better. I’ll take a minute to reflect on the positives I have gotten from being a member of this great organisation for the past 27 years.ž
Camaraderie & Conviviality
I have seen great relationships built across different tribes and age profiles. Some of my best friends are buccaneers and we have been able to influence ourselves positively and grow our businesses together.
Welfare
The Confraternity ensures that the welfare of its members are well catered for. All kinds of support is extended to those who lose loved ones, lose their jobs, need soft loans or just need someone to talk to. This has really been the bedrock of the Confraternity – Brother deliver Brother.
Discipline
One of the key traits that this Confraternity instills in its members. Odas is Odas! This gives us some kind of paramilitary feel when we are taught not to argue orders but to literally obey without complaint and get things done.
Leadership Skills
BC can really be regarded as a leadership training institution. Buccaneers are given the opportunity to lead the organisation across its different strata. These experiences can then be applied to the outside world as we become better and more effective leaders.
Charity
Even as we take the welfare of members as a priority, an equivalent amount of time and energy is expended on making sure that the less privileged in our communities are not neglected. Special focus is placed on giving to orphanages, hospitals, charities and even providing support to government parastatals and agencies.
Religious Freedom
As a non-discriminatory organisation which recognises that there is a supreme being that rules over the affairs of men, members are encouraged to practice their different religions without fear of being judged. This freedom allows us to live freely and in harmony with people of different religious beliefs.
All of the above improves the mental, emotional and even spiritual state of every sailing buccaneer and imbues us with soft skills that can be transferred to the marketplace and make us all better citizens of our country.
Now let us take a look at the challenges ahead of us.
Challenges
In my eye, one of the major challenges facing BC is the ease with which several phoney organisations pretend to be Buccaneers. You see even little children in secondary schools calling themselves some form of buccaneers. These renegade groups carry out their dastardly acts and then smear our name.
As we turn 50 today, our efforts should be aimed at letting the public see who the real buccaneers are and allow them to see our good intentions. We will also support the law enforcement agencies to uncover any dodgy groups impersonating our organisation and damaging our name.
Happy 50th birthday to the real Buccaneers out there and 50 hearty cheers.
Long live Omega galleon
Long live the Buccaneers Confraternity
Article by Mr Aniekan Akpan is a member of the United Kingdom branch.
Published by
Phreshwater Creations
Omega Publicity Committee
