by Moses Oludele Idowu, ([email protected])
" For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known." ( Luke 12:2)
" My task which I am trying to achieve is, by the power of the written word, to make you hear, to make you feel — it is, before all, to make you see."
- Joseph Conrad ( 1857-1924)
Introduction
The tragedy of 1914 is not the Amalgamation of Northern and Southern Protectorates of Nigeria; it is something else. That "something else" is what I want to explore in this essay.
Most Nigerians, frustrated by the failure of the nation-state see and often make the remark that the Amalgamation of Nigeria was a mistake. This they call "the mistake of 1914". I have a different view. Far from being a mistake the Amalgamation of 1914 was indeed a miracle and though the masterminds of that political protocol might have meant it for evil, it was indeed profound and laden with many possibilities.
Contrary to widespread beliefs the different ethnic groups banded together, at least most of them, have many things in common than are often realized.
It is now clear for instance that the Igalas have a lot in common with Yoruba as to have possibly descended from a common ancestry. Too much similarities in culture, language, origin myths, etymology, etc., are enough examples of this. The same Oduduwa myth or similar myth is also told among Igalas; the same word for water - omi - is also the same word used in Igala among many similarities. Even the greetings follow the same pattern.
Same for Edo and Itshekiri people of Edo State.
It has been shown for instance that the Nupes had a common ancestry with a segment of the Yoruba at a point in history. Nupes lived among the Yoruba originally in old Oyo, old Ilorin and many Igbomina land and even present Egbe- Ijumu land of today's Kogi State. My own great grandmother was a Nupe woman from Ilorin. Alaafin Sango's mother, one of the deified ancestors of YORUBA was born of Nupe woman. The Igunnu mask now common among most Yoruba subtribes was actually of Nupe origin. Dr. Nadel in his study of the Nupe has also established certain characteristics of Nupe women of substance which are also mirrored and corroborated by similar traits among Yoruba women of wealth.
Thus there is enough proof of a common ancestry between Yoruba - or a substantial segment of them - and the Nupes.
It is also now established that in the Oyo- Ile, capital of the old Oyo Empire not only Yorubas lived there but also Nupes, Barubas of Borgu, Kanuris of Borno, Fulanis and Hausas too. This was long before 1914.
Even the Igbos have some similarities both in language and culture with some other tribes and even Yoruba.
In the light of all these we submit that the Amalgamation is not a mistake, it was in fact a divine idea to bring these families of similar and related tribes together under one common fold and leadership.
The real tragedy of 1914 is what most scholars, thinkers and writers have never thought about. Something else happened in 1914 - something far more sinister, deadly, destructive to Nigeria's national purpose and destiny. People have never connected the dots and never seen the linkage between this "something else" and their own poverty and National misery but after today you will see it because your eyes will open.
In 1914 as the foundation of the new Nation was being laid another foundation was being laid against it. As the building blocks of a nation was being instituted another altar was being raised by darkness and sinister forces to divert and corner all the blessings and goods of the nation to her members. This altar will be the source, - in a very profound sense - the origin of all fraternities, cultism, occultism, and the root of thousand and one evils, fountain of corruption, ocean of all manner of unutterable vileness and perfidious trash that are today afflicting this nation. Sure there have been fraternities and occultism before this period but the fraternities of the era did not threaten anyone directly. But this was special in that for once someone attempted and even claimed to be acting in the name of Christianity and for the glory of the Church.
The day of reckoning is here and it is time to unveil this evil altar and naked it before the whole world. "For there is nothing covered that shall not be revealed and nothing hidden that shall not be exposed."
After today you will know why Nigeria is a "paradise for maggots", why evil reigns supreme, why it is difficult to get justice, why our judiciary is designed to frustrate justice rather than to dispense it, why the poor receives harsh sentences for minor offences but the rich with a slap on the wrist for heinous crimes; why government is run like a secret society and Nigeria is governed like an Occult Republic.
But before then let us see how it began and the man who laid this altar, his root, origin and ancestry and antecedents.
The Man T.A.J. Ogunbiyi, Founder of the Reformed Ogboni Fraternity
Certain men by their actions have changed the course of history than they could ever have imagined or realized. Some for the better and some for the worse. Every man of history usually builds a platform through which he can pursue his plans and execute his purposes. Some hijack existing platforms and use them for their own intended purposes. Some borrows cultural forms and existing systems to railroad their agenda on popular imagination.
Such was the case of Thomas Adesina Jacobson Ogunbiyi. He joined the church and rose to the pinnacle of the Anglican Church but he had another motives. Although he proclaimed Christ he was also in love with the traditions and occult systems of his forefathers. He accepted Christianity, or so we thought, but not on Christianity's terms but on his own terms. He saw nothing wrong with Yoruba cultural forms, and mode of worship and cultic systems. It is clear where his love and passion were as events will show.
He became an archdeacon in the Anglican Church, the only African among the whites at the time and respected.
He was also a man of social affairs. He was a member of the Legislative Council with another notable Adeyemo Alakija - who would partner with him to form the Ogboni Fraternity. ROF today is quick to cite these credentials of its founding fathers as justification of his patriotism. The question to ask is if T.A.J. Ogunbiyi and his partner Adeyemo Alakija were indeed nationalists as it is being now claimed why were they not with Herbert Macaulay, Payne, Abdallah etc., and other African nationalists fighting for total decolonization instead of hobnobbing with white men in the Legislative Council?
Ogunbiyi was also a licentiate of Theology, proficient in Arabic, English, Hebrew and Yoruba and was on the Committee that compiled the first Yoruba- English Dictionary, [ See Ayebe 1989:105]
For a man of that era to have possessed these distinctions shows he was ahead of his time. He was also a scholar and writer snd wrote on Ifa, the Yoruba Oracular deity.
He also made several innovations that have now become standard practice in many churches. In 1908 he in conjunction with a Rev. Wakeman, former secretary of CMS founded the first Lagos Company of the Boys Brigade in Nigeria and served as its first Chaplain.
In 1913 he also founded the Lagos Keswick Convention patterned after the London style through which he was able to bring together Anglican Church ( CMS), Baptist, Methodist, Salvation Army to exchange pulpits. This would be the nucleus of Christian Council of Nigeria ( CCN) established in 1943 at Onitsha, the forerunner of Christian Association of Nigeria ( CAN)
He introduced the Harvest Festival to the Anglican Church in 1910 first at his Holy Trinity Church at Ebute Ero, Lagos.
In 1913 he also founded the Lagos Keswick Convention patterned after the London style through which he was able to bring together Anglican Church ( CMS), Baptist, Methodist, Salvation Army to exchange pulpits. This would be the nucleus of Christian Council of Nigeria (CCN) established in 1943 at Onitsha, the forerunner of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN).
For all these innovative developments for whatever they were worth we thank him and honour his memory.
But T.A.J. Ogunbiyi did not stop at that for in the following year 1914 he founded one more thing, what he calls the Christian Ogboni Fraternity. And he did and took some other actions that have terrible and damaging effects on the Anglican Church in particular and Christianity in general.
He was selfless. He took no money for his services and this endeared him to the authorities of the Anglican Church. But he was up to something, something very sinister - some would say.
He began very methodically and with wisdom. He had his agenda clear in his mind.
From here we can learn one or two things. I have asked Christians and pastors to study History because certain realities wont be clear to you without a deeper understanding of History.
Around this period the issue of the native Ogboni Society had cropped up within the Anglican Church. Because Christianity first had its major operations among the Egbas of Abeokuta and in Egba religio- politico- cultural system the Ogboni is a referred institution and and an essential part of Governing Council issue of membership of this institution usually came up within the Church. Can a person be a member of Ogboni and still be a believer in Christ? Just as the Apostolic Church of the First Century debated over circumcision and the Gentiles the Church debated over this issue both in Yorubaland ( Anglican Church) and the Igbo land among Catholic Church. Thus the Church mandated T.A. J. Ogunbiyi to study and examine the Yoruba Ogboni Society/ Cult and advise the leadership or report to it what steps to take. Since he was the only African among 6 archdeacon in Lagos and very active and illustrious, it was believed that being an African he would understand the culture and native customs of his people and better able to advise the Church.
Thus Ogunbiyi traveled within Nigeria to both Ife, where Ogboni known as Mole began and Abeokuta - where Ogboni became an institution and Ijebuland where Ogboni known as Osugbo was a governing power.
He did more than that.
Around 1912 this Anglican divine declared to the whole nation and the Church that he wanted to embark on a holy journey, a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, Egypt and Asia to find the origin of the religion of Christianity. People were excited. Many Christians were glad to hear this since they had only been reading the Bible and have never heard of anyone visiting Jerusalem to show whether those things said in the Bible and those towns and cities were actually real or not. J S.B. Odusona, the second president of Christ Apostolic Church in his account noted that they were excited hearing this news of the proposed trip of T.A.J. Ogunbiyi and the outcome.
Ogunbiyi embarked on his trip and visited the Holy Land of Jerusalem, Sinai, Jordan etc.He also visited Egypt and Asia. Perhaps he was exploring how to wed Christianity with Ogboni native cultic society.
Now I want to give this man a benefit of the doubt to be fair to him. In 1912 Palestine was largely populated by Arabs and very few Jews and Christians. Ogunbiyi would have seen this. He would also have seen the large Al- Aqsa Mosque on Eastern Jerusalem without seeing a single church or cathedral of similar size. Certainly this would be discouraging to anyone who is desirous of following Christianity. If Christianity has no trace or little trace in the land of its birth then what kind of religion would that be? We do not know how much of History he knew to understand why it was so.
Whether this was what discouraged Ogunbiyi or not we do not know and we cannot know. But the aftermath of the trip was disastrous to the cause of Christianity.
Thus when T.A.J arrived Nigeria people were waiting for the news of his trip but he had nothing for them. Instead in 1914 he founded what he called the Christian Ogboni Fraternity - Egbe Ogboni Onigbagbo. This was his own way of ensuring a merger between the two so as to make Christianity appealing to the elites and to embrace the customs and culture of our founding fathers within the claims of Christianity. This is what later became Reformed Ogboni Fraternity.
It was a terrible blow to many Christians who were eagerly waiting for good news from who they supposed was a highly respected church man and Anglican minister. Was this the outcome of a trip to Holy Land?
Ogunbiyi's evangelical trajectory and spiritual career would be controversial from thenceforth; and even questionable. It would account for why elements from within the same Anglican Church fought him and resisted the smuggling through the back door a very sinister and occult formation into the main fabric of the Church. That battle would rage for years against this Fraternity but it appears the Anglican Church has now lost the battle and Ogunbiyi has won.
T.A. J. vs. Indigenous Prophets
From 1914 henceforth Ogunbiyi did not hide where his loyalty lay. Let us see a few examples.
* Denunciation of Moses Orimolade & C&S
In 1916 Moses Orimolade Tunolase began his nationwide evangelistic campaign, the first by an indigenous prophet figure calling people to serve the Only True God through His Son, Jesus Christ. He came to Lagos in 1924 and his ministry was received with awe. He even preached at the Ebute Ero church of T.A.J. It is a surprise that the same man was later denounced by Ogunbiyi and his movement in a scathing polemical attack by Ogunbiyi. He was angry because they denounced witches, preached against idolatry and other native cultural forms. Ogunbiyi actually wrote a pamphlet, Awon Serafu ( The Seraphim) [Lagos: CMS Press, 1926] in which he denounced in a most uncharacteristic language the activities of another servant of God who is even regarded as doing a worthwhile job in the popular imagination. The question should be asked: why should a minister of the Church and an ordained clergy be worried that witches are being denounced? Is there a connection between the wisdom of Solomon and Methuselah's old age?
That was in the 1920's.
In 1930 a major religious awakening broke out among the Faith Tabernacle group, a dissident arm expelled by the Anglican Church in 1922 that had allied and affiliated with a foreign body, the Faith Tabernacle Congregation of Philadelphia. This Revival which began at Ilesha in July 1930 and spread like wildfire across the Southwest of Yorubaland. It swept hundreds of people from the traditional religion to the churches especially the mission churches. Newspapers and Church records of the time contains vivid details of the favourable results of this Revival on the Church. It was led by 26- year old Joseph Ayo Babalola.
For details see my book The Great Revival of 1930: The Origin of Modern Pentecostalism in Nigeria ( Lagos: Artillery Publications, 2007)
When the reports of this got to the Anglican Church in Lagos the authority did the right thing by sending two of its votaries to go to Ilesha and do an on - the spot - assessment and report to her. And who were the two persons sent? It was two archdeacons, T. A. J. Ogunbiyi and Archdeacon Burton, a European missionary.
The Akede Eko ( Lagos News) of November 1, 1930 devoted an entire page to this visit. While Burton was excited with the work and also encouraged the converts to shun all dangerous medicine as Babalola had taught them and trust in God Ogunbiyi had a different ideas. He spoke if use of herbs and also promised to recommend the use of some Psalms. To cap it all he also rendered some verses in Ifa poetry to people just coming out of occultism into the Church.
Why should this be the role of a minister of Jesus Christ and of the Church? Use of Psalms, yes; Ifa, how can? So much for a minister of the Anglican Church.
Sone days later he would also visit Efon- Alaaye, the seat of Babalola. And in 1932 he wrote another diatribe, polemical attack on Joseph Babalola and condemning his entire work. See Asiri Joseph Babalola Aladura ni Efon Alaye ni Ile Ekiti [( The Secret of Joseph Babalola in Efon-Alaaye in Ekitiland), Ibadan: Lisabi Press, 1932]
As he was fighting Babalola in Ekiti he was denouncing Orimolade and Seraphim in Lagos and recommending Ifa and herbs to Christians. Such a man.
It is significant that all the eyewitnesses on ground in Efon and Ilesha had a different opinions abd saw Babalola's works in a positive light. Newspapers of different editions and publishers and dates featured favourable reports and even missionaries of Europe of the Revival of Babalola.
Rev. H. Dallimore founder of the famous Christ School who was on ground in Ekiti had an excellent remarks on the work of Babalola and even promised to invite him to Ado Ekiti for a revival. The Akede Eko (Lagos News) of May 30, 1931 at page 10 titled IROHIN LATI ILESHA NIPA ESO ISE JOSEPH BABALOLA carried an interview with Dallimore and his favourable remarks about the great works that God was using Babalola for.
In another forum Dallimore restated his intentions yo work with Babalola:
" I was much struck with him. He obviously is simple and sincere in heart, and seems as humble as he was some months ago. God is using him and I want to work in cooperation with him. If we do not, I fear not only that we shall fail in our duty, but we may bring sad consequences upon the Church of Christ. " [ See Western Equatorial Africa Church Magazine Vol. xxxvi, No. 446, August 1931, CMS Archive, London]
How prophetic! What Dallimore warned about has now befallen the Anglican Church. That is the subject for another day.
This was the beautiful testimony of a man on ground who should know. However, possibly due to the reports of Ogunbiyi or otherwise the Anglican Church would not work with Babalola.
In the same edition of Magazine, orders came from the Bishop of Lagos, Melville Jones warning and ordering Rev. H. Dallimore not to work with Babalola or allow him to work for the Church. Just as the parent church in England did to John Wesley about 200 years earlier, the Anglican Church, established in her hypocrisy and arrogance, closed the door of Glory against herself when it shuts the door against genuine messengers and prophets of God and benefactors of society. But you cannot close the door to God's Spirit without opening it to evil spirits, witches and familiar spirits. Thus the cultists and men of fraternities had their free way into the Church which we still battle till today. It is not surprising that from then on cultism prospered and spread unchallenged within the church and the nation at large.
Several years later children of largely Anglican parentage would also plant the seeds of Fraternity on our campuses to lay the foundation of occultism in our universities as we see today. These are the unfavorable consequences that the European missionary, H. Dallimore warned Anglican Church against by not working with Babalola in 1930.
History somehow always repeat itself. When the Pentecostal Revival broke out in 1906 at Asuza Street, many nations received and welcome it with open arms as genuine move of God. Except Germany. The evangelical church hierarchy in Germany met and rejected the Revival thus closing the German Church to the inflow of the fresh wave of the Spirit of God. The consequence?
From 1910's upwards the nation of Germany began to witness a wave of occultism all through the nation as Germans dabble into occultism and satanism. The Church was powerless to arrest the drift having caught herself from the power of the Spirit by shunning a genuine revival. Thus the wave of satanism rode through Germany and on the crest if that wave Nazism came and Hitler was propelled. The result was totalitarianism and the World War.
What happened in Nigeria was similar. Because the Anglican Church - the largest and most established and widespread Church of that time refused to do the needful and frustrated the Grace of God.
And T.A.J. Ogunbiyi is partly responsible for this corporate religious behaviour and attitude of the Anglican Church towards the Revival and the revivalists of 1930 by his reports, polemics and actions. Like the Ten Spies of Numbers he brought an evil report of the Revival of 1930 before the Authorities and confused them from making a positive support which would have benefited the Church herself and the nation at large.
This is that man T.A.J. Ogunbiyi.
This then is the dubious legacy of the man who founded the "Egbe Ogboni Onigbagbo" ( Christian Ogboni Fraternity) now known as Reformed Ogboni Fraternity, to which we now turn exclusively.
[ Wait for the second part of the Essay]
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Moses Oludele Idowu is a researcher, writer and Professor of Ecclesiastical Theology and Human Development.
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November 11, 2023
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