The handful of students from poorer backgrounds either stuck doggedly to their books, looking forward to the day when the prize of an academic degree would compensate their present indignities, or strove assiduously to be admitted to the sophisticated circle of their flashier peers. Ashamed of their peasant or worker background, some played on the ignorance of their parents who made prodigious sacrifices to enable their children join the aristocratic sets, in appearance and acquisitions at least. So thoroughly did they absorb the habits and ethics of the class to which they desperately aspired that they, in effect, even outdid the "natural" elite of the university campus.

At this time, University College, Ibadan was affiliated with the University of London and was one of the two higher institutions of learning (in the real sense of the words) in Nigeria.

Not surprisingly, student clubs were a reflection of these ambitions; so also was the orientation of the Student' Representative Council, which often made demands on the rest of the Nigerian community as if it was a body of exotic strangers from outer space.

The 1950s also marked a heightening of the nationalist movement and the sad recourse to tribal alignments in the country. Quick as always to absorb the worst tendencies of many national movements, the University College, Ibadan, itself became a breeding ground for the worst kind of tribal thinking clubs, the Students' Representative Council, all forms of student activity, including sports, became mere expressions of tribal pettiness.

Beginning of Pyracy

It was against this background and to combat these negative tendencies that seven students founded the Pyrates Confraternity (PC) in 1952. Their original scroll written and signed by those founding fathers, listed below, remains a most valued item in the Pyrates Treasure Chest.

These men known as the Original Seven are:

1. Wole Soyinka
2. Ralph Okpara
3. Pius Oleghe
4. Ikpehare Aig-Imoukhuede
5. Nathaniel Oyelola
6. Olumuyiwa Awe
7. Sylvanus U. Egbuche

The Original Seven, at Tedder Hall Quadrangle, University College Ibadan. From left: Wole Soyinka,
Ikpehare Aig-Imoukhuede, Sylvanus Egbuche, Pius Oleghe, Nathaniel Oyelola, Muyiwa Awe, Ralph Okpara

Soon their rank increased to fifteen to become the "fifteen men on a dead man's chest". To combat tribalism within their ranks, they adopted pyratical names, different from their "lubbish" names, with no trace to any tribe or origin. Thus was born the Jolly Rogers l (JR1) deck which for a long time remained the mothership of the pyrates Confraternity.

A New Era – Pyracy goes national

Over time , students from other emerging higher institutions of learning embraced the spirit of pyracy and its commitment to protect the weak in a de-tribalised Nigeria. The rapid growth in membership and the spread across several campuses gave birth to the first conference which was held on the mothership, JR1 in March 1973 with 140 members in attendance. The conference brought together all like minds all over the country and can be regarded as the beginning of a new era in the Pyrates Confraternity.

The Supreme Pyrates Council (SPC) was inaugurated in November 1978 following a proposal made for a formal organisation structure for the PC and the establishment of the SPC. The composition of the SPC was spelt out and adopted at the conference. ( Professor Wole Soyinka) was to be the Chairman and Patron for life. Official status Two years later, the seventh conference was held with over 600 members in attendance.

In 1980, the Pyrates Confraternity was formally registered with the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Internal Affairs under the Land (Perpetual and Succession) Act Cap.98, with the name National Association of Seadogs (NAS) and Registration Number RC 1592. Emergence of secret cults The PC grew rapidly from the mothership, JR1 such that by 1978, there were a total of 18 decks with over 22,000 individuals having passed through the PC. However, by the early 1970s, several clone organizations began to emerge from the various campuses. Although they claimed to be fraternities, their behaviour became so disturbing that the PC had to seriously consider leaving the scene for them.

Finally in July 1984, on the orders of Cap'n Blood, the PC closed down all ABC (student) decks and bade good bye to the campuses. Many people have criticized this decision as the withdrawal of the PC from the campuses in Nigeria gave birth to fierce struggle for pre-eminence among the pseudo-fraternities accompanied by extreme hooliganism and other forms of anti-social tendencies. Nevertheless, the PC has left the campuses and it is for good. In 1990, concerned about the campus pseudo-fraternities who by their horrendous acts became perceived as "secret cults", the PC in conjunction with a media organisation organized a seminar titled Secret Cult in Higher Institutions: The Way Out.

Eminent personalities spoke at the seminar and proffered solutions to the growing menace. A comprehensive record of the proceedings was compiled and forwarded to the Federal Military Government for consideration. Speakers included a former Nigerian Ambassador, Representative of the U.S. embassy, Cap'n Blood himself, a media Representative, a Representative of the labour movement and so on.

A positive contribution from the Pyrates prior to this time in 1986, the PC, alarmed at the level of fraud being perpetrated at the Lagos/Ibadan Expressway Tollgates, conducted a scientific study the nature and extent of the fraud. The findings, which were quite revealing, were compiled and presented to the Federal Ministry of Works with solutions on how to curb the fraud. It is gratifying to note that the Federal Government in 1994 finally implemented one of the key recommendations of the study, the privatisation of toll collection. By Government's own admission, the results of the privatisation exercise had been quite tremendous.

Tragedy hits the confrat

The first and one of the most tragic moments of the PC occurred on Tuesday, 27 December 1983 at 1030 hours. The Nigeria Police Force in Ughelli brutally murdered six pyrates in cold blood. Members organized an anti-police brutality rally at the scene of this gory incident in 1984. In response to the protest by the Confraternity, the Inspector general of Police in his letter of condolence to the SPC described the incident as unfortunate and promised full investigation. The outcome of the investigation led to the prosecution of the six Policemen involved in the mass murder. The case still remains open to this day.

Paradoxically, when the PC commenced production of a monthly journal, Armada, one of its editions was devoted to highlighting the plight of the men and women of the Nigerian Police Force and the need to improve their condition of service to a level commensurate with their responsibilities.

NAS in the 1980s, 1990s

The first NAS Cap'n was elected at the Jos convention in 1984, thus ending the 8 year reign of the first Executive Scribe.

Today, PC has evolved from a campus confraternity to an international organisation with branches in Africa, Europe, Asia, America and Canada. Its goal as enshrined in the pyratical creed remains the pursuit of a just and egalitarian society in which the strong protects the weak and all have equal access to opportunity for the realisation of each person's potential.