The Reformed Ogboni Fraternity, on Saturday, marked its 100 years of existence and pledged to pursue a new agenda in line with its original tenets.
One of such, it said, was to take a lead in re-inventing the indigenous culture.
At its Annual General Council Meeting held at the Opic Event Centre, Isheri, Ogun State, the Olori Oluwa of ROF, Otunba Francis Meshioye, admitted that Nigeria, like other parts of the world, had suffered a cultural setback in recent decades, a situation that, he said, must be savaged.
The fraternity, he noted, would continue to champion the Ogboni culture with more zeal, hoping that other people would emulate it.
He added that other cultures that were congruent with Ogbonism might, henceforth, be examined with a view to adopting them.
According to him, Ogbonism is about fairness and justice, which could only be achieved by those who subscribe to its ideas. He said ROF was not different from the pre-colonial Ogboni group, whose members were charged with community leadership and judicial responsibilities.
He added that the ROF was founded on the belief that those who would judge others must be morally upright themselves.
“In Nigeria, it is an organisation that is very loud in culture. We can set a pace for others who want to propagate their cultures. It is important to strengthen our culture amidst the divergence that is going on all over the world. We should accept our culture and promote it,” he said.
Meshioye warned members against indiscipline, saying “the fraternity is as you want it.” He pledged that every act of indiscipline and unlawful conduct would attract punishment raging from suspension, demotion to expulsion.
He said it was not coincidental that both ROF and Nigeria were born the same year, as the former exemplifies the unity and love the country is craving for. He stressed that the fraternity was instituted to foster unity among people of different religions, ethnics and race.
Asked why the emphasis on discipline during his address, he said it was important to remind members of their responsibilities and that they were constantly warned against undermining others in their conducts.
He said the more open-minded “Nigerians are towards the fraternity, the more they will benefit,” noting that members live in harmony with one another and other members of the society.
“We know you can err. In the ROF we don’t carry anything over, and we have trust for one another. If I have an issue, I will tell you how I feel about it. We don’t begrudge one another. Those of us who have opportunity to contribute to nation building do it credibly.
“One of our rules is to obey the laws of the land where you find yourself. The more opportunities we have, the more the country will benefit,” he said.
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