By: Olanshile Ogunrinu
The foremost student socio-cultural club, the Kegites Club of Nigeria Headquartered in the University of Ibadan, on Sunday, December 4, 2022, flagged off its 50th anniversary.
The club flagged off its anniversary with a Press Conference at the Kegite shrine on the University of Ibadan campus.
Welcoming pressmen to the event with members of the clubs in attendance, Kegites Chief, Omotunde Peter, a 400-level student of Economics, said the press conference is a precursor to many activities to come as part of the celebration of the club’s 50th anniversary.
“We must celebrate how far we have come in the club, surviving for half of a century is not what every organization can boast of, it is an half-century of producing great minds in all strata of the society while promoting African Culture,” he said.
The Kegites Club, founded in 1971, is a popular socio-cultural organisation in Nigeria, with the aim of promoting African culture. UI has since been its headquarters with the national shrine located opposite the Nnamdi Azikwe Hall.
While speaking at the event, Lsf Osiade Lekan, a graduate member of the club and a senior special adviser to the governor of Ogun state expressed concern about the erosion of African culture and the need to remind people, especially the young ones of how beautiful the African culture is.
“Even though we are not advocating for extremism in adhering to the culture but with a blend of civility to preserve our traditions,” He said.
Chief Peter Omotunde also disproved the misconceptions many people have about the club being for unserious people as erroneous. He pointed out that a lot of the members of the club graduated with first-class degrees and no profession in Nigeria doesn’t have a Kegite member in top positions. He also said the club is going to embark on a series of activities in the UI community which is commencing.
While answering a question about how Obafemi Awolowo came to be the World Headquarters of the club, Chief Biodun Ojo, an associate Professor at the University of Maiduguri and a chief of the club in 1998 said the University of Ibadan remains the National Headquarters of the club and remains so upon the unification of the clubs in 1986.
“We have a very good relationship with all other branches of the club in the West, North, East and even overseas. Kegites Club started at the University of Ibadan in 1971, while it is right that the Palm wine Drinkard Club had been founded in the Obafemi Awolowo University earlier, however, in 1986, they adopted our name which is the Kegites Club and our distinct features so it is clear,”
He went on to reveal that Nigerian former President Olusegun Obasanjo and his Tanzanian counterpart, Julius Nyerere joined the club during the occasion of the University of Ibadan’s convocation ceremony on the 11th of November,1976.
Other members of the club on the high table include Lsf Sam Nwakwo, Editor of Tribune Newspaper, Chief Rufus Olamilekan, a Chief of the club in 2017 and a current postgraduate student of UI, Nathaniel Adebiyi, a 400-level Geology student and the Ab Feather(secretary) of the club, Osuntogun Damilola, 400-level Philosophy student and the Ab Elder(second in command) of the club.
