Soyinka Defends Pyrates Confraternity, Addresses Corruption

Soyinka Defends Pyrates Confraternity, Addresses Corruption

Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, described corruption as a deadly cankerworm that ruins nations and disadvantages people. He emphasized that without a change in attitude and readiness to do the right thing, combating corruption in the country would remain impossible.

Soyinka made these remarks at the 26th Annual Wole Soyinka Lecture organized by the National Association of Seadogs, known as Pyrates Confraternity, to mark his 90th birthday. The event, held at the June 12 Cultural Centre in Abeokuta, featured a lecture by former Lagos State governor Babatunde Fashola on the theme, “The Baby or the Bathwater: Navigating the Dark Tunnels of Systemic Corruption to Nationhood.”

Soyinka highlighted that corruption pervades all levels of Nigerian society and requires a collective decision to halt its spread. He stated, “Corruption is not just the exchange of money; it is a cankerworm that eats deep into society from top to bottom, corrupting our very nature and existence.”

He emphasized that the solution to corruption begins internally, reflecting one of the founding motives for establishing the Pyrates Confraternity 62 years ago. Soyinka also clarified misconceptions about the Pyrates Confraternity, asserting it is not a secret cult but an association committed to justice and the country’s betterment.

During the event, Soyinka and former Commonwealth Secretary-General Chief Emeka Anyaoku unveiled the book “Ship Ahoy,” documenting the confraternity’s 60-year history.

In his lecture, Fashola described Soyinka as a global gift, emphasizing that the worst form of corruption is the displacement of moral values, which has corrupted people’s ways of life. He also highlighted road crash statistics, underscoring that insecurity is not the sole cause of significant monthly fatalities in Nigeria.