From Oluseye Ojo, Ibadan
In a bid to put more vibes on the promotion of African culture, the national headquarters of Kegites Club of Nigeria, University of Ibadan in Oyo State, has kicked off a year-long activities to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the club, known for drinking of palmwine and gyration on campuses.
This was made known during a press conference addressed by the sitting chief of the club, Peter Omotunde, at the Kegite, Shrine, UI, Ibadan yesterday.
He was assisted during the press conference by old members of the club that graduated from the institution many years ago, including the chairman of the 50th anniversary committee, Lekan Osiade; an associate professor in the University of Maiduguri, Biodun Ojo; and an associate editor with Nigerian Tribune, Sam Nwaoko.
According to Omotunde, “The celebration of the 50 years of Kegites Club in the University of Ibadan, which we are kick-starting today is a worthy tribute to the contributions of our fathers. Their vision of a club that celebrates the African culture and tradition among youth in the University of Ibadan as at then is a confirmation that the substance of Nigerian youth in the
universities of yore as agents of the promotion of the fraternal love expounded in our culture
and tradition.
“Historically, Kegites Club National Headquarters, which had existed before 1972, when it was so
named, had initially borne Kegites Confraternity. The sole aim was to use African songs, folklore
and other elements of Africanity to encourage university undergraduates of that era everywhere to maintain their Africaness.”
Chairman of the 50th anniversary committee, Lekan Osiade, said the national shrine of the club on the campus of the institution would be given a facelift, adding that many projects would be done to promote African culture.
But the trio of Osiade, Ojo and Nwaoko, stated that the club is not into partisan politics and would never queue behind any political party. They said they could only encourage Nigerians to get their permanent voter cards (PVCs), be law abiding, and vote for the candidates of their choice during the 2023 general elections and other off-season elections.
