“By dia fingas and dia kariability, we shall know them,” Ranks, Slangs and History of Kegites + Ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo; Ex-President of Tanzania, Julius Nyerere, Professor Wole Soyinka, Dr Orji Kalu, Olusegun Adesina, Akeredolu (SAN), Associate professor Biodun Ojo, Chief Kensington Adebutu, Lekan Osiade; roll call of top members who are karid transformjara of the popular palm wine gyration club
The National Headquarters of the Kegites Club of Nigeria (KCN) has kickstarted its one-year-long celebration, to mark the 50th anniversary of the socio-cultural club, which was founded in 1971.
Speaking at an interactive session with the media, the incumbent head of the club, known as the AB National, Chief Omotunde Peter, who explained why the multiple-packaged event, which was supposed to have begun in December 2021, is starting late, said the delay was due to some challenges that faced the club.
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He however thanked God that despite all the challenges, the programmes finally started last weekend with an Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the club on Saturday December 3rd, 2022, followed by a World Press Conference on Sunday, December 4th, 2022.
The 400-level student of Economics, said the media chat was to intimate the public of many activities to come as part of the celebrations marking the club’s 50th anniversary while disproving the misconceptions about the club being for unserious people.
The AB National gave a rollcall of some members of the club that graduated with first-class degrees while insisting that members of the club are found at the top hierarchy of all professions in Nigeria and beyond.
He said: “We must celebrate how far we have come in the club. The Kegites Club clocked 50 since December last year but we couldn’t celebrate it because we were in the process of registering the club. Surviving for half of a century is not what every organisation can boast of. It is half a century of producing great minds in all strata of the society while promoting African Culture.”
On his part, the Chairman of the 50th Anniversary Planning Committee, Patron Lekan Osiade, gave reasons for the nearly 12 months delay of the event, explaining that the postponement was due to the process of renaming and registering the club.
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Osiade noted that, but for the need to rejuvenate the club, the event would have commenced in 2021 as it was earlier billed to kickstart last year, to coincide with the exact anniversary date, noting that the Kegites Club was formed in 1971.
He said: “It would have started last year but the celebration was delayed because of some challenges we went through. We had to register and distinguish the club from the multifaceted replicas. Don’t forget there are other concepts of the club all over the place.
“But we have put that episode behind us now. We are now ready for a new chapter in the life of the Kegites Club, and that is beginning with this anniversary. We will be having our in-house programmes on a monthly basis, while our public programmes will be quarterly, till we have our grand finale,” he said.
When probed on the political affiliation of the club, the chairman said it is a socio-cultural club and is adhering strictly to its ethos of non-political and non-religious affiliation.
Osiade, who doubles as the Special Assistant on Information to Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State, said, though members are allowed to belong to political and religious organisations individually, the Kegites Club as a body remains neutral.
He therefore refused to be dragged into answering political questions, rather he advised all Nigerians of voting age to collect their Permanent Voters Card (PVC) and vote the candidates that suit their purposes.
He said: “I can only advise you to ensure that you get your PVC and exercise your franchise. In the Kegites Club, we work in tandem with any government in power, we don’t canvass votes for any political party. In our club, we don’t discuss political parties or religion but we discuss good governance.
“Go and get your PVC so that you can vote for candidates of your choice as any decision taken at the polls will also affect you. The Kegites Club was founded to maintain African culture, tradition and values of Africa and this is necessary to correct the erroneous belief that Kegites is a cult group”.
According to Patron Osiade, who is a Life Senior Fellow (LSF) of the National Headquarters of the club, there are so many concerns in the club about the dwindling African culture and the need to bring back African values, while blending tradition with modernization and civility.
“There is a need to bring back our cultural and traditional values. By this, we don’t mean advocating for extremism in adhering to the culture. We are not encouraging some old barbaric practice, we are clamouring for the return of our moral and cultural values with a blend of civility and modernism to preserve our traditions”, he said.
A former head of the club and an associate professor at the University of Maiduguri, Chief Biodun Ojo, also spoke on the need to have the celebration notwithstanding the delay that previously bedeviled the event.
He also explained the difference between the University of Ibadan as the National Headquarters and the Obafemi Awolowo University, which is the World Headquarters of the club, explaining that the University of Ibadan remains the National Headquarters of the KCN and deals with issues pertaining to the members in Nigeria, being the highest authority in the club.
“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 further revealed that former President Olusegun Obasanjo and a former President of Tanzania, Julius Nyerere are members of the club, having joined in November 1976 during that year’s convocation ceremony of the University of Ibadan.
Kegites Club: Ranks, Slang, And History
“By dia fingas and dia kariability, we shall know them”
Kegites got their name from the word ‘keg’ which is a local container for keeping palm-wine. There is an indescribable magical feeling that accompanies the merrymaking of members of the Kegites Club.
Their activities are so electrifying that anyone who does not subscribe to their ways, maybe due to religious or ideological alignment, may find themselves creating space for the glamour that coils around their high-spirited activities.
;Known for cultural, high-spirited dancing, coupled with songs borne out an amalgam of lewd and didactic lyrics. Kegites are mostly found in Nigerian tertiary institutions. The Kegites Club is dubbed to be the most popular socio-cultural club in Nigeria.
Brief History of the Kegites Club
Each club is called Ilya (branch) and there are about a hundred Ilyasis in Nigeria. The Kegites club originated from the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife). It was formally formed in 1962.
University of Ibadan (National Headquarters) which began its operation in 1971 and several others.
Chief Olusegun Adesina was the first Chief to be coronated followed by Emmanuel Abiodun, Bisi Olatunji and others who served as executives alongside the chief. They are known as world chief.
The motto of the club was formerly ‘the basis of African unity’ and ‘world peace is palm-wine’. It was later changed to ‘unity in diversity’. Members of the club were formerly known as palm-wine drinkers until 1986 when Chief Anthony Uzodinma Ogidi changed it to Kegites due to the negative comments and perception the former name garnered.
Over the years, many students in other institutions have found the activities of the club fascinating and thus obtained autonomy from the University of Ife (the world headquarters of the club). Among such institutions are Federal College of Agriculture, Akure (ILYA du TRACTOR), University of Ibadan (NationalHeadquarters) and several others. .
Members of the club are found in learning institutions in Brazil, Canada, Ghana, India, Liberia, London. The objective of the club is to promote Africanism in their songs, promote peace, resuscitate cultural norms, and discourage social vices. Notable members of the club are late Obafemi Awolowo, Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Professor Wole Soyinka, Dr Orji Kalu, Governor Akeredolu (SAN).
The Jarasis Language
The aesthetics of the language of Kegites can not be overlooked. When singing and conversing, they speak an esoteric language which is a mixture of English and the Yoruba language with jargons only understood by members of the club. The language is called Jarasis. A club is called Ilya; the University of Ife being the founding club is called Ilya du world that is, ‘World Headquarters’.
A transport minister is called Transporta; Cricket is the one in charge of singing; Drumito is the drummer; Songito is a singer; Parrot is the public relations officer; Tapper rotates the holy water (palm wine).
Titles/Ranks of the Kegites Club of Nigeria
CHIEF: This is the president of the club in an ilya. He is in charge of accepting new member in the club that is called liberation and has the power to do many things.
ELDER: He is the second in command, that is the vice president to the chief.
FEDA: He is the secretary of an ilya.
PARROT: He is the director of information in an ilya, he passes information to the comrades.
PHILOSOPHER: He is the comrad who knows everything about the club, he teaches and tutorise both animales and comrados in the zoo.
H.O.D: Head of drums, he is in charge of the drum in an ilya he also teaches the other comrades how to beat the drums.
SONGITO: He is the vocalist of the club, he lead in songitizing in jara.
MIGRATOR: He organizes ketekete (vehicles) for external gyrations.
TAPPER: The person that rotates holy water .
MARSHAL: The provost in an ilya , he make sure that the comrads behaves well in an ilya.
LUPOUR: He is the person that shares the holy water for the comrades.
ZOO COMMANDANT: He is the person in charge of the co-ordination of the zoo class.
AJUCTANT: The person in charge of the chief’s items.
CURATOR: A person in charge of the shrine, all the chieftaincy parapitenal is usually put in the custody of the curator.
SPECIAL DUTY (Spedu) : The person also carries out some duty in an ilya.
ELDERSIS COUNCIL: Selection of chief and elders in an ilya who take some important decisions in order for the club to move forward.
CHIEFSIS COUNCIL: This council is the highest body in the club comprising of ab, xy, xyz, archival and metusela chiefesis.
SPIDER: He designs all the comradic materials example includes capito, regalia, neckito.
, he is in charge of the drum in an ilya he also teaches the other comrades how to beat the drums.
SONGITO: He is the vocalist of the club, he lead in songitizing in jara.
MIGRATOR: He organizes ketekete (vehicles) for external gyrations.
TAPPER: The person that rotates holy water .
MARSHAL: The provost in an ilya , he make sure that the comrads behaves well in an ilya.
LUPOUR: He is the person that shares the holy water for the comrades.
ZOO COMMANDANT: He is the person in charge of the co-ordination of the zoo class.
AJUCTANT: The person in charge of the chief’s items.
CURATOR: A person in charge of the shrine, all the chieftaincy parapitenal is usually put in the custody of the curator.
SPECIAL DUTY (Spedu) : The person also carries out some duty in an ilya.
ELDERSIS COUNCIL: Selection of chief and elders in an ilya who take some important decisions in order for the club to move forward.
CHIEFSIS COUNCIL: This council is the highest body in the club comprising of ab, xy, xyz, archival and metusela chiefesis.
SPIDER: He designs all the comradic materials example includes capito, regalia, neckito.
Notable Kegites Slangs and their Meanings
Karid: to be recognized as a member qualified to make contributions.
Regalia: the official attire, a white jumper or Kampala dress with gourds embroidered on it.
Holy water: palm wine.
Comrad: student members.
Ilya du Queen: East London University
Ilya du Punjab: Punjab University, India.
Emusifere: Hemisphere (to describe the location of a club)
Transformjara – Initiated
Galagala – World
Opeke – Female Kegite
Emblem – Calabash
Iyla du Akete – Lagos State University
Iyla du Lagoon – UniLag
Zoo – A place where new members are groomed.
Kegistic Langwaja – This is the approved language of the kegites club.
Baby Ilya – A newly commissioned branch of kegites club that has no keg office or a chief, but attached to an ilya and overseen by a cordee (coronator).
Kegites Club Anthem
Imbibe Imbibe in majesty
Holy water is good for me,
Holy water from kegite stream
That makes us happy every day.
It is believed that the cap worn by them is a cap of wisdom. And so members are wise people who have chosen to revel in the beauty of culture and palm-wine drinking. ‘May you walk and never stumble’ is a common prayer for members of the Kegites Club of Nigeria.
