The Top Dog

Jim Amola Akpareva is everything the Pyrates Confraternity wants its members to be. He is detribalised, hardworking, fortright and successful. He has something to say about almost everything. Little wonder he was made the Cap'n of the National Association of Seadogs (Pyrates) in October last year, twenty one years after he joined the confraternity as an undergraduate of the University of Benin.

The decision to become a Seadog was informed by the admiration for the activities of the group back at the campus. Then, the group had a campus magazine called 'The Anchor' which was reputed for its fearless and thorough report of campus matters. At a point, when the school was bugged down by the corruption in the student's union executive council, the UNIBEN Pyrates Confraternity employed the magazine to obtain the mandatory signatures to dissolve the council. This move left a lasting impression in the mind of young Tim who subsequently joined the confraternity.

With so much official recklessness and disregard for common values even among the citizens, Tim's position as the head of all Seadogs worldwide puts him on a vantage platform to successfully wage the self-imposed social war for the emancipation of the downtrodden. "The country is very sick," he told TEMPOlife. And, the Pyrates Confraternity is determined to continue as a pressure group to remind Nigeria of the imperative of freedom, good governance and social responsibilities. A well traveled man, Tim disclosed that he had heard foreigners admire the sheer strength of having a country as big as Nigeria. "Despite the fact that we've never had good leadership, our size and wealth are subjects of respect outside," he said. The ongoing islamisation of the north and the reluctance of the government to recognise the need for a summit of various genuine interest groups bug the mind of Tim and that of members of his confraternity.

One other thing that is high on the Cap'n's agenda is the correction of the public misconception about the confraternity. Confessing his resolve to leave the association better then he met it as the head, Tim said they plan to continue organising fora for which more people will see them for what they really are. Commenting on Professor Wole Soyinka's outburst against those who refer to the group as a secret cult during 3rd Annual Lecture of the latter's birthday (his 66th), Tim said the group has had to go into litigation against some institutions which maliciously imputed cultism to their name.

When late Sani Abacha clamped some of the members into detention in Enugu for belonging to a secret cult, a court of competent jurisdiction gave them a clean bill. The Ambrose Alli University and the University of Port Harcourt have also been made to recall lecturers suspended because of their membership of the confraternity. Very soon, Tim revealed, the Nigerian ambassador to Japan will be made to account for his "unguided" harassment of some Pyrates recently in his host country. At a meeting with the Nigerian community in Japan, some Seadogs introduced themselves to the ambassador who allegedly called them all sorts of slanderous names.

The fraternity, Tim went on, has stopped all campus activities since 1987 to distinguish itself from the activities of those Soyinka refers to as kampus killer kults (kkk). The activities of the group, however, continue to grow outside campuses. Apart from decks berthed all over Nigeria, the confraternity also has anchor points in the USA, UK and Japan. Tim recently presided over the Zero Converge held in London. Everywhere they take stock of goings on in Nigeria and position the group in a location to respond to them.

On the home front, Tim, 44, is married to Bridget. The couple has three sons. One of the children lives in United Kingdom with Bridget. The other two are schooling here in Nigeria. Tim is the managing director/chief executive officer of Exclusive Friends Fashion Limited in Kano, where he has lived since his NYSC days in the early 80s. The graduate of Graphic Design who also trained as a reprographer in Germany runs one the most successful fashion businesses north of the Niger.

His success has been evidently enhanced by his strict adherence to the Pyrates principles laid out in the four anchor points and seven rubber blades. Life to him must follow the motto of 'Odas is Odas' (order is order). The violent activities of cults on campuses, he said, can never be tolerated by the Pyrates Confraternity. He, however, believes that the government can still re- orientate the lost cultists on campuses by registering them and knowing their membership and who their patrons and sponsors are. That way, whenever they commit any crime, they will know who to hold. 

Anybody who wishes to join the Pyrates has to wait until he is out of school. Then, if he possesses the required level of intelligence, ruggedness, fortrightness and focus in life, Tim said any local Cap'n at district decks can arrange for him to gain membership. For now, there is no plan to return to the campus in the nearest future.

Tempo News Editorial