Pages

Sunday 21 April 2013

Freemason... Not A Secret Society – Asekun


Chief Femi Asekun, the National Grand Chaplain of the Freemasonry in Nigeria, is a notable public figure. Thirty-five years ago, he was initiated into the Lodge Yerwa (Kano) in  the 1974 squad of the order. An old boy of CMS Grammar School, Lagos, who passed out of school in 1950 and a pioneer staff of the then Nigerian Television Service, the U.K. trained economist is the second son of the late Rev. Canon D.K. Asekun of the Anglican Communion. A septuagenarian now, yet traces of the fitness of a former athlete and one time well known stage actor still show in him. In this interaction with AGOZINO EMMANUEL AGOZINO, he explains some misunderstood issues about the Freemasonry and other issues:
Sir, what is Freemasonry?
It is a society of noble men. Of people who are serious and who have contributed immensely to the development of human society and civilization, more so, than any other singular society. It is the largest and oldest fraternal organisation in the world.  Although over the years, there has been an organised campaign to discredit what the order represents. But we do not care because those who should know better as leaders of society wallow in ignorance. While those uninformed, speak nonsense, other serious-minded individuals are daily, embracing the order. Some of these poorly educated members of society, who unfortunately find themselves in positions of influence even go to the extent of branding us a secret society and all that. But like I said we are not bothered. People think it is a secret organisation but that is not true. We are not a secret society. We are like other serious-minded organisations, a society with secrets like the National Assembly.


So what is the origin in Nigeria?
The order was introduced by Christian missionaries along with Christianity. Freemasonry has nothing to do with evil as people think. It is not a religion. It is for people who are good and honest and want to have a better life.

Is the Masonry banned?
Banned? By who?

Christian churches in Nigeria – Methodist, Anglican, Catholic, all of them whose member view it as a secret society.

Go and tell the person who said it that I said he is an illiterate.

Why?
He should stop calling himself an Archbishop. You should tell him to go and find out about the Anglican Communion in Nigeria. The founders of Anglicanism in Nigeria or anywhere in the world were all Freemasons. From King James, the translator of the bible to the Kings and nobility of England. In Nigeria, the late Bishop Howells, that is, the father and the one that a lot of people know, were both Masons. And of course the late Bishop Vinning was also a Mason. Although many at the helm of affairs in churches today are trying to wipe out many of the Masonic vestiges in churches, that may not be possible.

Presently, there are many priests in Anglican churches who are Masons. So how can you ban something that established you? And that is why I say that the Archbishop is an illiterate. By the way what Masonry teaches is that you love God and your fellow human beings just like you find in Christianity. So how can that type of organisation be bad? Why they peddle such rumours is simply because they cannot just walk into a Masonic meeting without being a member.

But if that is the truth, why then did people like Bishop Abiodun Adetiloye, former Anglican Prelate speak against your order?
That is the hypocrisy. The truth is that Freemasonry and Anglicanism are inseparable. Those who try to do that are deceiving themselves. Like I said before, the late Archbishop Vinning, who has a church in Ikeja named after him was a Freemason. Even the Cathedral Church of Christ, Marina (Lagos) was built by Freemasons. Although new converts today are ignorant of that fact, just dig deep into the history of many of those churches and you will be surprised at what you will find. That is the truth.

Then why are they against the organisation?
I think you should go back and ask them.

Is it because your activities are not open to everybody?
Thank you. Let me ask you, the National Assembly and the House of Representative in Abuja, are they secret societies? Or can anybody just enter those Houses without a certain process. We have said before that Freemasonry is an open society. Anybody who wants to be a member will be accepted if the person meets the laid down process and he is of good character. There is a process of joining. First of all, we have ways of finding out about the applicants’ background. For instance, there are people who will go to your area to investigate what kind of person you are. Part of the conditions for acceptance for new members is good moral upbringing.

Since you mentioned the National Assembly, at the beginning of this democratic era, the House has passed a bill saying that they will expel any member found to belong to any secret society, what is your comment on that?
I don't have any comment.

Why?
I think you should better ask them to explain. Because I do not belong to any secret society, I cannot comment. My question to you is: How well have they fared?

Is it true that you help your members through your connections?
Can you tell me of any organisation in the world that does not help its members? Why is it bad if Freemasons help their members? But one thing here is that when a Mason helps another, he does so with the full conviction that the person being helped is not only qualified for the help but is of such a reputation that he will not disappoint or let his recommender down. We are talking about people who help to build society, people who by their moral standards and living, help to promote decency in society.

If your organisation is not open to everybody, don't you think that those who are alleging that it is a secret society are correct?
I ask you again, is the National Assembly in Abuja which you mentioned, open to everybody to walk in. Can anybody just walk into it if he is not a member? Or can anybody join any of those churches in their committee meetings if they are not members.

Why don't people accuse the various churches of being a secret society? The point is that although Freemasonry is an open society it is not for every “Tom, Dick and pussy cat” where anybody can just walk in. It is an organisation for noble people. Men who treasure what is good. So we cannot because people are talking rubbish allow them to trivialise the rich heritage of the organisation. The husband to the British Monarch, H.E. Prince Phillip is not only a Freemason, he is the head of the English Freemasons.

Are you saying that except one follows certain process, he will not be admitted?
Yes, there is a process for membership. Immediately you are a member, you are at liberty to attend lodge meetings anywhere in the world. I have attended Masonic meetings in many parts of the world even in Iceland, one of the coldest countries in the world!

But some would say that you do initiation?
That one is initiated into an order; does it make the organisation bad? Initiation simply means the process of admission. The various churches have a way they initiate people because you cannot join any or be given Communion without admitting certain doctrines. So why is the Masonic one bad while their own is good. Initiation means that you are admitted to an organisation. But that does’nt make it bad. In life, there are processes that one takes. If you want to be a member of any organisation you follow the process. That is what we are saying

What kind of vision do you have for Nigeria?
We live in hope that more Nigerian men will come to realise the beneficial effects of Freemasonry. It is an indisputable fact that if there were more Masons at the helm of affairs, Nigeria will clearly be a better place. As a Nation, we have lost focus and direction.

A large number of Masons were in Ghana recently for the formation and consecration of the Grand Lodge of Ghana. Now, we as Nigerians, ought to take a leaf out of the Ghanian example. Ghanians take their Freemasonry very seriously. In fact, majority of those in the administration of Ghana are Freemasons... We contribute to charity in no small measure, a hallmark of Freemasonry. We are good citizens. But we are not noise makers. We wait for our reward from God and not from man.

Many people do not know that America is what it is because of strong Masonic values which permeates right through to its foundations and also the impact Freemasons have had and continue to have on the world today. You go and read up on the history of America and the great minds of the world and local history such as the founding fathers of America, George Washington (first President of USA), Benjamin Franklin, the majority of American Presidents, Nelson Mandela  the freedom fighter and first black President of the Repulblic of South Africa and a well respected world leaders, Bill Gates, Mozart, Dr. Adebola Adisa Bankole Bailey the renowned Nigerian Surgeon and former head of the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital, Igbobi, Steve Bankole Omodele Rhodes of the Steve Rhodes Voices fame, H.R.M. Oba Funsho Adeolu Sataloye the second, the late Alaaiye Ode of Ode Remo, an educator and actor of the Village Headmaster fame, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Nat King Cole, Louis Amstrong, Winston Churchill the former British Prime Minister, Rudyard Kipling a great poet, Edward Jenner the inventor of vaccination, Alexander Flemming who discovered Penicilin, King George V,  King James whose bible is in everyday use across the world, one of the Archbishops of Canterbury, Geoffery Fisher, Frederick A. Bartholdi who designed the Statue of Liberty, W.E.B. DuBois – educator and scholar, Andre Citroen and Walter P. Chrysler both auto manufacturers, Charles C. Hilton- Hotelier, J. Edgar Hoover a Director of FBI, Melvin Jones one of the founders of Lions International and many many more, then come back and tell me what you have discovered about Freemasonry.

Are you infering that Freemasonry makes a man great?
I am not saying that, eventhough Freemasonry boasts of taking a good man and making him better. What I believe or have come to discover is that the Society is for disciplined minds, it is not for all and sundry. Its values, its virtues will be painfully obvious to some whilst to the majority of souls, it will go unnoticed. Like attracts like and quality attracts quality, and so it is that great discerning minds get together to found the greatest nation the world has ever known, and that members of the Freemasonry Society have impacted the world in no small way whilst tiny indisciplined and uncultured minds wallow in ignorance, idleness and chants of the secrecy of the greatest and oldest Society of men the world has ever known.

And you wonder why nothing works in our country or in any other countries that downplays the role of Freemasonry in the building of a strong and harmonious nation. One more thing, those who accuse or brand us a secret society must be asked of their achievements and contributions towards the advancement of society. Churches are proliferating, so also is immorality and corruption in the country.

1 comment:

  1. Chief Femi Asekun, the National Grand Chaplain of the Freemasonry in Nigeria is full of fire when he answers the questions, knowing that some of the issues are not for public discussion, it behooves me to understand why you even dreamt that he would respond. He defended his position and stuck to his guns without sharing too much information,

    ReplyDelete