WHY I GO TO COURT (REPRISE)

Do you know that in our clime, people generally view anyone who goes to court as a troublemaker or a pest? I go to court but I am not a trouble maker and certainly not a pest. In fact, I am a man who loves peace, very much too.

But how can there be peace when there are too many trouble makers in the world? Too many liars, 419ers, hijackers, kidnappers, armed and pen robbers, and many who think that the world was created just for them and them alone. In case you don't know, the world is filled with many people walking around with only a body but no soul. They will kill you for nothing or take everything that belongs to everyone. They believe that they have a right to oppress everyone and God does not exist except for them.

Yes, I go to court and take on those who do not believe in the rule of law. I thank God that several times, I have used the courts to burst their bubble and give them a bloody nose.

As a people, we love the word, 'peace'. Our false understanding of peace is that you do not question falsehood, injustice, impunity, corruption or lawlessness. If you must question them, just shout in the newspapers, on TV or on Facebook, where your questioning has little or no effect.

I prefer to go to court, take the time, provide the evidence, get a court judgment and enforce it and set a precedent. I do not do it because I am cantankerous or quarrelsome. I do it because it is the most peaceful and civilized way to ensure that the weak does not dissolve under the pressure of the wicked.

In my several years serving people in the creative industry, I have met good people. I have also met all kinds of crazy and wicked creatures. There are those who are totally consumed by their love of money and of themselves. Their only measure of success is how much money they have packed at the expense of others. To them, money is God.

I know a guy who begins to tremble and shake at the sight of any significant amount of cash. Believe me, this guy was not born poor yet money has become his God. When my guy sights money, he becomes an animal. You may not believe it but my guy is convinced that once you see any measure of money, you have a duty to appropriate it regardless of who owns it. To him, any money that comes within your sight is yours and whatever you do to grab it is ok.

When such people accuse me of stealing, I understand them. In their minds, how can he be in control of such significant amount of money and spend it to build an edifice like COSON House in Lagos for the good of others when in the same Lagos he owns no house of his own? When they hear that COSON is distributing hundreds of millions of Naira, they sneer. In their minds infected by the crazy love of money, they cannot imagine how someone can distribute such money to others when he can appropriate all of it to himself. To them, the selflessness of Mother Theresa is a fable. The sacrifice of Martin Luther King is stupid. The 27 years that Nelson Mandela spent in prison is nonsense. After all, how much money did any of that bring? To these people, I must be either a fraud or a fool. Please, I am neither of the two.

I have said elsewhere that I have seen from the recent arguments in COSON of which I am chairman that a number of people want the usual Nigerian quick fix. They make so much noise on Facebook and proclaim as facts things that have neither rhyme nor reason. As we argue, some people are frightened. They want everyone to quickly gather in a pepper soup joint over some bottles of lager and stout. While fairly drunk, we will sweep the key issues under the carpet, take some photographs and proclaim that everything is ok. Six months later, reality will haunt everyone again as the same issues come back with a vengeance and completely destroy everything we have built.

I have repeatedly said to people that the organization called COSON was built and nurtured on the platform of strict adherence to the rule of law. The resources of COSON which is driving some crazy and which they so desperately seek to control were put together with assistance of the courts and on the wings of the rule of law. I have been to practically every court in the land to ensure those resources. When my guys complain about the courts, they forget that the money that is driving them gaga is a product of the courts. We cannot be afraid of the courts. Those who want "beer parlor" peace in COSON do not understand that without the rule of law, copyright is nothing and COSON is nothing.

In the area of the development of intellectual property management in Nigeria, COSON is a Pathfinder, a Forerunner, a Navigator or if you prefer, an Explorer. The rules under which collective management must thrive in Nigeria need to be clearly set out by the courts and not in a beer parlor. My personal experience should tell everyone that not everything that you read on Facebook or watch on TV is true. On Facebook or TV, you can make the most outrageous claims about anything without a shred of evidence. In a court of law, you must provide evidence to back up your claim.

Believe me, there can never be true peace without justice. That is exactly why I go to court.

See you next week.

HALLOWED BE THY NAME!

HALLOWED BE THY NAME!

Hallowed be thy name! I am an unbelievably lucky guy and I thank the Almighty for the incredible protection he has given me in many trying circumstances and under conditions that would have broken many men. For a guy who goes to church only once in a while, it is in every way a miracle!

Believe me, I have repeatedly seen the treachery and betrayal of men and how people rationalize the nonsense they do. If you are not careful, you will tend to believe that there is no good man left in the world anymore and there is no reason to do good to anyone.

Then you have the experience I had on Monday and you realize how wrong you are.

I have written before that I was not born as Chairman of COSON and I frankly did not think it was a big deal when I was first elected. I do not know whether it was because COSON was then merely a mustard seed.  

I was a key founding father of PMRS, the major organization that gave birth to COSON. I did much of the technical work at PMRS and could easily have become the first Chairman of PMRS if I wanted to. The first Chairperson of PMRS was not Tony Okoroji but Erelu Keji Okounowo, a beautiful lady who used to be MD of Sony Music in Nigeria. I supported her the best I could. I did not become Chairman after Okunowo. The late Christy Essien Igbokwe took over from Chief Okunowo. I also supported Christy the best I could.

When I succeeded Mrs. Igbokwe, it was clear to me that there was just too much talk in PMRS and too little action; too much planning and too little execution. In many creative industry organizations in Africa, people just squabble and squabble without producing any enduring results. I concluded that if we were to build a copyright organization that will be exemplary and stand the text of time, the driving force would be execution.

There are people who complain that I am 'Executive Chairman' at COSON. The truth is that when everyone else leaves the boardroom, I stay back to intensely review with management the decisions made by the board and determine how to give them feet to walk and wings to fly. I simply do not believe in talk without action. People often ask me: what is the secret of the success of COSON? If I had to answer in one word, the word would be 'execution'.

I do not consider my position as Chairman to be to sit and beautify a chair or to wear 'agbada' at big occasions and make meaningless speeches. I am the team leader. My job is to make sure that work is going on and we are executing. I am the general in front of the army and not behind. I do not ask others to work while I drink pepper soup. I dirty my hands and get the work done.

Take it from me: most people do not say what they mean. You have to read their lips. I have had to learn to understand what people mean and not what they say. No one has come to me to say, "I envy your success", "How can I adopt your work ethics?" or "man, you get things done"

They will tell you that Okoroji is "Executive Chairman" and is doing everything thing himself. Next minute, the same people will tell you that Okoroji did not do anything, "we are the ones who did all the work"!

I have seen people sit in the beautiful COSON Boardroom with the cool air conditioner blowing them from above and a choice of tea, coffee or some other drink available to them and beat their chests at what COSON has achieved and in the same vain complain about the man and the style that led to the achievement of the success. You then ask yourself, "what do they really want: process or product, style or failure?"  

I have always asked the Almighty to give me an opportunity to give. Anyone who has worked with me will tell you that I give my all to every assignment I undertake.

I have written in this column before that if had become a janitor or a security man, I would have dedicated myself as much as I have dedicated my life to leading COSON.

On Monday, at Lagos Sheraton Hotel, I stepped down as a Director and Chairman of the Board of COSON. My term was up. Despite a full auditorium of COSON members from practically every state in Nigeria, no one stepped up to take the position. In conformity with our rules, I was re-elected. My COSON colleagues understand the task. They know how tough it is. They know that I do not monkey around with their organization.

On Monday, it struck me that that there are still good men left in the world and that there is good enough reason to do good to as many people as possible.

I thank the members of the reconstituted COSON Board who have shown me camaraderie beyond what anyone in my position should expect in Nigeria. I thank Sir Shina Peters, Kenny Saint Brown, Honourable John Udegbunam, Bright Chimezie, Maureen Ejezie Uso, Eng Sharon Esco Wilson, Richard Cole, Uche Emeka Paul and Koffi Idowu Nuel.

Once again, I thank the thousands of COSON members across the country, our affiliates, hard-working management and staff, consultants, licensees, service providers and many friends of COSON at home and abroad. I appreciate you because without your unflinching support, I will not be standing today.

Once, with tears in my eyes, I pledged to COSON members that I will not let them  down. I will not. Hallowed be His name!

See you next week.

 

THE POSSIBILITY OF THE IMPOSSIBLE

I once wrote in Saturday Breakfast that not very long ago, I received a very warm welcome in Benin City from his Royal Majesty, the Oba of Benin. Three years ago, the Olubadan of Ibadan practically rolled out the red carpet for the COSON delegation which I led to his palace.

Just last year, I was in the palace of the revered Emir of Kano, the very brilliant Mohammed Sanusi II, with my friend and colleague, the unforgettable Ras Kimono. My delegation and I were warmly received by the Emir. His Highness, a former Governor of Nigeria's Central Bank clearly understands economics and the way the wealth of nations is built. He said very kind words to us and had effusive praise for the work we are doing to reposition our country in the new knowledge and creative economy. 

Visiting an Oba, an Emir, a Minister or a Governor in our continuous outreach to expand the frontiers of the understanding of intellectual property in our country, is probably one percent of the work we do. That is however the part of the work that most times attracts envy.

Anyone who has managed a band of a few musicians, will understand that bringing together thousands of creative people, managing their effervescent temperaments and molding them into a force for progress is not beans. My phone rings practically off the hook. Any problem of each of the thousands of members of COSON is my problem.

In the building of the copyright system in Nigeria, I have carried placards many times and led very risky demonstrations many-many times. I have been to court and witnessed against top corporations, governments and individuals time and time again. I have gone many-many days without sleep, travelled lonely roads at dangerous hours, written opinion articles, delivered lectures, organized myriad conferences, seminars and workshops.

I have superintended over the building of an outstanding Nigerian institution called COSON which many said could never see the light of day. When the COSON House was commissioned almost two years ago, a lot of people were surprised that there was not one Naira of government money in the magnificent building, no donor dollar from anywhere, no bank loan and no debt of any type.

For eight years, not one of the highly trained staff of COSON received his or her salary one day late. Not until recently, when some meddlesome interlopers went to court behind our backs to shut down the bank accounts of COSON. No COSON member entitled to royalties has ever been denied money due to him. It might surprise many to know that no COSON member pays any registration fee, monthly dues or subscription of any type yet every COSON member is entitled to some income every year. 

My dedication to the copyright cause has never been because of a title or because of personal wealth. My official car for much of 2018 was one rickety 20-year old Toyota Camry and later on, one 16-year old Honda Pilot. I do not live in a house provided by COSON. No member of my family goes to a hospital provided by COSON. I do not go on a vacation on the bill of COSON. I have written in Saturday Breakfast before that I verily believe that the true worth of a man is not in what he takes but in what he gives. Pray, how many bags of Naira will I be buried with?

Over and over again, I have been counted out by men who believe in the word, IMPOSSIBLE. I drive on a full tank of faith, so I verily believe in the word POSSIBLE. As a result, the good Lord has refused to count me out. In the last 12 months, I have been dragged to the Nigeria police, the EFCC and visited by SARS. Not long ago, it was all over the media that the Copyright Commission has filed criminal charges against me and some of my colleagues at COSON for working for the good of our country! They did not file the charges because we did anything wrong but because we did everything right. We have followed the law and every rule scrupulously and made the IMPOSSIBLE POSSIBLE. The result is envy and covetousness. To think that I was one of the people who wrote the law setting up the Nigerian Copyright Commission. Typical Nigerians, they badly want to hijack COSON and bleed it dry.

Recently, they began this loud campaign for the 'independent' audit of the COSON accounts. The intent is to create the impression that Okoroji's hands are not clean. "He is hiding something somewhere". The persons who started this campaign know the truth. The truth is that no organization in the history of the Nigerian creative industry has, year after year, been meticulously audited like COSON. Not the NCC. Not PMAN. Not NARI. Not REPRONIG. Not AVRS. Not AMB – PRO. Not AGN! I challenge anyone with alternative facts to please make them public.

Each of the thousands of COSON members, including those making the noise, have copies of the COSON audited accounts which have been ratified by COSON members every single year, as required by law. No COSON audit has ever been done one day late. Each of the audited accounts is in the custody of the Nigerian Copyright Commission, the Corporate Affairs Commission and the COSON international partners. Copies of the audited accounts are available at COSON House for anyone to inspect.

I do not worship men. I only worship God. I swore to defend the interest of the members of COSON as long as they want me to. I will continue to drive on a full tank of faith with my tires pumped with love. Please do not listen to anyone who tells you that your dreams are impossible. That word, impossible, belongs to the devil.

I guarantee you that we will continue to shame the devil and make the IMPOSSIBLE POSSIBLE.

See you next week.

WHEN YOU STOP BEING THEIR ‘MUGU’

I have spent much of my life wrestling with man's hatred. I have little material wealth but I have faith and happiness. I appreciate the grace that the Almighty has given me to work hard, focus on every challenge and achieve results that please him. I love the gift He has given me and I try to use it the best I can.

I do not want to be Dangote or Otedola or Ronaldo or Donald Trump. I am Tony Okoroji and I like it.

I know that the good Lord has given to each of his children our peculiar gifts. The problem is that rather than harness our gifts, some people are very busy with envy and covetousness and fixated on the gifts of others. Somebody should tell them that I do not want to be them, can never be them and no matter how much they try, they cannot be me.

When I say that I drive on a full tank of faith, what I mean is that I have full confidence that if what I am doing is to the glory of God and the good of his children, I cannot fail. As my tank is filled with faith, so are my tires filled with love and no obstacle or bump can stop me.

I have heard some people say that I am arrogant… No sir! What they consider arrogance is confidence. If you believe in God, you glow in his glory. I am not so stupid that I do not understand that the wisdom and strength that I deploy do not belong to me but to the Almighty. If you think that I am arrogant, please bury the thought. I simply glow in the glory of God.

I know that hatred is a virus, the worst virus there is. Hatred permeates your body engine and destroys the effectiveness of your mechanism. Hatred drains you of happiness and rational thinking. That is why those who have attacked me with falsehood repeatedly fall 'yakata'. They will continue to fail because they cannot think rationally. When you cannot think rationally, you will just fail and fail and fail.

In their hearts, those who have gone after me know that I have done nothing against them and taken nothing that belongs to them. They are just driven by hatred and so cannot act rationally. They cannot work as hard as I do but want recognition for what they have not done. How?

Everyone who knows me will tell you that I work 25 hours a day, 8 days a week. I never stop working and I don't complain about it. Life is work. Work is fun. In everything I do, I seek perfection. I have repeatedly asked the good Lord to use me to do good to as many people as possible. Every day I wake up, it is my duty to put a smile on the face of someone.

I have realized that nearly everyone who ferociously attacks me is someone I have given my love to. They take and take and at some point, conclude that you have become their 'mugu,' available to give everything they want. Then, they make a demand for that which you can't give. Come and see wahala! They are shocked that their 'mugu' can say no to them on anything. After all, you are supposed to be there for their use. Suddenly, friendship turns to hatred. From being a very good person, you have become a very bad person. That is when the hate swells and the desire to destroy you ferments.

Repeatedly I say that I do not want to dwell in hatred. Hatred belongs to the devil. I deal with love and I know that the Almighty will never let me be successful in destroying anyone who has done nothing against me.

I have witnessed some people concoct so much lies about me, repeatedly tell their lies until they even begin to believe their lies. They continue to run from pillar to post and need to ask themselves why their coordinated lies have been so ineffective. The answer is simple: love conquers hate.

I do hope that all of us will learn that man is not God and God does not dwell in hate. If you kneel down and pray that you succeed with your hate, you have not prayed to God but to the devil.

Try pumping your tires with love and drive on a full tank of faith. I promise you, you will never be stranded along the way.

 

See you next week