NEITHER POWER NOR MONEY HAS CHANGED MOSES EKPO

NEITHER POWER NOR MONEY HAS CHANGED MOSES EKPO

Last week, I was in Uyo, the well laid out capital of Akwa Ibom State. I had travelled with my COSON colleague, Chinedu Chukwuji for the grand burial in Abak of Emmanuel Ntia who at well above ninety years remained a musician's musician and an incredibly vibrant performer. We stayed in a modest hotel.

At about 9.30 pm, Chinedu knocked on my hotel room door to say that I had visitors. Who could that be? Who knew I was in town? I went downstairs. Lo and behold, waiting for me was the Deputy Governor of Akwa Ibom State, the great Moses Ekpo. He had come with Aniekan Umanah, former Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Information whom I had met several times while Godswill Akpabio was governor. To my mind, Aniekan is one of the best communications man any state in Nigeria has had. Of course, before him was Moses Ekpo, the first ever Commissioner for Information in Akwa Ibom State.

The Deputy Governor told me that he would not hear that I was in town and not come to see me. We shared a drink and discussed happenings in our nation, including of course, our mutual friend, Godswill Akpabio. I was touched. In his exalted position, Ekpo could have asked me to come and visit him, especially in the middle of the time-consuming election campaign. He did not. Instead, he came to me. Give a man money or power and you know who he truly is. Neither power nor money has changed Moses Ekpo.

Next morning in Abak, His Excellency, the Deputy Governor waited for me to arrive the home of Emmanuel Ntia to join him before the lying in state ceremonies could begin.

Not very long ago, I received a very warm welcome in Benin City from his Royal Majesty, the Oba of Benin. Two years ago, the Olubadan of Ibadan who was once a music industry person, practically rolled out the red carpet for the COSON delegation which I led to his palace.

Last year, I was at the palace of the revered Emir of Kano, the very brilliant Mohammed Sanusi II, with my friend and colleague, the late Ras Kimono. My delegation and I were warmly received by the Emir. His Highness who clearly understands economics and the way the wealth of nations is built, said very kind words 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 sometimes elicits envy, covetousness and hatred.

Anyone who has managed a band of a few creative people, will understand that the real hard work of 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 many risky demonstrations in which I could have been jailed or killed. I have been to court and stood on the witness stand 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 hard 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 in Ikeja was commissioned in 2017, by none other than the great Moses Ekpo, a lot of people were surprised that there was not one Naira of government money in the magnificent building, no donor dollar, no bank loan and no debt of any type. For eight years, not one of the highly trained COSON staff received his or her salary one day late. No COSON member entitled to royalties was ever 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 funded 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 money will I be buried with?

In 2018, I was dragged to the Nigeria police, the EFCC and for several weeks, it was all over the media that the NCC had filed criminal charges against me and some of my colleagues at COSON for working for the good of our country! Numerous press conferences have been held by people I once thought were my friends to spread blatant lies and half-truths against me and to completely decimate my name.

Not too long ago, I visited what used to be the beautiful NCC main enforcement office at Costain in Lagos set up with the never-say-die spirit of Moses Frank Ekpo as DG. I left heart broken. The roof is leaking badly. The place is stinking. Rats and cockroaches are chasing after each other in broad daylight. The toilet facilities have broken down. Sometimes, there is no power in the building for months. I understand that most of the staff bring the furniture they use from home! At the same time, there have been serious allegations of massive fraud in millions at the NCC. That is not what Ekpo and I had in mind when we formed a strong partnership with the likes of Egerton Uvieghara to build the NCC.

Until he left as DG of the NCC in December, Afam Ezekude, never once visited COSON House, the sparkling gem of the copyright system in Nigeria. Today, he is gone. Today, there is a different man at the helm of the NCC. All these Nigerians who are flexing their muscles all over the place because of the offices they presently occupy should learn a lesson from the way Ezekude exited in ignominy.

I wish the new NCC DG, John Asein well and pray for his success. I hope that he has learnt something from his mentor, Moses Frank Ekpo who neither power nor money can change.

See you next week.