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.