THE WORD, “IMPOSSIBLE”, BELONGS TO THE DEVIL

I have written before that I have been to court more times than many litigation lawyers 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, all with a smile. It is not by my power.

I helped to construct PMAN and 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 over three 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. The building continues to stand tall and to sparkle. I tell you that it is not by my power.

I also worked with others to construct the Nigerian Copyright Commission which like several badly led Nigerian institutions, has made the pursuit of Tony Okoroji its key objective. I helped in writing the law setting up the institution and with the unassailable Prof Egerton Uvieghara and Bayo Aiyegbusi, an unforgettable public servant, drafted the first amendment to the law.

For ten years, not one of the highly trained staff of COSON received his or her salary one day late. No COSON member entitled to royalties was ever denied money due to him. Not until some meddlesome interlopers went to court behind our backs in a typical example of the famous Nigerian 'bad belle', to shut down the bank accounts of COSON. It might surprise many to know that no COSON member has ever paid any registration fee, monthly dues or subscription of any type yet every COSON member is entitled to some income every year.  Believe me, that it is not by my power.

My dedication to the copyright cause has never been because of a title or because of personal wealth. I do not live in a house provided by COSON. In fact, I live in exactly the same house I lived in before COSON was born. Every member of staff of COSON goes to a hospital paid for by the organization. However, as Chairman, COSON does not even buy Panadol for me or for any member of my family. I do not go on a vacation on the bill of COSON. I have written in Saturday Breakfast several times that I verily believe that the true worth of a man is not in what he takes but in what he gives. My dedication to the copyright cause is a passion and my contribution to nation building.

Over and over again, I have been counted out by men who do not understand the concept of giving and of sacrifice. They have tried every which way to count me out. Each time they think they have finally succeeded, something new happens. They are confused and cannot understand why the good Lord has refused to count me out. I work for Him.

I have repeatedly emphasized that I drive on a full tank of faith. I serve a living God. The work I do is to the glory of the Almighty. The power I use is not mine but His.

You might face trials upon trials but like Job, you will prevail. I advise that you do not worship men or money. Worship the Almighty and take care of the needs of His children. Do not fret about how you will survive. You will.

Please do not take credit for that which the Almighty does through you. It is not by your power. All glory and honour belong to Him. Drive on a full tank of faith with your tires pumped with love and do not listen to anyone who tells you that your dreams are impossible. You can achieve whatever you set your mind at. I consider nothing to be impossible. The word, "impossible", belongs to the devil.

See you next week.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

YES, I DRIVE ON A FULL TANK OF FAITH AND LOVE IS MY ENGINE OIL

I know that during the recent disagreement in COSON of which I am Chairman, some people were sure that their pay day had finally come. "Yes! This man that behaves as if he is beyond destruction has been squashed at last! Let's celebrate!"

As their big guns targeted at COSON and this writer boomed, all the smaller people with one issue or another lined up to fire their own pot shots.

The laughable thing is that a good number of the people who talk about me and beat their chests with so much certainty do not know me. They probably have never spoken to me and know nothing about the issues for which they are losing so much sleep.

They have just inherited other people's hatred, covetousness, jealousy or envy. If their guy does not like me, then, they too must not like me. It does not matter if their guy has told them a big lie. They will join a fight they do not understand and break a head that has done nothing to them After all, how do they prove to their guy that they are loyal?

Those who do not know my values talk as if I were them and would think like them or act like them. That's how they justify what they do.

I know one young lady who I truly like because I have always thought she is brilliant and ought to be part of Nigeria's future. Last year, she was all over Twitter and Instagram heaping insults on me and telling so many half truths about me. I understand her.

Two years ago, I went to court against her principal who had published blatant lies against me. I went to court because I want her principal to come to court with his facts and establish the truth for the benefit of the young people whom we lead and whom we must not mislead. I understand that she is doing what she is doing in what she considers loyalty to her principal. If I was her principal, she would be saying exactly the opposite of what she is saying now.

In fact, I worked very closely with her principal for over seven and half years and for much of that period, I was a very good man. Now, I disagree with her principal and overnight I have become evil. The truth is that I neither hate her nor her principal. They are just behaving like average Nigerians.

Not long ago, I was asked by a lady journalist what my reaction was to the relentless attack on me. The lady seemed shocked when I said that my real focus is on the work we must do for the progress of the Nigerian creative community and our country.

I have learnt that hatred of anyone is like the coronavirus. It can easily kill! If you hate someone, you will probably find it difficult to breath well, eat well or sleep well so I wear a mask against hatred and socially distance myself from anyone whom I suspect will transmit the hatred virus to me. As you nurse the virus called hate, unknown to you, the object of your hate may indeed be snoozing away and living a good life. Who is the loser?

I have trained myself to stay away from hating anyone. We carry too much burden as it is; why do I want to add another heavy burden on my shoulders? There are some of my friends who think that I am too tolerant of people who have openly betrayed me. I tolerate them because I do not want to hate them. I am not perfect, so rather than hate a man for what he has done, I give him another chance to redeem himself.

When you think of it, a lot of people should be pitied and not hated. When you analyze them, they are driven by ignorance or fear of some sort, lack of self-esteem; religious or tribal bigotry; mental poverty, jealousy or envy, etc.

Because of the passion I express for what I do, I have found myself being the victim of hate by some people who really do not know me. I am aware that there are those who pray all the time that I fail in what I do. The fact that the Almighty has not allowed me to fail drives them even more mad and makes them to even hate the more.

I have met many in Nigeria who are driven by love and the desire to do good for the greatest number. The problem is that some people believe that everyone is like them. They cannot understand how someone can sit down and think of how to better the lives of people he does not know. They believe that when we announce that COSON is distributing millions of naira to thousands of musicians, it is a scam. In their heads, they cannot imagine how anyone can give away millions of naira to people who were not there when the money was made. 'How can someone give away that much money without pocketing some?', they ask.

I find that with such people, no explanation is good enough. No evidence will satisfy them. Crooked people believe that everyone else is crooked. The fact that you are driven by other values than lust for money makes no sense to them. They shoot at you from every corner expecting you to crumble. When you don't crumble, they conclude that you must have a very strong juju man working 24 hours a day for you.

When you are driven by hate, you can never experience true happiness because there is always something new to hate. Every day, I try to create some new and beautiful purpose to keep me busy. I make sure that love and the good of the greatest number are central to what I do each day of my life.

Yes, I drive on a full tank of faith and love is my engine oil.

See you next week.

I AM A DOER NOT A TALKER

I have written before that I am an unbelievably lucky guy and that 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.

Believe me, I have repeatedly seen the treachery and betrayal of men and how they rationalize their duplicity and all the nonsense they do. When a guy you thought was your guy begins to manufacture a dispute between the two of you when there is really nothing to quarrel about, your antenna should go up. Nine times out of ten, your guy is fabricating a justification for treachery which he is hatching. Take it from me, it will soon manifest. Then the guy you used to eat and drink with will tell everybody how horrible you really are and why he must perch somewhere else. It is all cock and bull! He was never your friend. He has not been able to use you as he wishes. He is looking for a new chopping center.

The average human being is selfish and is out for where he thinks his bread is buttered, and a good number of such people live in our part of the world. Do not be surprised to find out that the person who has behaved like he would go to the grave with you is in fact praying that you should die quick so that he can grab everything that belongs to you. All the while, your guy has only been using you as his ladder. If he gets to wherever he has been climbing to or finds a better ladder, he will create a scene and dump you like rotten ewedu soup.

I have learnt to be weary of praise singers. If a guy begins to tell me that I am the best thing he has seen since man discovered sliced bread, my antenna goes up! I know that I am a mortal being and no mortal being is perfect. The guy is setting me up for the kill. Have you ever got any telephone call from a guy you do not know from Adam who begins by sweet talking you and telling you how the two of you met at an event you never went to? From there, he will tell you about the huge demand for a special stone in some place that only he knows and which you can obtain and be stinking rich or an NNPC contract that he wants to execute with you as his partner. 

I have seen betrayal upon betrayal and evil men in every colour. I seriously have to restrain myself from believing that there is no good man in the world anymore and there is no reason to do good to anyone. Fortunately, there are still good men left and there is good reason to do good to people. If I cannot do good to people, then what am I alive for?

There is hunger in the land – biting hunger! Almost everyone is desperate for where to connect his pipe and get some succor. There are people who think that if they connect their pipe to me, their days of hunger will be over. Wrong investment. The truth is that I am hungry too. The difference is that some of us wear our hunger well, with a smile. I rarely eat three times a day. If I find a slice of bread, I will eat it with joy without any butter and drink some water. I pray to God Almighty for better days and I don't attack anyone for my situation.

In my work, I hear all kinds of things from people who have made themselves believe that I owe them a livelihood. They think that I have a duty to take what belongs to others and hand it over to them. So, they stay awake at night making evil plans. In the day, they snipe at me and attack from every corner. I understand their frustration. May God forgive them.

At COSON, some complain that I am 'Executive Chairman' and do too much.  Let me repeat 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 am a doer, not a talker. I simply do not believe in talk without action. That is why despite all the AK 47s fired at COSON, the future of COSON remains bright.

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 to the benefit of our members and affiliates. 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 truly mean and not what they say. They will in one breath tell you that Okoroji is "Executive Chairman" and is doing everything himself. Next minute, the same people will tell you that Okoroji did not do anything, "we are the ones who did all the work"! It does not matter. Let the work be done!

I have always asked the Almighty to give me an opportunity to give. 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 being Chairman of COSON.

A year and nine months ago, at Lagos Sheraton Hotel, I stepped down as a Director and Chairman of the COSON Board. My term was up and as a rule, I have never stayed in any position one day longer than the rules allow. Despite a full auditorium of COSON members from practically every state in Nigeria at Lagos Sheraton, no one stepped up to take the position. They know that the work is rough and tough. In conformity with our rules, I was re-elected.

In this land full of treachery?

That day it struck me that while there is a lot of evil in the world, there are still good men left and that there is good enough reason to do good to as many people as possible. May the Almighty be praised. That is why I will do anything to protect the legacy that is COSON.

See you next week.

HEALED BY LOVE

I have written many times that I am an unbelievably lucky guy. 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. I have just been through such an experience. The fact that I am serving Saturday Breakfast this morning means that the Almighty has done it again! If you are my friend and you have not heard from me for a while, I am sorry. I have been out of circulation.

A few months ago, the unexpected happened to me. In an instant, my engine knocked! My system collapsed and the end looked very-very close. The son of man was in that state between life and death.  It has been a struggle, a very big struggle. For a guy who does not go to church as often as he should, that I am alive is in every way a miracle!

Believe me, I have repeatedly seen the treachery and betrayal of men and how people rationalize their duplicity and all the nonsense they do. But in the last few months, I saw love in every colour and sweetness in the heart of men. I had no idea I had such goodwill.

From everywhere across the world, my family fought for me. They did not want me to die, not now. In an instant, telephone calls were flying across the world and every possible medical arrangement was being made.

I did not get to use many of the arrangements made because God made his own arrangements. My friend, Dr. Moses Jatto and his beautiful wife, Josephine cared for me and mended me like a baby. I gave nothing to them but they gave me everything. Even when in the middle of my health trials, heartless men showed up to abduct me and whisk me away in the middle of the night, they showed up for me.

Many thanks to my gorgeous niece, Dr. Adanna Akujuo, a first-rate surgeon. From Pennsylvania, Ada called every doctor she knows in Nigeria to save her uncle. Babe, my love for you will never-never die. From Dallas, my boy, TJ, and his sweetheart, Andrea, a sharp medical person herself, were on the phone making various arrangements for immediate evacuation to an excellent hospital in the US.

How do I thank my big sister whom I fondly call 'Miss'? By the way, 'Miss' is the mother of Dr. Adanna Akujuo and the undisputed rock of my family. She took charge from Queens New York. My brother Iyke who I do not joke with, was making things happen from Baltimore and so was my sister Nkechi in Westchester, New York. One afternoon I spent with my elder brother, Victor, changed my perspective. From giving up on life, I wanted to live again.  After talking with him, I saw many reasons why I should not die. I saw the many people who depend on me one way or another and I begged God to let me live. My job is not quite done.

Believe me, I saw love in every colour. From Bernice Eriemeghe, Vincent Adawaisi and each member of the Board and staff of COSON. Many called, KSB and Simi came. I saw love from my team at TOPS particularly from the 'Benin Girl' I call Deebee who single handedly wanted to fight whatever was ailing me. My guy, Abey was always by my side making sure there is no vacuum of any type. Thank you, King James, thank you Peedee.

Most times, it takes a tremor to reveal the true beauty in the world. In the last couple of months, the true beauty of my daughters, Alex and Booboo have been revealed to me. They have done everything any father can ever expect of his children. They abandoned everything to keep me alive. Motivated, supported and monitored by their mum who is away, Alex and Booboo gave me love in every colour. At home, my nephew with the big muscles, the one I call "Mr. Cash" who stays awake most nights wondering when the money will arrive stood by the door constantly daring the strange ailment to come in.

It is not yet completely over. I still have many tests to do and hospital appointments to keep at home and abroad but I am standing more straight again and walking without a walking stick. I have learnt to speak coherently again and with some intelligence. I have even learnt to write again and use the laptop properly. Baby steps… gently… one at a time.

I have seen love in every colour. I have seen love from Nurse Peace who got married while I was down and l could not attend her wedding to her heartthrob, John Bosco. In the hospital in Lagos, I saw love from Okpokpo, the matron and from Anu, the nurse who always hung by my bedside. I saw love from Fatima and Beauty, the beautiful nurse.

The good Lord makes things possible. He is the one who brings love. He brought two Queens to my family, one who for thirty–eight years has tolerated my many excesses. For more than two months in Maryland USA, she cooked every imaginable delicacy to make me well again, made sure everywhere was spotlessly clean and tended to me like a delicate flower. She brought her friends to pep me up. The other Queen, married to my brother, Iyke, became my chaperon. She scattered her very busy schedule in America, driving me from one medical facility to another, one test service to another, one pharmacy to another and making sure I lacked nothing. I owe a lot to the two Okoroji Queens.

Truly, I have seen love in every colour. While medicine has done so much to give me a new lease on life, in truth I have been healed by love. And my wish is that as you go through life, you experience love like I have experienced.

See you next week.