SATURDAY BREAKFAST with TONY OKOROJI
Not very long ago, I received a very warm welcome in Benin City from his Royal Majesty, the Oba of Benin. Not long before that, the late Olubadan of Ibadan practically rolled out the red carpet for the COSON delegation which I led to his palace.
I have also been received in the palace of the revered Emir of Kano, the very brilliant Mohammed Sanusi II. 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.
Visiting an Oba, an Emir, a Minister, Governor or even the President, in our continuous outreach to expand the frontiers of the understanding of intellectual property, is probably one percent of the work I do. That is however the part of the work that is glamorous and sometimes attracts serious envy.
Anyone who has managed a band of a few musicians, will understand that the hard work of bringing together thousands of creative people, managing their effervescent temperaments and molding them into a force for progress, is not ‘beans’.
In my work in the building of the copyright system in Nigeria, I have carried placards many times and led dangerous demonstrations many-many times. I have been to court and witnessed against top corporations, governments and individuals time and time again. I have delivered lectures, organized myriad conferences, seminars, workshops and written opinion articles ceaselessly.
I have superintended over the building of an outstanding Nigerian institution called COSON which many were sure could never be built in Nigeria. When we commissioned the COSON House, 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.
Not one of the highly trained COSON staff has ever received his or her salary one day late. COSON continues to be managed with professionalism, scrupulous transparency and accountability.
My dedication to the work I do has never been because of a title or because of personal wealth. My official car is an old Tokunbo 4×4. 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. 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. My dedication to the work I do is because I love my country and I see nothing wrong with that.
Of course, lazy people who do not understand the true meaning of love of country, have continuously tried to destroy my name. Try as they may, they have failed. By the grace of the Almighty, I have won more defamation cases in different courts in Nigeria than any other Nigerian, living or dead, before judges I have no relationship of any type with.
At 4.00pm on Sunday, May 25, Chapel of Christ the Light in Alausa, Ikeja, the multi-denominational Christian center, will be the epicenter of the National Day of Prayer from which the songs and praise of Nigeria’s topmost gospel singers and ministers of the gospel, will be beamed to millions of citizens, in towns and villages across Nigeria and across the world.
Nigerians will be linked by an unprecedented mix of simultaneous broadcast, streaming and videocasting, deploying various communication technologies, so that in one voice, the diverse people of Nigeria, wherever they are, can join in supplication, to seek the face of the Almighty, to give the Nigerian nation a new lease of life, and restore optimism to Nigeria’s children. The National Day of Prayer, otherwise called “COSON in the Church” will signal the beginning of the master blaster COSON Week which will capture the imagination of Nigerians with a kaleidoscope of events, every day, till May 31.
I have said it elsewhere that any Nigerian who does not know the depth of the challenges facing our country presently, is living in a fool’s paradise. The economic stress which millions of Nigerians are wrestling with, cannot be wished away. Nobody in Nigeria is insulated from the widespread banditry, kidnapping and wanton taking of innocent lives.
It is clearly foolhardy to expect that only elected or appointed government officials will solve Nigeria’s problems. I believe that we must all roll up our sleeves and come together as a nation to rebuild our country.
Is there any true Christian who is not familiar with the following words of the Scriptures: “Unless the LORD builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; Unless the LORD guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain”. That is why I verily believe that it has become critical that we come together and seek the face of the Almighty so Nigeria can make progress and Nigerians can heave a sigh of relief.
From now till May 31 when the COSON Week ends, it is unlikely that I will get more than two hours of sleep, any night. There are people who think that I am crazy to subject myself to the unbelievable demands I deal with. This is the way I give my offering and pay my tithe.
Driving the seven massive events spread across different venues in Lagos, in seven days, will test everything that my team and I have. Dealing with the logistics and the myriads of personalities involved, can drive anyone nuts. I have been through it before and many times, I have been on the verge of a serious break drown. Each time, I have looked up to the Almighty and each time, he has provided new strength to keep me going.
Please pray for me and my team as we begin the countdown to what should be a master-blaster COSON Week 2025 that will help lift the mood of our nation. By the grace of the living God, Nigeria will rise again!
See you next week.
Leave a Reply