By TONY OKOROJI
Tomorrow is Sunday, May 25 and the much-advertised master-blaster COSON Week 2025 begins in style.
Chapel of Christ the Light, Ikeja, the multi-denominational Christian center, will be the epicenter of the nation as COSON Week zooms off with the National Day of Prayer at 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.
At the National Day of Prayer also called ‘COSON in the Church’, Nigerian citizens will seek the face of the Almighty, to intervene in the affairs of our nation so that the unbridled corruption that is imposing hunger and immense poverty on Nigerian citizens is banished from the land and the banditry, kidnapping and savage killings of innocent Nigerians which have imposed fear on the country, will become things of the past.
At Chapel of Christ the Light, Alausa Ikeja, there will be a beehive of activities this Saturday, a day before the National Day of Prayer, as full technical set-up and rehearsals take place.
The digital links for the many churches with significant Nigerian congregations around the world and individual Nigerians who have set up their Praise & Worship groups for the big National Day of Prayer, have now been made public.
The links to join the historic National Day of Prayer, from 4.00 pm, tomorrow, May 25, are as follows:
YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/@COSON.NG
FACEBOOK: https://wwwfacebook.com/coson9ja
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/cosonnigeria
ZOOM: Meeting ID: 254 154 1207. Passcode: PRAYERS25
Participants may also join on the platforms of the National Day of Prayer partner organizations, such as:
CCRN: CCRNTV https://youtube.com/@ccrntv-online
GOMAN https://youtube.com/@GOMANNATIONAL84
CIG: https://cigblog.creativeindustrygroupng.com
Of course, other massive events of the COSON Week taking place between May 25 and May 31, include “The 2025 COSON Lecture”. The lecture which was initially scheduled to take place at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs in Victoria Island, on Monday, May 26, will take place on the same day, at the magnificent COSON House, Ikeja. At the lecture, erudite lawyer and top political player, Babatunde Ogala SAN will address the critical subject, “The Political & Legal Environment Necessary for the Continued Growth of the Nigerian Creative Industry”.
A special panel of knowledgeable legal minds, top policy makers and respected creative industry operatives will dissect and discuss the paper, to enrich policy making for the creative and related industries in the Nigerian nation.
The discussions will be led by Prof Duro Oni, emeritus professor of Creative Arts and former Deputy Vice Chancellor, University of Lagos. The other discussants include Mrs. Toke Benson Awoyinka, Hon Commissioner for Tourism, Arts & Culture – Lagos State; Dr Shaibu Hussein, Executive Director, National Film & Video Censors Board and Hon Jese Okey Joe Onuakalusi, Lawyer & Hon Member, House of Representatives.
The Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism, and the Creative Economy, Barr Hannatu Musa Musawa will be the Guest of Honour at the Lecture.
With the quality of the minds that have consistently gathered at each of the lectures, the COSON Lecture series has easily become Nigeria’s most sought-after event for the discussion of creativity, content, and developments in the new global knowledge economy and the continued growth of the very important Nigerian creative industry.
Come Tuesday, May 27, which will be celebrated as Children’s Day across Nigeria, the magnificent COSON House in Ikeja Lagos, the Headquarters of Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON), will play host to a select group of Nigerian children, aged between 10 and 15 years old, at an event tagged “Children’s Day at COSON House”.
At COSON House, the children will do a big photo shoot on the red carpet. They will also be treated to live performances at the COSON House Arena. They will then be taken through a lecture on Copyright & Related Rights. They will have lunch and thereafter, write a test based on what they had been taught. The best students, as judged by a panel, will receive certificates, significant cash prizes and gifts.
On Wednesday, May 28, it will be explosive as the city of Lagos experiences for the first time ever, an unprecedented 24 hours non-stop music concert, “the COSON Mega Jamz” at Freedom Park Lagos. Freedom Park, will, without question, be the Headquarters of enjoyment, skanking, dancing and fun in Nigeria, on that day. Current information is that over 100 Nigerian artistes of different shades, are getting set to storm that one stage to shake up the city of Lagos like never before.
In cooperation with the top-notch Care Life Medical Centre, Lagos; doctors, nurses, medical lab experts and pharmacists, will on Thursday May 29, be on hand at COSON House, Ikeja, to examine sick and infirmed musicians, provide care and medications to them at absolutely no cost, as the event called “the COSON Medical Outreach” takes place.
“COSON in the Mosque” will hold at Lagos Central Mosque, Carter Street, Ebute Metta on May 30 and creative people of the Islamic faith will go to the mosque for special prayers for the Nigerian nation and the creative industry.
In the evening of the same May 30, the super-exclusive “COSON Green Ball” will sizzle as 150 of Nigeria’s most influential persons and their spouses chosen by ordinary citizens via the Internet, will be given a treat of a life time. Nigeria’s crème de la crème will present their delivered special passports at MUSON Center, Lagos, pass through immigration, get their visas on arrival, obtain their Boarding passes, walk the green carpet with paparazzi clicking away. They will then board a special flight to “Pleasure Land” and be treated to the best cuisine money can buy and enjoy the best entertainment to be found anywhere. Afro Juju creator, Sir Shina Peters whose birthday is May 30, has promised that it will be “fire” at the Green Ball. Take it from me; no one lucky enough to be at the 2025 COSON Green Ball will ever forget the experience.
It has been great honour for me to lead the young team that has worked day and night for many months to make COSON Week 2025 a reality. Why have we made the huge sacrifice? Because we love our country dearly and we want our country to be better. Our theme for COSON Week 2025 is: Nigeria will rise again! There is no event of the COSON Week at which we are charging any gate fee of any kind.
Along the way, we have met so many disappointments and broken promises. People we were sure would offer help to us on our journey, failed us. Organizations we thought would be there for us, turned their back on us. Resources we thought would be available to aid our work never materialized.
Several times, we were tempted to scratch the entire project but when you drive on a full tank of faith, men may abandon you but God Almighty will not.
Welcome, one and all, to the master-blaster COSON Week 2025! Enjoy the experience.
See you next week.
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