According to Webster’s New Encyclopedic Dictionary, the word Re means again, anew. Searching further, the word invention also means something invented as (a) an original device or process (b) a product of the imagination. It then means that one can possibly define re-invention as to re-invent again. Re-produce; Re-imagine; Re-awaken, etc. Invention is an on-going thing. It’s necessitated by wants. According to William Cowper, “Thus, first necessity invented stools convenience, next suggested elbow-chairs, and luxury the accomplished sofa last.” Man over the past centuries has engaged in the act of invention. And till date, it is still taking place. But does the world depend solely on invention? No! This is due to the fact that most of the things invented in the past have had something added to or subtracted from them. Take a look around you. They are countless and it has left the world a better place.
In my seminars and speaking engagements, one thing I keep emphasizing is that every one of us has genius traits. You see, there are two ways to become a genius. One, you can invent something for the first time, that is something original; something that has never been in existence before. Secondly, you can become a genius by adding value to something already invented. Most of the people referred to as genius today belong to the second category. The second richest man on earth as at the time of this piece was Bill Gates and he is a genius as far as the computer industry is concerned. But he was not the one that invented computer; he only added value to computer. The same goes with other individuals and products. Why is re-invention necessary? Francis Bacon provided the answer when he remarked: “As the births of living creatures at first are ill-shaped, so are all innovations, which are the births of time.” So, inventions get better as they are re-invented.
To re-invent is not easy. This is due to the fact that one must be ready for rejection. Rejection is an issue every inventor and re-inventor must be ready for. You must show determination. You must be persistent. You must believe in the beauty of your dream. In the words of Edward Schon: “Champions of new inventions display persistence and courage of heroic quality.”
There is one aspect of re-invention that is hardly talked about and that will be our focus for today. Just as products can be re-invented, so also can individuals re-invent themselves. Most individuals who are great achievers and have earned themselves a place in the history of the world didn’t end up where they started. Some had to try their hands in one or two things before discovering their potentials, abilities and purpose. Some had to read a particular course in the tertiary institution only to graduate and discover they don’t want to end up in such profession.
Pastor Chris Okotie, who grew up in Ajegunle, was born on June 16, 1959, to the family of Francis Idje and Cecilia Okotie in Ethiope-West, Delta State. He attended Edo College, Benin City and later proceeded to obtain a degree in Law from University of Nigeria, Nsukka in 1984. He again attended Grace Fellowship Bible School in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in the United States of America. As a kid, he did not have childhood ambitions as most kids were known to have, but he did have a flair for music. It was at Edo College that his music talent began to evolve.
His journey to leadership started when he was singled out and called upon to serve as the lead singer of the school band. That was when he mastered his stage fright. Also as a teenager, he was a coach of one of the combat sports. In 1971, he joined the self-defense club which was a martial arts organization and rose to become the student coach. Then in 1974, he became the youngest judo coach in the country.
Back in the University of Nigeria, Enugu campus in 1978, when Pastor Okotie joined the school to study along with the likes of Jide Obi, nothing in his disposition showed interest in Law, rather his passion was somewhere else. He started with an old church organ in the students’ common room. When other students come to relax, network, have some snacks and socialize, Pastor Okotie would quietly go up and start playing the organ and sing away. Of course, to fellow students, there was no big deal. But it really became a big deal when in 1979 he disappeared from school for quite some time. Different reasons were given for his not being in school. To some, he had withdrawn from school because he could not handle Law studies while others said he had gone to London to record music.
The shocker came not only to the campus, but to the entire nation when in the summer of 1979; he released a popular album titled “I Need Someone”. By the time school resumed later that year, he had become a national star and was cruising round the campus in a reddish brown Honda with an inscription on the number plate that read “KRIS” (Today they read JESUS). His music career couldn’t have been better with such hit songs as Please don’t go, Show me your backside, etc. In 1986, at the height of his pop music career, he found faith in God, became born again and in February 1987 set up the Household of God Church, which started as a fellowship in his home. Today, the church meets in an ultra-modern auditorium occupying an entire street named after the church.
As an undergraduate, he sold buttons and colourful mufflers in the coal city market of Ogbete as a survival strategy. He also was in wholesale trade in a special Hausa tea. That according to a report was why he was appointed patron of late Mallam Aminu Kano International Foundation.
One of the highlights of his ministry is his charitable outreach. In 1990, he established the annual Karis Awards, hosted by his church. The award is to recognize and financially reward Nigerian citizens who have selflessly served the nation. Past recipients include nationalists such as Prof. Chike Obi, the renowned mathematician (1996); D.I.G Chris Omeben, a retired policeman who found hundreds of thousands of naira at an accident site yet returned all of it to its source (1997); Mr. Taiwo Akinwunmi, who designed the national flag (1998); Late Hogan Bassey, former Commonwealth and World Boxing Champion (1999); Pa Michael Imoudu, the veteran labour leader (2000); Chief (Mrs.) Margaret Ekpo, national and women activist, Mallam Aminu Kano, Isaac Adaka Boro, Haija Gambo Sawaba and the Late Head of State, Gen. Murtala Ramat Muhammed, among many others. In the year 2004, he made a donation to the late First Lady of Nigeria, Mrs. Stella Obasanjo’s Pet project, the Child Care Trust.
Every year, Okotie who describes himself as a generational icon, makes significant cash and material contributions to missionary and charity organizations such as the SOS Children Village, the Sunshine Foundation, Pacelli School for the Blind and Partially Sighted and Little Saints Orphanage, Spinal Cord Injuries Association of Nigeria, amongst others. According to him: “I see myself as a generational icon. That is why I describe myself as a quintessential youth iconoclast. I believe that every generation produces men and women that affect that generation and help that generation to crystallize its purpose, its pursuits and that in this present generation, Chris Okotie epitomizes generational parameter for change, for prosperity for newness.”
Those who know him say his success is a combination of hard work, diligence, an eye for details, determination to leave an indelible mark, to make a difference in the lives of people. He is well known for his open-mindness, his friends cut across religious, ethnic, gender and social barriers. This accounts for why he stuck to Chief MKO Abiola till death.
Pastor Okotie, who was voted man of the year by National Encomium Magazine in 2002, is the first clergyman in the history of contemporary democracy to chair a political party. He was also the most popular presidential aspirant in Nigeria during the April 2007 polls as reported by the Silverbird Popularity Poll conducted by Silverbird TV and Vanguard newspapers in Nigeria. The results, which were collated by the firm of Akintola Williams Deloitte, showed that Pastor Okotie scored 31.17 percent to stay ahead of nine other Nigerians nominated for the poll.
In 2002, Pastor Okotie, who is a fan of both Christiano Ronaldo and Manchester United and would prefer a local coach to handle the Super Eagles, founded a non-governmental organization called FRESH, an acronym for faith, responsibility, equality, security and hope. It later became a political party under whose platform he contested presidential elections in Nigeria.
Fondly called “Grace Teacher” by the multitude of his followers, Pastor Okotie’s book, The Last Outcast, raised dust among the Christian community. For a guy perceived in 1978 as soft-spoken and almost shy to turn to a dynamic speaker who can mesmerize any audience, Pastor Chris Okotie indeed deserves to be in our honour list.
The lessons to learn from the story above are obvious. To make success of our lives, we must discover who we are. Our target should be to add value to the world with our God given potentials and talents. Everyone has got something to offer. Secondly, we must pursue our passions. If you are not passionate about what you are currently doing, sorry friend, you are in the wrong place. Thirdly, and very important, we must be willing to start small. As soon as you take the decision to do something, take action immediately.
We must believe it’s possible. This belief will restore your self-confidence. Also, you must have a positive mental attitude. Attitude is everything. It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it. Furthermore, do not be afraid of making mistakes. We learn from mistakes. We must as a matter of urgency eliminate pride. Most of us are too proud to do some kind of jobs here, but as soon as we leave the shores of our great country, we are ready to take up any job. Also we must be ready for the rejections that will come our way. We need to be creative. It’s not difficult to be a genius.
The key is in your hand.
Shalom!
NB: First published April 2015