COSON chairman, Chief Tony Okoroji, is bereaved. The former PMAN president just lost his elder sister, Pauline.
Below, and unedited, is how he broke the sad news on FB:
“MY ELDER SISTER WHO SHAPED MY LIFE JUST PASSED ON!
I am aware that she has been ill for a while but when the news came to me today from New York that she has passed on, it was like a thunder bolt! I am heart broken. There are many people who think that Pauline Okoroji was my mother. For many years I lived with her. Even though we were siblings, she treated me like a son. She inculcated in me the values of service – of giving of one self for the good of others. She taught me how to be a giver and not a taker. She taught me the values of honesty and trust. She inculcated in me the ability to remain calm in the midst of tremendous turbulence. She did not shout nor condemn anyone. From her I learnt how not to shout but to pick my words carefully. She spoke the English language like she owned it. When it was not fashionable to be born again, she gave her life to Christ and remained a woman of faith till the last minute.
“Pauline Okoroji was the first recorded singer in my family and bought the first keyboard instrument I ever played. She took me to the first recording studio I ever stepped into and inspired me to live the life I have lived. There is no question that she shaped my life. I last saw her in January in New York city. She was frail but still had her great sense of humor. We joked and laughed. Her passing gift to me was a beautiful Holy Bible which I will cherish for the rest of my life. I am consoled by the fact that I am certain that she is with the Almighty. Bye-bye dear sister. Rest in peace.”