CPAN: 12 POINTS AGENDA FOR THE SECOND TERM

12 POINTS AGENDA FOR THE SECOND TERM
Speech by Bola Adewara

My Gratitude
In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, I present to you these 12 point agenda for our second term in office. We praise God for a successful first term which terminated the day the Electoral body was set up. Despite all odds, oversights, infractions, etc. I express my wholehearted thankfulness to my executive members, Sola Tomoloju (VP), Dayo Emmanuel (Secretary), Sanmi the PRO and Julius Adegunna, the treasurer. Melody Beattie in her famous book said: “Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.”

My guys, I am mighty grateful. We had a great tenure. I repeat, we had a great tenure. I thank you all for your contributions. But we can do better. We cannot rest on our oars. Complacency should be tried for murder for it kills initiative. Better is the enemy of best. We can do better. We will do better.

I also express my gratitude to all committee members set up at different times,  those who delivered and those who did not, members who religiously attended meetings and those who did not. I am wont to explain to you that it’s a young association, and like anything young and developing, it would have its teething problems. I hold nobody in any grudge. I thank you all.

CHALLENGES
Certainly, there would be challenges, mistakes, oversights, failures, etc. In human lives, perfection is almost impossible even though Jesus told us to be perfect as our God is perfect. In our world, especially on a new project like an organisation where humans gather, perfection is a tall dream. Let us remember that we are human, not angels. By and by, we are learning from the mistakes of the past to that we can grow together, grow stronger, grow bigger, grow taller. In the words of Hannibal, those who do not learn from their mistakes would live to relive it. John Dewey said “failure is instructive. The person who _really_ thinks learns quite as much from his failures as from his successes.” Let us learn from the failures of our past as members of the association. We can all do better.

OUR STRENGTH
The total strength of an organisation is not at the beck and call of a single leader. No leader does it all. Our strength lies in our unity, determination of each member to contribute their quotas, calling one another to order, forgiving one another and behaving like the Christian we call ourselves. The body cannot be ok if the leg is bruised and cannot perform its duties. The body would be immobile if the heart is sick, or the liver is down or the eye is blind. The general wellbeing of a man lies in the total wellbeing of all his body parts. We all have our duties. Let us check ourselves: did I do mine?

I hold no grudge with anybody, because at this stage of my lives, me running towards 60, I know what I want and what I don’t want. I am *NOT* out to make enemies with my mouth or with what I write. I will not use my hand to document evil against myself and my generation that could be tendered anywhere against me. As a mentor to many people, that is a pearl of wisdom I have learnt long ago!

It is within this construct I always seek a conciliatory attitude with friends all over. I have spoken several with members of CPAN who make themselves available and approachable. At my age and professional level, I will not seek enemies or hurt people. I make friends. The Bible tells me to make peace with all men.  Even though I was so discouraged by so many things during our first term, some of which I discussed with some people, after being spoken to and canvassed to complete the term, I have decided to put all issues (not bitterness, I am not a bitter person) behind me and rally all members together again and commence a greater journey into a greater future with greater hopes for greater fulfilment.

I thank those who stand by me in this dream, just as I thank those who criticise me for having the dream. Dreaming is a legitimate right of every member. Dreaming is authentic and appropriate because from dreams we move to goals and from goals, we move to achievement.

I welcome all criticisms, those made honestly, those made in the bitterness of some past encounters and those made deliberately to destroy whatever cause. I don’t take any criticism with bitter. Never! The human society, like our CPAN, can grow when we have the critics. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, I extend my hands of fellowship to everybody. However, let us learn to up our game. In the words of Mitchel Obama, when others go low, let us go high.
CPAN, please be ready to work. Bola Adewara can’t do it alone! Let us set a standard for people coming behind us. At this period of my life, wherever I find myself, I am concerned with how to give back to my friends, my society and the nation. Please, join hands with me…

12 POINTS AGENDA FOR THE SECOND TERM

1a. We shall integrate CPAN with NUJ such that we would have a Chapel in CPAN.
1b. We shall integrate all our individual publications and blogs with NUJ such that each one of us would be NUJ card-carrying member.
1c. We shall look into the possibility of CPAN member also becoming members of Nigerian Guild of Editors.

2a. Each CPAN member would have an identity card, a wobbler and CPAN stickers on our vehicles.
2b. There would also be a CPAN handbook, containing the constitution, and other details as would be agreed upon.

3a. CPAN shall pay visits to the Nigerian Police Headquarters and some important Divisional Police Stations in Lagos. We shall make friends with the Christian Police Organisation. This to make CPAN known to them and respect our stickers anywhere it is encountered.

3b. We shall visit the CAN and PFN offices in the South West. We shall visit the notable pastors in the land.

*IMPORTANT*
All these visits can hold on until the restrictions caused by the Corona Virus fade away. But let us have it at the back of our minds that we shall do this in the fullness of time.

4a. Membership: We shall invite more journalists from all over Nigeria and media houses to join CPAN. We shall widen the membership base to accommodate more people. Membership could be online. Before such an invitation, we should have kept our house in order and make the organisation more appealing that they will struggle to join us.
4b. I have once mooted the idea of Student membership of CPAN. We shall look into this.

5. CPAN shall be more vocal in the media through press releases and conferences. We shall cultivate the friendships of editors of notable newspapers and reporters so that our releases can be respected on merit.

6a. The Breakfast Meetings shall continue, once in two months. However, there shall be some changes in the way we do it because of the restriction caused by Coronavirus. The Breakfasting would be online henceforth.

6b. We shall create a CPAN channel on YouTube, Zoom and the CPAN page on Facebook shall be more active. Members are to contribute to the Facebook page and invite their friends to like the page. My goal is… within one year, the CPAN Facebook page must make 5000 likes.

6c. Also, henceforth, each member will suggest someone for the Breakfast Meeting, two months ahead. The interviewees should not just be pastors. The academia, Christian businessmen, professionals, politicians,  etc, shall be included.

6d. Each member shall copiously display the flyer of the programme on their WhatsApp, Facebook five times before the D-day. And each member shall make a report on their blogs and WhatsApp broadcast at the end of the programme.

7a. CPAN website shall come alive.
7b. Every CPAN member would be encouraged to have a blog to address the issue of visibility. To have a medium is a *MUST* for every member.
7c. We shall call in one or two blog specialist/s to teach us how to do it. I shall make my book, “BECOME AN INTERNET EVANGELIST” to all members. In the name of Jesus.

8a. In 2021, in the name of Jesus, CPAN would do a book of interviews with 100 preachers in the land in one single compendium. This is a Special CPAN project. Each member shall contribute 5 interviews in six months. This is a 2021 project.
8b. Each member of CPAN shall be encouraged to do at least one book during my second term. Each author could print his book while CPAN shall foot the bill of the book to be published online on Amazon, Okada books, Kobo books and CSS books.
8c. Before the expiration of this tenure, in the name of Jesus, each member would be assisted to have online payment installed on their blogs. We shall start by having each member registered on PAYSTACK. This would go a long way to assist us to sell soft copies of our magazines online.

9. The CPAN WhatsApp platform would be reorganised. There would be rules and regulations. There would be an admin. Sanctions shall be applicable. There must be mutual self-respect for members. Members are free to talk, canvass ideas, criticise in love, joke politely, but would not be allowed to speak with disrespect to others. So many of us are disillusioned by the quality of contribution

EXTERNAL RELATIONS

10. By 2022, in the name of Jesus, CPAN shall lead all African Christian Journalists into a new organisation to be called AFRICAN CHRISTIAN PRESS. Already, E-life is in good friendship and constant communication with several Christian journalists, some of whom I’ve met at conferences in Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Rwanda, Zambia, Burkina Faso and Zimbabwe and South Africa. In 15 months, ACP would be a reality. Amen.

11. CPAN members would be integrated into all media groups on Facebook. CPAN members would be encouraged to have a Facebook page for their blogs, Twitter accounts, and YouTube channel, so they can relate with media outfits outside Nigeria.

12. By 2021/2022, CPAN would invite the publisher/editor of Charisma and Christianity Today to visit Nigeria and exchange ideas with us. I have met these two people at different times. These magazines are the two biggest Christian publications in America and perhaps, the world over. They would also assist us with training in Christian media matters. Gradually, CPAN would become a training ground for Christian media in Nigeria.
Locally, we would invite experienced hands in the media to rub shoulders with us, and pastors to tell us their expectation of the Christian media in Africa.

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These are my *12 points programme. They are achievable if WE ALL join hands to move the group forward. One tree does not make a forest, I believe in the unique ability of every member because we are all seasoned professionals in our various rights. These points shall be achieved. Thank you all.

Bola Adewara.