Mr. John Asein, Director General, Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC), is a man with a golden heart.
He showed his philanthropic side recently when he fulfilled his promise of procuring a white cane for the visually impaired musician and member of Musical Copyright Society of Nigeria (MCSN), Chudi Mountain.
During the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the CMO held in Lagos last December, Asein had spotted Chudi Mountain navigating his way out of the venue with a bamboo stick. He made enquiries and later confirmed from the musician himself that not only was he visually challenged, rather than a white cane, he moved around with the aid of a scrawling bamboo stick. There and then, Asein made a vow to replace the stick with a white cane.
In fulfillment of his promise, the DG last Thursday presented the musician with a white cane at a modest ceremony witnessed by the media. Represented by Matthew Ojo, head, NCC Lagos office, Asein explained that a white cane not only guides the bearer, it is also a symbol that a person holding it is blind.
“Anybody that sees the white cane will know that a blind man is passing by and he will be accorded necessary assistance at that moment. If you are attempting to cross the road and you have a white cane in your hand, it shows that this is a blind man, and a reasonable human being at that point should give him access,” he stated.
On his part, Mayo Ayilaran, Managing Director, MCSN, likened the white cane given to Chudi Mountain to a car.
“This is a reward of diligence. I know that more good things are coming your way. Providing you with a white cane to make your movement easier is like giving you a car. You are a beneficiary of two things; of course there is one still on the way. You know, you rendered a song at the AGM and the president of the society, King Sunny Ade, promised to bankroll its production. So, these are some of the things one benefits from being a member of MCSN. I congratulate you, and I implore you to please keep doing what you have been doing,” he said.
Speaking after receiving the white cane, Chudi Mountain expressed his happiness and gratitude to the NCC DG. “I am very happy and surprised. Do you know the reason I said that? It’s because the DG has been doing marvelous things in obscurity. You can’t hide a pregnancy, can you? You can’t hide good things even if they are done in obscurity. I am very happy that he noticed my lapses. Everybody knows it anyway, but for the DG to notice it and take action is a good thing. Thank you very much sir. I also want to appreciate MCSN; you will continue to grow from strength to strength in Jesus name. We are a moving train; anything that stands in our way, we’ll crush.”