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By TUNDE THOMAS, VINCENT KALU and MUSA JIBRIL
It was another moment of thanksgiving and praise galore as members of the management and the staff of The Sun Publishing Nig. Ltd gathered at the company’s corporate headquarters in Apapa, Lagos, yesterday for the 15th edition of the company’s annual Thanksgiving Service. On a very clement day and under the able coordination of Mr Johnson Ogwumike, the company’s Senior Manager, Internal Audit, who was the day’s Master of Ceremony, the event kicked off a few minutes after 10 am with robust praise and worship session led by The Sun Fellowship and an equally rousing opening prayer from Bro. Leo Nwokoji, the company’s Chief Librarian.
A second round of praises set the mood for an occasion that will be remembered for its gaiety, mirth and exhortation as the company’s workforce looked back over the past 12 months with a heart of gratitude. It was amidst this atmosphere of exultation that the guest preacher, Pastor Femi Faseru of Kingsway International Christian Centre, KICC, Maryland, Lagos, and a popular TV preacher, was welcomed into the gathering by Mr Eric Osagie, Managing Director and Editor-in-Chief of The Sun and his management team.
Faseru, Resident Pastor of Kingsway International Christian Centre (KICC) Maryland and National Superintendent of KICC Nigeria, is an acclaimed preacher whose ministry is well known on television in Nigeria and at international conferences. He is also a sought-after voice on pressing social issues by the media.
Mr Osagie, in his opening remark, expressed appreciation to God for making it possible for the company to remain vibrant, despite the dire economic situation in the country. While urging the staff to continue to be dedicated and hardworking, he expressed optimism that the company will continue to soar like an eagle in the new year.
“In 2018, we were here, and today in 2019 we are here again for another version of our annual Thanksgiving service. We are here not by our might or power but by the grace of God. Those in authorities have told us that Nigerians should tighten their belts that it is going to be a tough year, but it is not going to be tough for The Sun, it is going to be a successful and glorious year,” he declared.
Applauding the staff for their commitment and dedication to duty, Osagie exhorted: “Let’s all continue to be dedicated. Let’s join hands to continue building the company. Let’s all continue to work in oneness. It is the work that brought us all here; let’s continue to do the job very well. It may be tough today, but tomorrow will be better.’’ The staff chorused a loud Amen to his remarks.
His speech was followed by a sermon from Pastor Faseru, but not before the cleric had thrown some jibes at him.
“Mr Osagie is a wonderful personality. With him, there is no dull moment. After his retirement from secular work, I implore him to come to KICC Bible School to take up the ministry work because he is eminently qualified to be a minister of God. With him on the pulpit, you can’t sleep in the church especially these days when people sleep in the church because he would always say something that would make you laugh.”
Earlier, Mr. Osagie while assuring the staff of the availability of enough food, drink and meat with which to celebrate the occasion, had, jocularly urged them to have a fill of the meat of the cow killed for the occasion. “It cost me about N30,000 to buy grass with which I fed them for three days,” he said. “Those cows, they can eat. So, now that we have killed one of them because the Lord asked us to have dominion over all living things, including the cow, I want you to punish them for me for costing me the minimum wage by having a fill of their meat.” The audience laughed at his light-hearted remarks.
Delivering a sermon titled “Who Am I?” Faseru justified why he is renowned as a veritable teacher. Quoting from Mark 4:1-9, he noted that God strengthens us through two ways: His person and His principles. Using the parable of The Sower as an illustration, the preacher emphasized the importance of staff productivity to the success of any organization. He mentioned kinds of workers you can find in an organization. They are, namely (1) Wayside workers (2) Stony heart workers (3) Thorny workers and (4) the Good Soil workers which he said can run with ideas and produce results ranging from 30, 60 to 100 folds. While he described wayside workers as those workers who do not nothing, who achieve nothing with either departmental or organizational goals given to them, he defined stony heart workers as those workers who initially exhibit some zeal and passion when they are newly employed on the work but who along the way grow cold and complacent, leading to the dereliction of duty. Expect nothing tangible from such workers, he urged. The thorny workers, he said, are those workers who are always complaining about the situation of things in the company and in the process, poison the minds of others and prevent them from giving their best. “You give them a ride in your car, but before they drop off at their destination, they would have poisoned your mind about the company with their complaints, gossip and criticisms. They are the ones who go about carrying rumours,” he said. For any organization to be successful, workers, he noted, must not only be hardworking but also reliable and dependable. They must belong to the 100-fold workers, he insists.
“Jesus Christ is dependable and reliable like His father; therefore, we should also be reliable,” he adjured, noting, “Lazy and wayside people will never finish any assignment given to them. They will always give excuses.”
He implored the staff to always strive to belong to the 100-fold group by scoring 100% in any assigned task, reminding them that anything less is not worth it.
He prayed for a spirit of excellence for the staff and for the organization to be outstanding in 2019.
“What others are getting in the third quarter of the year, The Sun will get it in the 1st quarter,” he prayed. “Where others struggle, heaven will make it possible for The Sun to prosper. I pray that your productivity this year will be better than that of the other years, as a corporate body and as individuals.” Every statement he made was punctuated by a loud Amen.
The second part of the service was the presentation of awards to individuals from 19 departments of the company, who have shown outstanding performance in the execution of their duties and responsibilities in 2018.
Vincent Ukpong Kalu was declared Reporter of the Year while Job Osazuwa was Features Writer of the Year. Other awardees are: Titilayo Balogun (Most Creative Page Planner); Christopher Uche Okobi (Most Diligent Sub-Editor); Anselem Maduagwu (Most Outstanding Printing Staff); Bethel Unegbu (Most Outstanding Pre-press Staff); Olayiwola Muyideen (Most Outstanding Technical Staff) while the Nation’s Capital Bureau won the Most Productive Bureau, the Abuja Plant was declared the Best Managed Production Plant.
Other staff who received awards include: Chijioke Aliche, Best Performing Sales Executive; Ajibola Badmus, Most Outstanding Distribution Staff; John Adeoti, Most Outstanding Driver; Ogechukwu Orizu, Most Outstanding Advert Executive; Samuel Udofia, Most Outstanding Advert Production Staff; Lucy Patrick Atukpor, Most Diligent Account Staff; Joy Uche, Most Diligent HR/Admin Staff; Uche A. Uche, Most Diligent Security Staff, and Ujunwa Obiora, Most Diligent Audit Staff.
Thirty-two members of staff were honoured with meritorious long service awards. The roll call include: Damola Olajumoke (GM, Operations), Femi Adeoti, Adeniji Abiodun Adewale, Wilfred Eya, Okafor Innocent, Henry Umahi, Ogechukwu Orizu, Bethel Unegbu, Chika Agbai, Oluwatoyin Oketunbi, Chioma Oguamanam, Silas Abone, Sunday Okolo, Taofik Adesanya, Dennis Ukoha, Doris Obinna, Joy Daniel James, Cletus Amaechi, Gbenga Olatunji, Vivian Onyebukwa, Victor Uwaezuoke, Olunkwa Felix Nwabueze, Prince Ogbonna, Achor Adejo, Olabode Rotimi, Sunday Kalu, Angus Orekie and Nnamdi Eric Ojeh
Led by Mr Eric Osagie (Managing Director/ Editor-in-Chief), the management of The Sun Publishing that participated in the event include: Onuoha Ukeh (Editor, Daily Sun), Femi Babafemi (Editor, Saturday Sun); Chidi Nnadi (Editor, Sunday Sun) and Chidi Obineche (Editor, Special Investigation).
Others are: Robert Obioha (Chairman, Editorial Board), Damola Olajumoke (GM, Operations), Obinna Kalu (General Counsel), Johnson Ogwumike (Senior Manager, Internal Audit), Dennis Ogierhiakhi (Senior Accountant), Nkiru Obeki (Business Development Manager) and Jessica Oje-Humphrey (Human Resources Manager).
The Sun Thanksgiving, a yearly affair, has, in the past, been graced by many respected clergymen. They include: Rev. Dr. Wilson Badejo (former General Overseer, Foursquare Gospel Church), Pastor Sam Adeyemi (Daystar Christian Centre), Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor (Word of Life Bible Church and the then CAN president), Pastor Osondu Anyalechi (Evangel Pentecostal Church, Okota, Lagos) and Bishop Humphrey Erumaka (Word-Base Christian Assembly, Okota, Lagos). Others are: the National / International Coordinator of Christian Pentecostal Mission (CPM), Rev. Mercy Ezekiel, Pastor J.T. Kalejaye, a regional evangelist with The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Bishop Mike Okonkwo of TREM and Pastor Ituah Ighodalo, Senior Pastor, Trinity House, Lagos.
Delivering the vote of thanks, Mr Onuoha Ukeh, Editor, Daily Sun, expressed gratitude to Mr Osagie for maintaining the company’s tradition and also for being passionate about the staff welfare. The two-hour programme was rounded off with a closing prayer by Mrs Sylvia Esajere, the company’s Copy Sales Manager.
