A WORTHY EXAMPLE

Friends, yesterday I was privileged to spend three hours with a living legend and pillar of faith, Uncle Nat Okoro. I had gone to his Lekki home on an appointment regarding a particular proposed business transaction. By the time I was leaving, we had ruled out the transaction, but the lessons learnt at his feet during those three hours would last a life time. Perhaps you didn’t know, Nat C.U. Okoro was the pioneer indigenous managing director of Nigeria Railways Cooperation (1985-1987). Before then, they had general managers. All his working life, 37 years in all, were spent at the Railways; rising from the lowest of ranks to the pinnacle.

At retirement in 1987, his salary was in three digits, and the gratuity, in four digits, was further diminished when his personal loan was deducted. However, this “meager” earnings were enough to build two houses, one in his country home, and the other in Lagos; but more especially he also raised godly children who are affecting their generation today in various fields of endeavour. This may sound so farfetched today when public servants loot pension and other funds to build whole estates, and you wonder what they would do with all that money; not forgetting of course, the effect on the real owners!

Uncle Nat is 82 years, retired but not tired. He is still active in the service of God and man, consulting for clients in and outside the country (having spent 37 years in one institution, you would assume, rightly, that he eats and breathes transport). Flowing with ease from his lap top to his I Pad, you see the ready drafts of at least four books, including his autobiography, a memo to President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and notes on topical issues such as terrorism.

In this age where it is difficult to find role models who owe no man (1Samuel 12:3), Uncle Nat is a shining example for us all, the stuff that deserve national honors, but above all and more importantly, belongs to the hall of fame of heroes of faith (Hebrews 11). And thank God he is still with us today and going strong! Friends let us emulate that which is noble.