I just came from the youth conference of the Urhobo Progress Union (UPU)”. I was there as a panelist in a panel discussion with several notable people mentioned in the video. I went with Dr. Mrs. Precious, whom I call “Professor” because I see her future.
Something happened as I stepped into that hall. The MC called my name and then the president general, who was making a speech, mentioned my name. A Senator, the representative of the governor, also came up and recognized my presence. To you, this might not mean anything, but 25 years ago, when I came to Warri with my wife from Aba, I would just go to the post office to see if I would see someone who knew me. One of the greatest challenges you will have in mission work is loneliness. You might not have any person that knows you. I would be traveling, and I would see banners and say, “God, I wish I was speaking in this program because I had so much in me and nowhere to deliver what was in me.”
But I kept building myself, I kept developing myself. I kept doing the little things I was doing with all my energy, with all my intellect. I decided to chart my own course. I didn’t seek publicity. I was silently building myself, building my businesses, building my platforms. These things were incubating. I felt I had so much in me, but it was as if I was caged. I don’t know if I am talking to you, but I’m going to pray for you.
Then I started preaching on radio, but a massive explosion came. That explosion happened in the most traumatic, most difficult time in this country and the world: during COVID. There was that singular action, that inspiration of deciding to use the phone to do videos on the farm that led to this massive explosion. When I came out of the hall, I will share videos with you of people who wanted to do videos with me, take pictures with me, and interview me. Sometimes, I will just stay away from the crowd and be looking at where I came from.
There is that singular activity that will take Joseph from the prison to the palace. One activity. There might be a buildup of interpreting dreams, a buildup of interpreting the dream of the person from the palace. As Alibaba said, Joseph marketed himself and formed a network with the person from the palace. That is why he went from prison to the palace.
My prayer for you, from the bottom of my heart, is that you will do one activity somewhere, no matter how small it is, that will link you and network you with somebody that will take you to the palace, give you a platform, and give you publicity after your performance.
May that thing that has been incubating in you—just as Joseph left prison during traumatic times, sold by his brothers—may something just happen that will expose you and explode your ministry, explode your services. Let that person come, and may you never fail to perform when the opportunity arises. May you never fail to excel when you meet that person in that hall.
There were those who were very critical of me, particularly some from my own tribe. I saw all the critical comments one person made on my posts. There were some who laughed at me, some who called me names, and some who abused me. I saw hell from my own people. My own people were the most critical. Never mind them. God knows what he is planning for you, where he is taking you. They were not in that hall. Even if they were in that hall, their mouths were silenced. There’s something called a miracle that silences the mouth.
Almost all the many people I was meeting with today were already prominent citizens before I came to this part of the country. A lot of them I sat with there, a lot of those asking for my numbers, a lot of those who recognized me, they were already people of substance. But I was building myself, building my institutions, building my businesses, building my structure, and building my brand. They say, “Please call there,” according to one of the books I wrote, and you will get there. You will get there.
I feel this is the second time I’m going to that place this year. I was there to speak to the whole Urhobo nation gathered in that convention. The Urhobo nation is the fifth largest ethnic nationality in Nigeria, and the UPU is the second oldest socio-cultural organization after the rare privilege.
You will get there. You will look at yourself one day and say, “Is this me?” Yes, it is you. God has gone ahead of you. He is with you to prepare a place for you. Fear not. Do not be dismayed. Don’t listen to idiots. Idiots. I still fight with them on social media. Stupid people who don’t like excellence. Some of them are just extremely jealous of you. They will be recommending things for you to do, videos to do. I don’t care.
I’m pressing forward. I remain Dr. Charles Apoki. If you don’t like me, “bust you.”
I remain the one and only “Area Grandfather,” Dr. Charles Apoki.
