When Jesus comes, secular artists will not be called –Timi Adegoke

Timi Adegoke

Timi Adegoke is the organizer of Nigeria’s biggest gospel music awards ceremony, Crystal Awards. As

this year’s edition gears up to hold next month, he told OSEYIZA OOGBODO BLOG how Crystal Awards began, the challenges he’s facing and especially about this year’s Crystal Awards.

Why did you conceive Crystal Awards?

God gave me the idea of a platform to reward gospel artists many years ago. I documented the idea and kept it. But in 2011, it came back again. I was in South Africa, so I called my wife who was in Nigeria, that she should look for the document where I wrote the vision of gospel award. She found it and I put the phone on speaker that she should read the material. She read it and that was how it started. No corporate organisation will put its money down for anything gospel, it’s a total waste. But for me, it’s not a waste, so in 2012 nothing happened. But before the close of 2012, I already registered a website, and what was there? It was what we wanted to do and by 2013 the frustration was there again. By the end of January, there was no sign that we were going to have it. So I went to a place at GRA Ikeja to ask them if they do short code, they said it’s part of what they do, I asked how much they do it, they told me, I gave them a cheque and they gave me a form to fill, I told them we are doing it this year, they said how, I said since we have found a an organisation that can do the voting for us, we are doing it and we fixed a date for the nomination party. They said no one has ever done a nomination party, there was no cash, and we did it, no cash, low turnout, but on the big night of the awards proper, the place was jampacked, it was at the Muson Centre. The second one, we did the nomination party here at the Ivory Health Club, off Allen Avenue, Ikeja, it was packed full, they were calling people to come and repark their vehicles outside. On the big night again at Muson Centre, everywhere was packed full. What else do you want? It is just to see the big picture and run with it.

Do you now have corporate sponsorship?

We’re yet to have one. The other time I was telling my brother that we have fixed a date and we have committed God and He must prove himself. What we do is to set up a committee. There is no gospel song that comes out that we don’t get, and we give them all to the committee. When we get the materials, we give them to the academy that judges, it goes through the process, they give us the outcome, we go through the list. I have tried many times not to ever question them if they say this song is not going through, it means it’s not going through, I know my job, I won’t do their job for them.

Who are the people on this board?

No, we don’t want to reveal them because the artists will start visiting them and try to influence their decision. They are around but you will never know that these are the people that do it. But we don’t want to reveal them, but if we are changing team, we may say these are the people on the team we have been using, and if you are going to them that you want to influence them, then you have failed. This year for instance, we don’t want to vote, we are giving it to the same committee, it is the second phase of their work, go through it and tell the winner in every category. We will now seat again, we have another board that will see to it and confirm to us the winners, they would look at your road tours, the number of times you have appeared in concerts, we have to consider a lot of things. Not because you produced a full album.

How are we sure some artists would not be locked out, how are we sure there is going to be fairness in your selections?

Definitely some artists would be knocked out. There are artists in different categories and only one would win in each category. We have a joker for this year and we are not revealing that now.

How are we sure the same winner would not keep winning because he has been wining before?

When they say you have won, nobody would question it. Crystal is unique, different from any other award, no sentiment. We are not here to favour anyone, we won’t kill the vision with a wrong decision, no matter how big you are, if you are not said to be the winner, then you don’t win.

You are so passionate about these gospel artists, but some of them are really lacking in morals. What do you feel about this?

I expect a change. What you feel is what I feel. That’s why I addressed them all through a speech at Crystal Awards 2015 nomination party recently, and I believe with my speech, a change will come. I believe they will start reprogramming their mentality. It is part of the problem that we have, it is a mindset thing. Somebody just bought a car as a gospel artist and his shoulder would swell. What happens when he gets an aircraft? He would never come down, he would start flying.

Do you think your message to them on pride is enough to effect the needed change?

It’s a starting point, but it would go a long way. If we want to pass the message round the radio stations, we can package it, and even if it will cost us, we won’t mind. When Jesus Christ is coming back, it’s the musical instrument that will announce it, the secular artists would not be around there, they have no business there, they have their earthly rewards. I don’t want to say more than that. We that He has called to do His work, we must know how to do His work. If it’s about making money, I won’t be here. We are spending in the millions, even though I know I’m not selling tickets.

Is it not with the hope of making money that you are doing all these?

It is not. He will bless our work, no doubt, but I’m not doing it for money. I know that one day He will bless the work, this work has already been blessed, when you now sit down in your house and someone says come and pick a million-naira cheque, it means the work is blessed, but it is not about the money.

Do you appeal for support?

Yes, we appeal for support. From Christians, from those who go to church, what God is doing with us, if we take over the airwaves, it’s your joy as a believer when what you are hearing on the radio is gospel music, and that is the dream.

Who’s your best gospel artist?

We don’t have a best gospel artist. I don’t like the term, best gospel artist. We have best new artist, best video, best male vocalist, best female vocalist, but I’m not going to say this is the best gospel artist in Nigeria. No one is best except God. Which of them is your favourite then? I like all of them. They are fantastic guys, fantastic artists, they have wonderful albums, but no one is interested in their work, even in their churches. But the day they hear he has won an award, they would say yes, he has arrived, let’s give him some money to shoot the next video. When we started Crystal Awards, no one listened to us, yet this is the third edition.