Basil Odilim
A man woke up one morning and refused to step out of his home because he had a dream of being involved in a car accident. The next day, he woke up and refused to leave his house because he had a dream of thieves coming to the neighborhood to shoot and hurt him. The day after, he refused to leave his bedroom because of a dream that part of the sitting room wall would fall and hit him. On another day, he refused to sleep because a dream revealed how he died while asleep. Ultimately, his life became dominated by fear, paralyzing him into inaction and cowardice.
This story resonates deeply with Franklin D. Roosevelt’s famous words, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” Fear can be more crippling than the actual dangers we face. A life dominated by fear of the consequences, even of doing the right thing, is a life not fully lived.
In late 2022, I faced a similar crossroads. Two close friends, aware of my battle with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) over our eNaira, warned me to back down. They advised this not out of doubt in our cause but out of fear of CBN’s potential to hire some of the world’s best lawyers. They believed these legal giants would surely overwhelm us.
However, I refused to yield. From the beginning, I never believed that CBN’s high-powered lawyers, including those from the prestigious White and Case LLP, could magically turn white into black or twist truths into falsehoods. Or that the USPTO could ignore the laws, especially the Lanham Act, which is as clear as day. Our conviction was rooted in the truth, and no amount of legal maneuvering could change that.
Today, our persistence is paying off. Despite not being lawyers ourselves, we have stood firm and continued to challenge CBN. The so-called world’s best lawyers have yet to defeat us. This battle has shown that truth and determination can stand against even the most formidable opponents.
The truth is that humans often contemplate fears even when all we need is to ignore them. Had I feared CBN and its so-called dreadful army of lawyers, I might never have realized that they were actually poorly schooled in the business of intellectual property laws.
By confronting our fears and standing up for what is right, we have achieved victories that seemed impossible to others. Just as Roosevelt warned against letting fear dictate our actions, we must remember that the greatest danger often lies in the fear itself, not in the actual challenges we face. This lesson is crucial: living in fear is worse than the potential consequences of standing up for the truth.
Once you follow the path of truth, bravery hormones take over the thinking and action centers of the brain, transmitting the highest protective electrical fields. This provides you with insurmountable energy and action-readiness.
Always tell yourself, you know what, everyone believed that beyond the Atlantic Ocean was the infinite end of the world. And so for centuries, that belief was constantly held unchallenged until Christopher Columbus debunked it by ignoring the fear and venturing into that known unknown.
Fortune favors the bold, as celebrated by Lester Thurow in his book. Cowards will always die before the brave.
Consider this: the world might have been different had more Germans spoken out against Adolf Hitler’s election as Chancellor. The rise of Hitler and the Nazi regime was facilitated by a combination of political maneuvering, economic instability, and a lack of widespread opposition from within Germany. If more people had challenged his ascent or resisted his policies earlier on, the trajectory of World War II might have changed significantly. The Holocaust, during which approximately six million Jews were systematically murdered, might have been averted. The loss of life and suffering could have been drastically reduced if fear had not paralyzed those who might have opposed him.
Truly, I’ve always known that I could be in harm’s way, but that has never stopped me. I don’t know why, but throughout my life, I’ve never paid much attention to fear, especially when fighting for justice and pursuing the truth. I’ve always seen all men as possessing the same basic brain and physical makeups, leading me to believe that fear should not dictate our actions.
I’ve believed that as long as the rule of law is the reference point, you’re only defeated when you fail to recognize the opponent’s vulnerability in the presence of the law.
Today, some friends are advising me to stay away from the current political dynamics in the US, warning me about the dangers and potential repercussions. They worry that I could become a target. But should I let fear silence me and prevent me from speaking the truth that can set us free and protect millions from the harmful agendas at play? No. The fight against fear and for justice must continue.
