ABOUT LUMEN CHRISTI CATHOLIC TELEVISION NETWORK

At about 45 years old, Prince Robert Soji Olagunju probably received a divine knowledge on the need to set up a Catholic Television Network that would cater for the faithful not only in Nigeria, but the whole of Africa and beyond.

Although the vision was quite clear but scary, considering the huge funds that would be required. The enterprising young man had confessed he was not enthusiastic about it and so decided to jettison the idea all together. 

Like Jonah of old, he spread his tentacles in other business endeavours, particularly those that would bring-in maximum profit. But the Lord was not through with him. 

The vision kept haunting him. Being a retired Register well vast in the financial market, he believed he was not cut-out for the task of running a media station. 

Yet, one major thing he had going for him by way of qualification for the task was his sound Catholic background, particularly the privilege of having two siblings as Reverend Sisters. One of them, incidentally, Rev. Sister Josephine Olagunju SHCJ, is well grounded in communication activities. Could it be that God had put this together all along? Prince Olagunju was still hesitant.

In the course of time, he sold some portions of land at Lekki, determined to plough the funds into the building of a five-star hotel. Much later, the very person he sold the land to, approached him and begged to return it, saying he was not well disposed to making use of it any longer. A perplexed Prince Olagunju reluctantly took it back just as he again received a word of knowledge that the land was meant to house the television station. And, once more like Jonah, he was caught in a delicate web he could not extricate himself from. The rest is now history.

Three years down the line, Lumen Christi Catholic TelevisionNetwork has already become a household name across the globe as the first privately owned Catholic television in Africa, operating in the mode of the famed Eternal Word Television Network, EWTN. 

Last Wednesday, at the occasion of its 3rd anniversary celebration which attracted the crème of the Catholic community across the country and Africa, the station also dedicated to God its DSTV Channel 350, the Live Streaming Service and the Opening of the Saints Peter and Paul Centre for Evangelization and Faith Formation- a three-in-one event. What a journey in faith!

But while we rejoice with the founder, management and staff of the television station which has so far done us proud, there is also need to support them. This was re-echoed by Archbishop Adewale Martins recently. Indeed, Prince Soji Olagunju confessed that the cost of running the station the last three years had run into hundreds of millions. This is incontrovertible, judging from the enormity of its coverage, especially the cost of being on DSTV. 

And so the buck is now on the court of all people of goodwill to financially support this wonderful initiative that is helping to propagate the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ for the benefit of humanity.