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Food for Living: Are You Prepared?
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By Henry Ukazu
Greetings Friends,
Life is full of many challenges and opportunities. At every stage in life, we are always called upon to act or perform a particular task. The questions you may want to ask yourself as regards the challenge before are; am I prepared for the opportunity; and am I ready to hit the ground running. A few years ago, I wrote an article entitled Youths and Nation Building – A Case Study of Nigeria, wherein I was able to share some insightful points on how the youths can contribute to Nation-Building. What really inspired that article was the allegation a colleague made on Facebook that the youths of Nigeria are not prepared to serve in certain committees and positions of authority. According to him, even if they are given the opportunity, they lack the necessary skills and qualifications to serve or contribute to Nation Building.
In the course of this article, we shall be discussing how preparation can be a catalyst to one’s success. Preparation in life cuts across every barrier namely: academic, business, marriage, economy and leadership. In whatever you do in life, you definitely have to plan if you truly want to succeed. According to Benjamin Franklin, “Failing to prepare is preparing to fail”. Just like we say in some social parlance, organization is the first law in heaven, in the same vein, preparation is the first key to any opportunity. Nor matter how good, skillful or knowledgable you are in life in any particular industry, if you are not prepared for the task ahead, you are definitely going to hit the rock. For instance, Anthony Joshua lost his first-ever boxing battle to Andy Ruiz jr. in one of the biggest shocks in the history of the sport. According to some people who watched the fight, Anthony Joshua lost because he wasn’t fully prepared for the fight.
When people say they need an opportunity to work or serve in a particular capacity, what really comes to my mind is, are they really prepared if the opportunity becomes available? What they don’t really know is that opportunity never comes, it is created it by hard-work and smartness. Working hard is different from working smart. When you work hard, you exert so much energy to get the word out there, but when you work smart, you use logistics to plan very well. It’s funny to know that most people want to achieve success, but at the same time, they don’t want to do the work. In the voice of one of the most celebrated Nigerian artist in the world, Innocent Idibia, aka Tuface, he said, “some people want to go heaven, but they don’t want to go to die”. What this really means is that most people want to succeed, but they are not willing to do the work by preparing.
The question now is how do you do the work? You do the work by planning your life, your study, your business, your family and life generally. You also prepare by volunteering, serving, reading, learning the trade, getting theoretical and practical guidelines and empowering yourself with all necessary skills to succeed in the particular area of interest you are passionate about. For example, if you are a man who wants to marry, it’s strongly advisable to do the courting in order to know your intending spouse to a reasonable extent. Then you secure a stable source of income to cater for the family as the Head of the house when you finally decide to settle down.
It’s pertinent to note that the journey of a thousand steps begins with a step in the right direction. If you want to be a doctor, lawyer, teacher, engineer, politician or even artisan, you have to learn the trade in order to succeed in the industry. Failing to do the needful might make you to crash when the opportunity becomes available. In order to achieve success, you must pay your dues. Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity. There’s nothing like luck in life. Most of the opportunities that have come across me didn’t really come as a result of my hard work, most of them came because I created them by preparing myself.
In conclusion, it’s pertinent for you to sit down and evaluate where you are and where you want to be in life in a year’s time, five years and ten years time. Then ask yourself, am I doing what I am supposed to do? If no, ask yourself again, what am I supposed to do to get myself prepared for the task ahead.
Henry Ukazu writes from New York. He works with the New York City Department of Correction as the Legal Coordinator. He’s the author of the acclaimed book Design Your Destiny – Actualizing Your Birthright To Success.
Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has announced a N500m Election Violence Victims Endowment Fund for verified victims and families affected by pre-election violence in the state.
Adeleke also disclosed that his family, through the Springtime Development Foundation, would provide full scholarships up to university level for the children and dependants of those who lost their lives in the violence.
The governor made the announcement on Wednesday in a statement issued after receiving his Certificate of Return from the Independent National Electoral Commission following his re-election.
He said the fund would support verified victims and affected families, while a Verification and Relief Committee, chaired by the Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Adewale Olumide Egbedun, would oversee the identification of victims and distribution of the support.
“This is not a political intervention. It is a humanitarian responsibility. No eligible victim will be excluded because of political affiliation, religion, ethnicity, gender or social status. In grief, there is no political party. In our common humanity, we are one people,” he said.
The governor also named some of those killed in the violence, including Ezekiel Olapade, Aderogba Ajayi, Remi Abass and Kolade Eluyera.
“We remember Ezekiel Olapade, Aderogba Ajayi, Remi Abass, Kolade Eluyera, and every other victim of electoral violence. Regardless of political affiliation, they were first our brothers, sisters and fellow citizens. To their families, your pain is our pain, and your loved ones will never be reduced to mere statistics,” Adeleke said.
He said the decision to establish the fund followed the loss of lives, injuries, destruction of property and livelihoods recorded during the electoral process.
“It is deeply painful that any family should have to bury a loved one because of politics. No election, political office or ambition is worth the life of a single citizen,” he said.
Adeleke also called for unity in the state following the governorship election, assuring residents who voted for other candidates that he remained governor of the entire state.
“The election is over. The campaign is over. The contest is over. Now is the time to govern, unite, heal and build,” he said.
He added, “To those who voted for me, I thank you. To those who voted for another candidate, I thank you for participating in our democracy. I remain Governor to all, and together we must place Osun State above politics.”
The governor said his administration would continue to focus on infrastructure, healthcare, education, workers’ welfare, youth empowerment and economic development, while strengthening accountability, inclusion and transparency.
Adeleke, who described his renewed mandate as a fresh responsibility to serve the people, said, “You have given me another opportunity to serve, and I accept this responsibility with humility. I will work harder. I will listen more. I will do more.”
He added, “Today, we are grateful for victory, but sober in remembrance. Tomorrow, we return to work.”
Adeleke was declared winner of the governorship election after polling 511,067 votes to defeat the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Oyebamiji, who scored 409,849 votes.
The governor won in 19 of the state’s 30 local government areas, while Oyebamiji secured victory in 11.
The Punch
The management of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UniZik), Awka, Anambra State, has ordered an immediate, comprehensive and impartial investigation after a viral video showing students assaulting a lecturer over an alleged sexual misconduct sparked outrage online.
The incident that occurred on Saturday on the Awka campus.
Footage that circulated widely on social media on Saturday captured some UniZik students physically assaulting and rough-handling a lecturer from the Department of Chinese Studies, Faculty of Arts.
According to witnesses and the circulating videos, the lecturer was allegedly caught attempting to molest a female student within the university premises before students intervened.
The clips have drawn widespread condemnation and calls for a thorough probe, with many Nigerians debating both the allegation and the students’ resort to violence.
The lecturer’s identity has not yet been officially released by the university.
In a statement issued at the weekend, the Director of Information and Public Relations, Aloysius Attah, said the institution is “deeply saddened” by the development.
The management strongly condemned jungle justice and self-help while also taking the sexual misconduct allegation seriously.
“The Management of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, has received reports of the alleged physical assault and attack on a lecturer in the Department of Chinese Studies, Faculty of Arts, following an allegation of attempted sexual misconduct involving a female student of the University,” the statement read.
Attah confirmed that authorities have directed an immediate investigation to “establish the facts and circumstances surrounding the incident.”
UniZik says the investigation will cover two tracks:
1. The sexual misconduct allegation — to determine if the lecturer attempted to molest the female student.
2. The assault on the lecturer — to identify students involved in the physical attack and address breaches of campus discipline.
“The university remains committed to upholding the highest standards of discipline, academic integrity and the safety and dignity of all members of the university community,” Attah added.
Sexual harassment allegations in Nigerian universities have repeatedly sparked protests and policy reviews. UniZik itself has faced pressure in recent years to strengthen its anti-sexual harassment framework.
At the same time, university authorities are under pressure to curb vigilante actions on campus, warning that mob justice undermines due process and endangers lives.
For now, the lecturer has been taken off active duty pending the outcome of the probe, according to campus sources.
UniZik said further updates will be provided as the investigation progresses and urged students and staff to remain calm and allow due process.
The 2026 World Conference of Zion Prayer Movement Outreach will be held next week at Zion City, the permanent site of the ministry at Mgbichi, Ngor Okpala, Imo State.
A press statement released by Zion Ministry in Lagos on Friday disclosed that the three-day crusade will begin on Friday, August 21, and end on Sunday, August 23, 2026.
The World Conference is the largest annual gathering organized by Zion Prayer Movement Outreach and attracts participants from across Nigeria, Africa, Europe, North America, Asia, the Middle East and others parts of the world.
It is the Third time the annual conference will be held outside Lagos, and the crusade will mark the end of the 100 Days Fasting and Prayer started in May by the ministry. Like in previous editions, hundreds of thousands of Zionites from across the world are expected to attend this year’ conference.
The Annual 100 Days Fasting and Prayers is one of the ministry’s most significant spiritual programmes during which members engage in a season of prayers, fasting, worship, Biblical reflection, thanksgiving and fellowship. The programme culminates in the closing World Conference drawing worshippers, pilgrims, clergy, volunteers and media representatives.
The Spiritual Director of Zion, Evangelist Chukwuebuka Anozie Obi, said that the crusade is expected to record thousands of people giving up their lives to Christ, awesome miracles, instant healings, deliverance from bondage, salvation of souls and verifiable testimonies.
