News
Food for Living: Build Your Success
By Henry Ukazu
Greetings Friends,
You may have heard of the word “overnight success”. If I may ask, is there here anything like overnight success? Does it really exist? In reality, there’s nothing like an overnight success. Genuine success takes time. Real success can be likened to being organic. It has to take time and lots of strategies and mistakes. The question we need to ask is, how do we build true success? It should be noted that nothing is achieved without taking action, consistently and frequently. Achieving goals requires a fervent focus on taking action, regardless of the barriers or obstacles that present themselves.
Success means a lot of things to different people depending on what you define and see success to be. In one of my articles which I published a couple of years ago titled: The Relativity of Success, I stated that success means different things to different people. This is because, according to some people, if they attain a particular academic qualification, have a particular amount of money in their account, attain a particular level or even reach the peak in their professional career, or even get married and being able to train their kids, they are successful. In all these instances, they are right, but one thing is certain, they all built their success to make it what it is.
Each and every one of us wants to be successful, but are we doing the needful? Most times, we wait for other people or organizations to support us forgetting that we have to do our part first. Take, for instance, you want to gain a better shape, lose weight, gain muscle, but you go to a gyms instructor to train you, but you don’t spend time to take care for of you eat of even exercise on a daily basis. Most people fail to hit their fitness goals simply because it becomes too difficult to get to a gym. You can literally get into shape without an instructor because they are merely facilitators.
In order to attain true success, the question now becomes how do you build your success? Building success entails creating time for what you truly value and believe in. It can be your business, academics, organization, association or even yourself. However, the best way to build your success is by investing your time and resources into it. During the course of this article, we shall be discussing various ways we can build success.
Lets’ explore avenues we can build our success
1. Define your success
If you don’t define it, you will keep yourself subjected to confusion about your success and your failures. Find out what’s important for you in your personal life, career, and health and then focus your energy on it. Remember, you’ll only be excellent and extraordinarily on what you are naturally good at.
2. Invest Time:
Do you truly and really want to build your business? If yes, you must invest time in your business. You must spend precious time for whatever you need in life. If you want to learn a new language, a new trade, learn how to speak in public, communicate, or even lead, you must invest t your time in learning the secrets. Desire is not enough to acquire the skill and knowledge, you must dedicate your time to the task.
Time is the most important converter of time to whatever you desire to acquire. This is because everything you get will come back to you if you give your time to it. For example, if you invest your time in a family; relationship; or even school, you will get the commensurate result. It should be noted that you can spend money on anything you like, but you’ll only spend time on anything you love. Time is the most valuable asset we have in our passion. No success has ever be recorded in life without the application of time. Your ability to make use of your time is very critical and to your success. Time is life and life is time. This is because when you waste time, you commit suicide, but when you waste your time you commit murder. Nor matter how intelligent, skillful, and talented, you are, if you don’t use your time wisely to build/invest in your business or study well, nobody is going to pay you. Time also involves learning, networking, reading, researching and adding value to the work you do.
3. Set goals
Based on the three basics of life: work, relationships, and health. Maintaining a steady balance on these three areas will ensure that you minimize the pressure and that comes with working hard.
4. Find Inspiration and Motivation
Take your time to find strength and passion on what motivates and inspires you, it can be good friends, music, books, mentors, etc. As human beings, we are wired and composed of different genes and as such, we need the right energy to focus on the needful.
5. Create habits surrounding your goal
If you’re not habitual about doing things that are needed for achieving your goals, your motivation levels will deplete more quickly. You must be intentional about your purpose. Habits are what we do on a daily/continual basis in order to maintain consistency. Create a routine around your habits. Successful people have one noticeable thing in their lives: they live their success, whether anyone notices them or not. Make it a routine to commit yourself to that habitual activity, and demand exceptional performance from yourself.
6. Stop Procrastination
Stop looking at success as a distant. Procrastination is the killer of success. You cannot succeed in life when procrastination is your middle name. In this era of social media, a second post can be the turning point in your career or business. As a rule of thumb, never leave for tomorrow what you can do today.
In summary, build your success because, at the end of the day, no one is going to build it for you. You are the architect of your life and the best version of your business.
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. He can be reached via henrous@gmail.com
The Federal High Court In Abuja on Tuesday ordered the remand of the Former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), at the Kuje Correctional Centre pending the hearing and determination of their bail application.
The trial judge, Justice Emeka Nwite, also ordered the remand of his co-dedendants, his son, Abubakar Malami, and one of his wives Bashir Asabe.
Justice Nwite made the order after taking arguments from the defence team led by Joseph Daudu (SAN) and the prosecution counsel Ekele Iheneacho (SAN).
Malami and his co-defendants are facing a 16-count money laundering charge preferred against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
The EFCC alleges that the defendants conspired at various times to conceal, retain and disguise the proceeds of unlawful activities running into several billions of naira.
According to the charge, the alleged offences span several years and include the use of companies and bank accounts to launder funds, the retention of cash as collateral for loans, and the acquisition of high-value properties in Abuja, Kano and other locations.
The commission further alleges that some of the offences were committed while Malami was serving as Attorney-General of the Federation, in breach of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2011, as amended, and the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022.
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has sent a veiled message to Rivers State governor, Siminalayi Fubara, saying support for President Bola Tinubu alone will not guarantee any election ticket.
Wike made the statement on Sunday during a public outing in Emohua Local Government Area of Rivers State.
His remarks were widely seen as directed at Governor Fubara, amid lingering political crisis in the State.
The former Governor of Rivers State said political loyalty must be tested during difficult times, not after power has been secured.
He mocked those he described as late supporters of President Tinubu, insisting that sudden alignment would not earn political rewards.
He said: “So the issue is not whether you are supporting Tinubu. That one, we have taken too long, long… Yes, oh. So Tinubu’s issue is not an issue again. Yes. Do you understand me? Yes. Tinubu’s issue is that nobody should be coming here to tell a day. We are for Tinubu; I am against you. Who is for Tinubu University? (laughs) That cannot give you any ticket oh! (laughs again) Direct, direct. It will not. Direction. Direction.”
Wike stressed that his political camp stood with Tinubu when the decision was unpopular. He said that support given under pressure carries more weight than alignment after victory.
He also recalled how the Rivers State House of Assembly openly backed Tinubu early, long before the election outcome was certain.
According to him, some of those now making public declarations were absent during the critical period.
“The same people now who came to declare, put them to God… But they should declare they are saying it for a candidate. Yes. Don’t you see characters? (laughs) So I send the sword far ahead of them.”
Wike further spoke on governance and continuity. He defended projects and agreements initiated during his tenure as governor. He said it is often difficult for successors to acknowledge past efforts, even though government is a continuous process.
His comments come weeks after Governor Fubara formally aligned with the All Progressives Congress (APC), the party of President Tinubu.
The move followed months of political crisis in Rivers State, which led to federal intervention and a declaration of emergency rule.
Political watchers believe Wike’s remarks constitute a direct response to Fubara’s recent positioning as a key Tinubu ally in Rivers politics. Critics argue that Fubara’s support surfaced only after the political storm had settled.
Wike, who remains a dominant force in Rivers State politics despite serving in Abuja, appears to have drawn a clear line ahead of the 2027 elections.
He suggested that political tickets would be decided by proven loyalty, not convenience.
Videos from the event in Rumuche, Emohua, spread rapidly on social media. Many users described the speech as a coded warning to the governor.
As of press time, neither the Rivers State Government nor Wike’s media team had issued an official clarification.
The comments, however, suggest that the political rift between both camps is still active, despite earlier peace moves brokered at the national level.
The opposition African Democratic Congress and the Labour Party on Sunday criticized President Bola Tinubu for departing Nigeria for Europe on holiday at a time the country is grappling with rising insecurity, including foreign military interventions in the North.
The Presidency announced on Sunday that Tinubu left Lagos for Europe for his end-of-year holiday ahead of an official visit to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, where he is scheduled to attend the 2026 edition of the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week Summit.
President Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, explained that the trip was by invitation from His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, to participate in the summit, which gathers global leaders from government, business, and civil society to advance sustainable development strategies.
“His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates, has invited President Tinubu to participate in the 2026 edition of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week Summit, which will take place in the emirate early in January,” the statement read.
Reacting to Tinubu’s departure, the ADC, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Bola Abdullahi, faulted the timing as inappropriate given the security challenges facing the country.
The ADC noted the deadly terrorist bomb blast in Zamfara and the ongoing foreign military involvement, calling the President’s move insensitive.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s lack of care is alarming. In the wake of another deadly bomb blast in Zamfara, and following an unprecedented foreign military attack on Nigerian soil, the nation is waiting for reassurance from its leader. Instead, we learn the President has gone on holiday. What a President!” Abdullahi said.
Similarly, LP’s acting National Chairman, Senator Nenadi Usman, described the trip as “insensitive and devoid of empathy” for Nigerians facing violent attacks and humanitarian crises.
Speaking through her Senior Special Adviser on Media, Ken Asogwa, she stressed that the President should have remained in the country to coordinate security responses.
“This is the most inauspicious time for the President to leave the country. Even the Christmas holiday in Lagos seems ill-timed, given that a bomb exploded in Zamfara today, killing nine people,” Usman said.
She further alleged that Nigeria was under external attack and accused the government of downplaying the severity of the situation.
“Nigeria is under attack by a foreign nation. No matter how the government tries to frame this, it is a violation of our sovereignty. This is the time for the commander-in-chief to coordinate the response, not embark on a holiday,” Usman said.
She added that the President had not convened critical security meetings since the U.S.-led bombardment of terrorist camps in Kwara and Sokoto States and condemned the perceived lack of engagement with military leadership.
The President’s trip comes amid heightened security concerns. On Thursday, U.S. President Donald Trump authorised AFRICOM to conduct airstrikes on terrorist camps in Sokoto State, hours before Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs acknowledged the operation. A deadly bomb blast in Zamfara on Friday claimed several lives.
The 17th edition of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week will run from January 11 to 15 at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre under the theme “The Nexus of Next: All Systems Go.”
The event aims to connect innovation, finance, and people to advance sustainable development.
Onanuga confirmed that Tinubu would return to Nigeria after the summit.
Hosted by Masdar, the UAE’s clean energy company, the summit will feature the invitation-only ADSW Summit, the World Future Energy Summit, the Zayed Sustainability Prize Awards Ceremony, and specialised sessions on hydrogen, climate finance, water security, and utilities in the Global South. Organisers expect more than 50,000 participants from over 170 countries, featuring over 700 global brands and exhibitions of emerging clean technologies.
The UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, Dr Sultan Al Jaber, noted that ADSW 2026 builds on two decades of the UAE’s leadership in renewable energy.
Tinubu previously attended the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week in January 2025, where he held meetings with Gulf investors and officials on trade, energy cooperation, and climate finance.
Since assuming office on May 29, 2023, Tinubu has undertaken at least 46 foreign trips, spending an estimated 192 days abroad as of October 2025. In 2025 alone, he travelled internationally no fewer than 15 times to countries including Ghana, the UAE, Tanzania, France, Italy, Saint Lucia, Japan, and Brazil for summits, bilateral engagements, and holidays.
