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Food for Living: Confidence and Succces
By Henry Ukazu
Dear Destiny Friends,
Did you know confidence is a currency? Confidence is not about one’s strength, but about one’s ability, capacity, capability and competence. When someone is confident, it can be felt. One doesn’t have to say much because their work will speak for them.
Confidence works in all fields of life. A man who wants to talk to a lady must have a level of confidence; a prospective employee must have confidence to pass his examination, and a public speaker must have a decent amount of confidence to speak.
In the legal world, a Latin maxim suggests, “Res Ipsa Loquitur,” meaning that the fact speaks for itself. For the sake of clarity, the maxim means that one doesn’t have to provide much explanation to prove a point in the court of law. For instance, white is white and black is black. So, when one is confident about their work, they don’t need to speak too much about because the work will speak for itself.
To further understand how confidence works, consider Walter Payton’s exposition on knowing the difference between Good and Great; “when you are good at something, you tell everyone, when you’re great at something, they’ll tell you. Isn’t it true that noise is loud while creation is silent? Sometimes, I do wonder why people have the urge to boast about their achievements as opposed to allowing other people to sing their praises. Please, don’t misunderstand me, it’s good to speak about oneself in addition to having high self-esteem; however, the balance is having moderation.
Confidence always stays in the family of humility; they are opposed to pride and arrogance, and those who always feel entitled and sarcastic. Most great leaders who know their worth are humble and charitable in their relationship with those who are inferior, as against arrogant leaders.
Confidence works in different ways.
Whether you are preparing for an examination, a career promotion, soccer, or an athletic competition, you need confidence, because that’s what will set you apart from your contemporaries. That’s why it’s always and generally good to prepare before you begin any major task; failure to do this can lead to disaster because failing to prepare is preparing to fail.
Imagine being called upon to speak or lead an organization; if you don’t do your homework diligently, you are setting yourself up for failure. Contrast the case to a scenario where you could meet President Trump, Elon Musk, or even your idol who has inspired you to become great, and you came prepared with your questions.
Trust me, at the end of the time, if my thinking is right, you might not remain the same again because a lot of mental transformation may have taken place. As a matter of fact, lots of opportunities might open for you to explore simply because you made yourself available and have the confidence to speak up.
Inasmuch as it is generally good for one to prepare, in some cases, one just has to swim inside the oceans because there’s little or no time for preparation. This is an exception to the general rule of life which advocates preparation. I can relate to this rule because I was a victim.
I can vividly remember when I arrived the United States of America and joined the Nigerian Lawyers Association as a graduate student. During the election, I picked up the form for Public Relations Officer; no one contested for the position, so I won unopposed. The interesting thing about this position was that I wasn’t prepared to assume the position; I felt it was like one of those organizations I could handle like I did while in Nigeria. However, one thing is certain: I had subtle confidence in my ability even though I knew the journey would be challenging. The result and experience were totally different.
Confidence doesn’t come easily; it has to be nurtured with preparation, just like gold has to go through fire in the furnace to become refined.
In conclusion, I would like to ask you, what gives you strength, what makes you happy, and what do you do with relative ease? When you figure it out, please focus on it and build it. By the time you are done, you will be amazed at what you have accomplished by applying confidence to your personality.
In conclusion, as your journey in life, please note that foundations are critical in life. They can either mar or make you. So, please pay attention to the foundation you are laying down because at the end of the day, the way you make your bed is the way you will lie on it.
The National Executive Committee (NEC) of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has approved the timetable for its nationwide congresses and National Convention.
The approved timetable is as follows: Polling Unit and Ward Congresses – Tuesday, 7 April 2026; Local Government Area Congresses – Thursday, 9 April 2026; State Congresses – Saturday, 11 April 2026; National Convention – Tuesday, 14 April 2026.
The meeting also approved the presentation of two separate reports submitted by the ADC Policy and Manifesto Committee and the Constitution Review Committee for ratification at the forthcoming national convention.
On the outcomes of the meeting, the ADC National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, said the meeting also accepted the two reports earlier submitted to the National Working Committee (NWC) by the committees headed by Chief John Odigie-Oyegun and Etigwe Uwa (SAN), respectively.
He said the NEC meeting, fully attended by members and representatives of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), approved all the memoranda presented by the ADC National Chairman, Senator David Mark.
Abdullahi said the guidelines for the congresses have already been published and the forms have been distributed across the country, adding that “All members will receive them. And those who are aspiring to contest for various positions of the party will have the opportunity to do so.”
He stressed that the congresses were fixed to elect new officers at the ward/polling unit level, the local government level, and at the state level, adding that “The nomination fees, the expression of interest fees have been duly stated.”
While announcing the dates, he said: “The polling unit and award congresses will come up on the 7th. The local government congresses will come up on the 9th. The state congresses will come up on the 11th. And the national convention here in Abuja on the 14th.”
The ADC spokesman said the forthcoming convention was not elective but to ratify all the decisions that had been taken by the previous NEC and the NWC.
“The National Convention is for the purpose of ratifying earlier decisions that have been taken. It is not an elective convention per se. It is not to elect new officers of the party, and it is not primaries. It is to ratify positions that have been taken by the NEC and the NWC. So, it is not to elect new officers of the party, and it is not to elect candidates for the party.
“Every decision that has been taken by the National Working Committee and the NEC of the party in between the last convention will be ratified at the next convention.”
He said the convention committee had been set up, but added that the National Organising Secretary, Prince Chinedu Idigo, would provide detailed information.
On the committees’ reports, Abdullahi added that “one of the key conclusions of the NEC meeting is to accept the report of the Committee on Policy and Manifesto. And that relates to the policy position of the party and the report of the Constitutional Review Committee.
“The reports submitted to the National Working Committee were formally presented to the National Executive Committee of the party. And the NEC received those reports which will now go to the National Convention on the 14th,” he added.
Earlier in his opening remarks, the ADC National Chairman, Senator Mark, said the second NEC meeting came at a critical moment when Nigerians across all walks of life are yearning for purposeful leadership, equity, justice, and a government that truly serves the people.
He stressed that unity within the party was non-negotiable, saying “Recent developments have shown that while challenges may arise, our collective will to remain focused and united is stronger than any divisive tendencies.
“We must therefore close ranks, deepen consultation, and reinforce confidence in our leadership and processes. Let me use this opportunity to thank our state chairmen who have chosen the path of dialogue and consultation in spite of all odds. Together, we can salvage Nigeria.”
Mark said the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has shown incompetence.
He said, “Unfortunately, these ills are now the new normal. They (APC) have shown that they are incapable of arresting the situation.
“Our party, the ADC, must rise up to the occasion to address these ills. We are prepared to do things differently and make Nigeria a better and safer society.
“Distinguished members, the journey ahead may be demanding, but with unity, discipline, and commitment, victory is assured. Let us remain steadfast and resolute.”
MoneyMaster Payment Service Bank (MMPSB), Nigeria’s leading payment service bank, has announced that it has further enhanced its mobile banking application to improve the order flow for its airtime and data products to improve customer experience.
For airtime, the Moneymaster mobile banking app now has an enhanced visual appeal, thus, providing customers with a cleaner, and more modern interface that streamlines account selection, denomination selection and a dynamic input validation. For its data products, the new interface organizes data into logical tabs of hot, daily, weekly, monthly, exclusive and special. In addition, each data now clearly displays data volume, validity period in a bold easy-to-read format. These changes will now enable customers to find airtime and data plans in a simplified and faster manner without expending more time on scrolling.
Furthermore, the mobile banking app users can now buy lower denominations of airtime such as N200, N500, N1000, N2,000, N4000. Also, the categorisation of the telco products has been re-ordered to ensure ease for customers in selecting their preferred products.
The company’s Head of Business, Tajudeen Omokhide, noted that MoneyMaster’s “mission is to transform payments into an agile experience, capable of moving with the speed and transparency of a fintech. Our customers expect simple, fast and transparent solutions at an affordable cost.
“These recent upgrades on mobile banking app is a testament to our relentless efforts to ensure that our customers experience is top notch and aligns with their needs. We encourage our customers to upgrade their mobile banking app whilst new customers can download the app from android playstore or IoS app store.”
All customers of the bank will enjoy 100% bonus on their airtime recharges on Glo airtime purchased. Data customers will similarly enjoy 10% bonus on every Glo data recharges. This is to attract new customers and reward the existing ones.
Mr Omokhide further stated that the suite of new products “marks an important step towards the bank’s vision of offering market-relevant and customer-centric products”.
Moneymaster, promoted by Globacom, is licensed by the Central Bank of Nigeria as a payment service bank. The bank operates mobile wallet, savings account, individual current account as well as business banking accounts. It also vends airtime and data and makes it easy for customers to pay their bills to more than 4,000 billers on its banking platform.
The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has sensationally declared that the current power outages across the country are due to factors beyond the government’s control.
Adelabu made this known on Tuesday during a press conference in Abuja, where he also apologised to Nigerians over the persistent electricity disruptions recorded in the past month.
He acknowledged that the outages have worsened hardship for households, businesses, schools, and industries, especially amid increased heat during the dry season.
The apology comes as public frustration grows over erratic power supply across the country, with rising temperatures driving higher electricity demand.
Adelabu said: “I want to apologise to Nigerians, officially now, coming from me as the Minister of Power, for this temporary issue that is leading to hardship being experienced, especially during this dry season, where there is so much heat everywhere.
“Businesses are being affected, schools have been affected, and industries have been affected. It is not our wish to find ourselves in this situation, but it is due to some factors that are actually beyond our control.”
He assured Nigerians that improvements in electricity supply are expected within weeks.
“I can tell you, with the committee that we have set up, and commitments from gas suppliers, and the timeline for repair of the gas pipelines, two weeks from now, we should start seeing improvements in supply. Two weeks,” Adelabu said.
The minister explained that the government has visibility on the timeline for key repairs, particularly those involving facilities operated by Seplat Energy, which are expected to restore gas supply to power plants.
He added that a special committee has been constituted to monitor compliance with domestic gas supply obligations by producers, a major issue affecting electricity generation.
“We already have a committee that is working on this to track compliance with the domestic supply obligations of these gas companies to our power plants,” he said, adding that improved payment flows would further incentivise supply.
Adelabu said efforts are ongoing to stabilise the power sector despite structural challenges.
“We are working on it 24/7 to make sure that we go back to the trajectory of 2025, when Nigerians commended us for a good job well done,” he said.
He also reiterated the Federal government’s target to increase electricity generation to 6,000 megawatts before the end of 2026, describing the current situation as a temporary setback.
