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Food for Living: Crave the Circle of Your Betters
By Henry Ukazu
Dear Destiny Friends,
A credible relationship is a valuable currency. A great relationship is priceless. The relationship is even more monumental, when it is contracted with persons much better in status, intelligence, reach and spread, and capabilities than one. Several people come into an individual’s life for several reasons; some are parasitic, while a great many others are symbiotic. However, many people still do not understand the value of having a valuable relationship, in other words, a relationship with someone better than ‘you’.
To succeed in the journey of life, one needs to understand who they are, and know what they want. It’s one thing to know who you are, and another thing to know what you want. Some people know who they are yet unable to decipher what they actually want, while some others know what they want, but lack the ability to know who they are. Let me explain.
If you know who you are, it will be easier to see what you want from someone. For instance, the first thing a single man/lady, who is interested in marriage should figure out is who they are (their temperament, strength, weakness, personality, values, and interest). The ability to know these fundamental information will help to figure out who will complement them.
In another scenario, some people know what they want, but don’t really know who they are. This is why I strongly advocate self-discovery training for anyone interested in starting a business or having a life partner.
I can’t underemphasize the importance of associating with people better than you. On a personal note, my most defining moment in the journey of life and business is relationship. Not only is this relationship defining and resourceful, it is valuable and priceless because I relate closely with people better and more resourceful than me.
A wise man once stated that ‘if I have attained success, it is because I stood on the shoulders of giants’. According to the sage, great men have great habits, they carefully select their partners, a step into their life will make a difference in your own life, absorb their books, listen to their tapes and you will be great like them. As a cultured Nigerian man, we have a saying that ‘when a child washes his hands, he will dine with elders’.
One might be wondering the reasoning behind all these parables. Well, the answer is not far-fetched; it’s all about associating with people better than you, and this is all about relationships. If you don’t have a great relationship with people, it will be hard for them to relate closely with you. Relationship is a skill that needs to be nurtured.
One of the secrets of the little success and impact I have made is the people in my life. I have great and resourceful mentors, who have really made great impacts in life. Based on my personal experience with them, they have introduced me to great minds and have given me access and opportunities money and hard work can’t buy. There are heights I know I may never have attain if not because of God and human relationship.
Did you know that just like mercy works with grace, favor works with relationships. Did you know that just like where your prayers cannot reach, your sacrifice can get you there. In the same vein, where your education can’t get you, your relationship will get you there.
It’s unfortunate that many people don’t know the importance of associating with people better than them. You might be brilliant, sophisticated, confident, and maybe even successful, but I can guarantee you that there’s something you will need because nobody knows or has it all. The truth of the matter is that you can’t be shorter and taller than everyone at the same time. So, no matter how brilliant, sophisticated, confident or even successful one may appear to be, there are people who are more brilliant, more sophisticated, more confident and even more successful than yhem, so be humble just as your heavenly father is humble.
In another way, even when people may not be as smart and confident as you are, the irony of life is that someone somewhere is wishing they were half blessed are you are. Do you see the irony of life? Regardless of where you may belong between these two extremes, resolve today to start associating with those who are better than you. If, for instance, you are afflicted with self-doubt, avoid Brother Thomas, instead visit and cultivate Father Abraham, the grand patriarch of the faith family. If you are a stingy person, begin to associate with a generous mind.
Association in life really matters if they are healthy and valuable, but when it begins to affect your mental health, please avoid it because it is what you feed your mind on that it will digest and send to the universe.
In conclusion, be intentional in cultivating healthy relationships because a large chunk of what happens in your life will be shaped by the people you allowed into it.
Henry Ukazu writes from New York. He works with the New York City Department of Correction as the Legal Coordinator. He’s the founder of Gloemi. He’s a Transformative Human Capacity and Mindset coach. He is also a public speaker, youth advocate, creative writer and author of Design Your Destiny Design and Unleash Your Destiny . He can be reached via info@gloemi.com
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.
