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Food for Living: Design Your Destiny
By Henry Ukazu
Greetings Destiny Friends,
One of life’s most misconstrued concepts is destiny. If you ask a thousand and one persons what destiny is, they will give you a thousand and one definitions based on their understanding. Some might relate it to the spiritual, some might define it from the educational perspective, while other schools of thought might see it from an inspirational or motivational perspective. For the purpose of this article, I shall focus on the transformational perspective.
No doubt destiny means many things to many people. The question we should be asking ourselves is how we can design our destiny? To a reasonable extent, we can design our destiny because we have the power of choice to decide our fate. For instance, one thing is certain in life, and that is we must all make a choice either directly or indirectly. Your choice will definitely define you; if you make the right choice, you will excel, but if you make the wrong choice, you will pay for it. However, paying for it doesn’t make one a failure because you can still turn your failures into a friend, and thereafter unleash your potentials.
As human beings, we are always torn about how we can succeed. Some of us imitate other people, some see success in education, some see true success in talents, gifts, or even skill, while many others see success as financial stability. All these schools of thought are right depending on the the lens of a particular viewer. However, one fact is certain, a true and authentic success must be planned, and that success is the definition you give to yourself to achieve “authentic fulfillment” as opposed to the one the world expects from you. Regardless of how you might look at it, if you are not prepared for success, you’ll lose when it arrives. Even God in his infinite knowledge encourages us in Proverbs 4:13 thus: “Your education is your life, guard it very well’. This literally means you need to continually improve yourself.
Genuine success is not only about taking first, but the bigger picture is maintaining the first position. In our contemporary society, sometimes, we look to other people for our success without knowing that success lies inside of us. For instance, instead of looking for a job, look internally to discover your talent/gift. Instead of looking for a soulmate to love you, how about you practicing self-love which can attract your authentic love. Instead of reading different materials to understand how human beings reason, you can look internally to know what’s unique about you by reaching out to your creator to know the purpose he designed you.
I have always shared this story; if you want to know how Facebook works, you need to ask Mark Zuckerberg who is the founder. If you want to know how Microsoft works, you need to ask Bill Gate who is the founder, if you want to know how a product works, you also have to look at the manual to decipher the functions. In the same way, if you want to know your purpose you have to ask your creator. It is quite unfortunate that many of us settle for less, while some consider other secondary ways like settling for a job that’s not meant for them just because it pays the bills. Some even identify with human beings they are not compatible with just because they want to get married, get loans, get a political appointment etc.
This set of people fail to understand there’s more to life than vested interest and that it is only when they work on their authentic purposes that they will realize how far they can go in life.
It is on this note I wish to inform my tribe that I will be organizing Design Your Destiny Masterclass, which will be focused on helping progressive minds to unleash their potentials. The two-day Masterclass will run from January 31 through to February 1 via Zoom. The whole idea is to help adults who need clarity, self-discovery, and transformation in both their personal and professional lives.
The Masterclass will position every attendee towards re-evaluating his life, business, friendship, family, and perception to life. Discovering one’s purpose can be hard, but with the right tools and guidance, you can unravel it. Some people discovered their purpose with mentors, some through meditation, and others through making themselves available by being vulnerable.
The Masterclass will also focus on helping you to know what’s unique about you; it will guide you on how to make the right choices, and how to use meditation to discover your true being in addition to attracting opportunities by practicing gratitude and appreciation. This is a must-attend Masterclass. If you love yourself or know anyone that will benefit from this program, please do them a favour by either paying for them to attend or recommending the Masterclass to them. The fees are very affordable. For details about the payment, please see Design Your Destiny Masterclass. If you have any questions, please send an email to info@gloemi.com.
According to Oscar Wilde, “Be yourself, everyone is taken” As human beings, we are all unique and endowed with different gifts. Your gifts will announce you before kings, queens, and captains of industries if you use them very well. Your gifts have been resourced for value because humanity needs your talent. In Designing your destiny, it’s important to ask yourself critical questions, such as why some people stress and work hard to succeed while others merely network in a smart way. Everyone is different, therefore your ability to know the thin line where destiny, wisdom, and intuition cross, will make you understand that our destiny is literally in our hands because regardless of what anyone says or do to us, we are responsible for either accepting, rejecting and or reacting to it.
In conclusion, I urge you to take some time to ask yourself some salient questions by way of soul searching to know more about yourself. If you will like to know more about how you can Design Your Destiny, you can read my book: Design Your Destiny- Actualizing Your Birthright to Success.
Henry Ukazu writes from New York. He’s a mindset coach and transformational coach. 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 and President of gloemi.com. He can be reached via info@gloemi.com
Three Nigerian secondary schools are in the ring for the grand prize of N5m in the ongoing Glo Innov8 National STEM competition for girls in Senior Secondary Schools across the country.
The three top finalists were selected for their originality and innovation in the different entries for the competition. A total of 20 secondary schools were picked from over 200 schools which registered for the competition. After a series of considerations, 10 of them made it to the semifinal from which three; Ephraim High School, Isolo Campus, Lagos; Regina Pacis International School, Onitsha, Anambra State; and Peakfield Academy, Jos, Plateau State eventually coasted home to the finals.
Schools from Plateau, Kano, Lagos, Rivers, Edo, Borno, Kebbi, Nasarawa, Ondo, Oyo, Anambra, FCT, Delta, Kaduna and Adamawa states had signified intentions to participate following a call for entries by Glo Foundation, Globacom’s corporate social responsibility arm as part of its celebration of the 2025 International Day of the Girl Child.
Glo Innov8, a STEM-driven challenge, has scheduled prizes worth N5 million to the three schools in the finals. The competition “is geared at inspiring young girls to Compete, Innovate and Win, while also strengthening their confidence and expanding their knowledge in STEM subjects”, Glo Foundation explained.
The eventual overall winning school will go home with a cash prize of N2,000,000 while the 2 students representing the school will each get a laptop. The Teacher/Mentor/STEM Coordinator also gets N200,000.
The schools that come second and third places and their Teachers/Mentors/STEM Coordinators will also receive mouth-watering consolation prizes.
The three female judges of the virtual phase of selection of the top 20 schools said they were excited by the quality of presentations by the competing schools. One of them, Tosin Olabode said: “I was particularly impressed by the prototype presentations from some schools. They demonstrated that they had done their homework”.
In the same vein, Amina Gabriel disclosed that she was thrilled by the variety of ideas that the schools came up with. “The schools presented innovative solutions tackling issues in agriculture, security, waste management, and firefighting. The top 10 schools showcased outstanding prototypes, from apps to robots, making the judging process truly competitive. I’m grateful to Glo Foundation for the opportunity to serve and support young girls in STEM”, she said.
According to Sharon Ibejih, the third judge, “This competition has showcased a highly competitive next generation of women leaders in STEM. This was an excellent exercise and a means to encourage more students in STEM to develop problem-solving and innovative thinking skills”.
The overall winning school will emerge at an event set to hold later this year at the Mike Adenuga Centre (Alliance Française), Ikoyi, Lagos.
The leader of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPoB), Nnamdi Kanu, has filed a motion to stop the judgment of the Federal High Court, Abuja, in his trial for alleged terrorism.
Justice James Omotosho, on November 7, fixed November 20 for judgment on the case.
The judge fixed the date after Kanu’s defence was foreclosed following his insistence that he would not enter his defence under a repealed law.
However, in the motion on notice marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/383/2015, he personally filed, the IPoB leader sought seven reliefs.
In the application dated November 10 and filed same date, Kanu sought an order arresting the delivery of judgment in charge no: FHC/ABJ/CR/383/2015.
The document was made public on Tuesday.
In it, he alleged that the proceedings were conducted under a repealed and non-existent statute and in disobedience to the Supreme Court’s directive contrary to Section 287(1) CFRN 1999.”
He sought a declaration that by virtue of Section 287(1) CFRN, the trial court was constitutionally bound to give effect to the Supreme Court’s finding that count 15 (now count 7) “does not exist in law,” and its failure rendered all subsequent proceedings null and void.
He also sought a declaration that the court’s failure to take judicial notice of the repeal of the 2013 Terrorism Act, contrary to Section 122 Evidence Act 2011, vitiates all steps taken thereunder.
The IPOB leader equally sought a declaration that by virtue of Section 76(1)(d)(iii) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022, the Federal High Court lacked jurisdiction to try him in the absence of proof that the alleged conduct constituted an offence under Kenyan law or of any Kenyan judicial validation or extradition order.
Besides, Kanu sought “a declaration that the plea purportedly taken on March 29, under a repealed and non-existent statute and in violation of Section 220 ACJA 2015 is void and incapable of conferring jurisdiction.
President Bola Tinubu has dispatched a strong delegation to London to address the situation of Ike Ekweremadu, a former Deputy Senate President, who has been imprisoned in the UK since March 2023.
The delegation includes the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, and the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi.
The team arrived in London on Monday and held discussions with officials from the UK’s Ministry of Justice.
Alkasim Abdulkadir, spokesperson for Tuggar, said on Tuesday that the presidential delegation was in London to engage with UK authorities to consider the possibility of Ekweremadu serving the remainder of his prison sentence in Nigeria.
The London Metropolitan Police detained the Ekweremadus in June 2022 after a man was deceitfully presented to a private renal unit at Royal Free Hospital in London as a relative of their daughter Sonia, in what turned out to be a failed attempt to convince medical professionals to perform an £80,000 transplant.
The 21-year-old man, who had allegedly been promised employment in the UK, reported the incident to the police in May of that year, saying that he had been brought to the country for an organ transplant.
In March 2023, the former presiding officer of Nigeria’s Senate was convicted of organ trafficking by a UK court. Beatrice, his wife, and Obinna Obeta, a doctor connected to the case, were also found guilty.
This verdict marked the first of its kind under the UK Modern Slavery Act.
On May 5, 2023, Ekweremadu received a nine-year and eight-month prison sentence, while his wife was sentenced to four years and six months, and Obeta was given a ten-year prison sentence.
In his ruling, Judge Jeremy Johnson determined that Beatrice should serve half of her sentence in custody and be supervised for the remainder. However, she was released from prison in January and has since returned to Nigeria.
