News
Food for Living: Develop Your Talent
By Henry Ukazu
Dear Destiny Friends,
Hard work beats talent, it has been said in many quarters, but the opinion, for all intent and purpose, is still subject to individual confirmation.
On a personal note, hard work can only beat talent when talent is not put to use, especially if that talent is not developed to its full potential, and equipped with the right techniques that can take an individual from amateur to professional.
What really is talent? Talent is an uncommon natural skill or ability to be good at something. It’s instructive to note that talent is not taught; it’s a natural ability to see or do something in a certain way.
Everyone is endowed with talents, but the sad reality is that not everyone takes time to hone and develop them. Do you know your talent is your gift to the world? You may be wondering how that works? Did you know that at creation, God gave everyone a gift, and that gift is talent? It’s sad however, to see people who haven’t developed the art of using their gifts to serve the world.
Sometimes, we complain of not having a job; sometimes we look elsewhere for a job not knowing we are the job we are seeking. Did you know your gift is your job? When you know how to cultivate your talent by nourishing and garnishing it, there’s a population that will need your service.
But one of the greatest challenges most people have is the inability to market their talents to the right audience.
When you are super talented, Presidents, kings, Queens, captains of industries, and leaders will seek your service. This is because everybody likes the best. Corporate companies and organizations love working with talented people. Talented people spend more time acquiring new skills, improving their relationships via strategic networking, gaining new knowledge and perspective to life. They also know how to balance work and life because they realize what works for them and what doesn’t.
It’s instructive to note that despite being blessed or gifted in a particular way, if one fails to nurture and develop the talent, it will gradually fade out into oblivion. This is because whatever is not being managed is lost. To understand how nurturing works, imagine if great soccer and athletic players like Lionel Messi, Christian Ronaldo, Austin Okocha and Usan Bolt don’t train; their skills will naturally loosen up. That’s simply how talent works, whatever you don’t manage well is forever lost.
Maximizing your strength comes from knowing your talent. The mistake most people make in life is trying to do many things at the same time as opposed to concentrating and mastering one thing. Being jack of all trade and master of none is not the best way to succeeding in life. It’s always good for the world to know and celebrate you for a particular thing. When they do, you can now diversify your interest and resources among your networks. A great way of mastering your strength is by focusing on your talent. You can do this by maximizing your strength while working on your weakness.
It is instructive to note that talent is priceless. You can’t beat the place of talent in the life of a progressive mind. You can make a name for yourself with your talent. The world is in dire need of talented people. When you are talented, you will be unique. You will unapologetically be yourself. A typical case of talented people are the Late Michael Jackson, Dolly Parton, Austin Okocha, Henry Ukazu, amongst others.
To determine your talent, look at what you enjoy doing with relative ease, look at what you are successful at; evaluate what you are good at. Remember, what you are good at is quite different from what you enjoy doing. You might enjoy singing, but singing is not your forte. You might be skillful in doing a particular work, but it doesn’t mean you are talented in it. When talent is at play, you will do it with relative ease, whether paid or unpaid.
In conclusion, it should be noted that your honour is in the discovery of your place of talented assignment. Your relevance is in your call to service, and your recognition, income and resources will come from working on your area of assignment.
Today, I charge you to take a deep reflection about yourself, and discover and fulfill your assignment. don’t spend your life doing so many things, endeavor to focus on what aligns more with your interest by applying the pareto principle.
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 Your and Unleash Your Destiny . He can be reached via info@gloemi.com
The Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday ordered the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to within 24hrs release socialite and business woman, Aisha Achimugu.
Justice Inyang Ekwo in a short ruling also added that parties in the suit especially the EFCC are to report to the court to give report on compliance to the order of court on May 2, 2025.
Recall that Justice Ekwo had on Monday, ordered Achimugu to submit herself to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in connection with an on going investigation bordering on Money laundering and other offences.
Justice Ekwo, also held that following her appearance at the EFCC office, the antigraft agency is to return with her and make an appearance before the court on Wednesday April 30, for report.
Meanwhile, the EFCC arrested Achimugu at about 5am on Tuesday at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport.
The EFCC is investigating Achimugu on a case involving conspiracy, obtaining money by false pretence, money laundering, corruption, and possession of properties reasonably suspected to have been unlawfully obtained.
While she was previously arrested and questioned by the EFCC, she was released on administrative bail by the commission.
However, EFCC alleged that she jumped bail and declared Achimugu wanted.
The EFCC in a press statement urged the public to provide information about Achimugu’s whereabouts, “The public is hereby notified that AISHA SULAIMAN ACHIMUGU is wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in an alleged case of criminal conspiracy and money laundering,” the statement read.
The EFCC in its affidavit to show cause, averred that on February 12, 2024, when Achimugu was previously arrested, in their office with her lawyer, Darlington Ozurumba, she wrote a statement.
The commission said in the statement, that she explained some of the huge funds which passed through her corporate bank accounts.
It said that Achimugu admitted the sum of N8, 710, 000, 000.00. (eight billion, seven hundred and ten million naira) was paid by her partners as an investment fund into the purchase and payment of a signature bonus for the acquisition of oil bloc on Nov. 8, 2022.
It said further investigation however revealed that Achimugu, through her company, Ocean Gate Engineering Oli and Gas Limited, acquired two oil blocs, namely Shallow Water -PPL 3007 and Deep Offshore-PPL 302-DO for the total sum of $25, 300, 000 (twenty-five million, three hundred thousand dollars) through majorly cash payments made to the Bureau De Change (BDC) operators who in turn made payments to Federal Government via corporate accounts.
The commission alleged that the ultimate sources of the said sum of $25,300,000 used in the acquisition of the oil blocs were not linked to her lawful earnings or income or any business partner.
A prominent business executive and socialite, Aisha Sulaiman Achimugu, has been “arrested” by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), according to her legal team.
Chikaosolu Ojukwu, SAN, made this known in a statement to Nairametrics on Tuesday, stressing that “Aisha Achimugu, who arrived voluntarily into the country from London, was arrested by the EFCC” around 5 a.m. on Tuesday.
Nairametrics previously reported that Achimugu’s lawyer had informed the Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday that their client had already stated in her court documents that she would visit the EFCC today in connection with its ongoing investigation into an alleged case of criminal conspiracy and money laundering.
Source: Nairametrics
A Federal High Court in Abuja has authorised the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to arrest and detain six promoters of Crypto Bridge Exchange (CBEX) over an alleged investment fraud amounting to over one billion dollars.
Justice Emeka Nwite, who issued the order on Thursday after the EFCC’s lawyer, Fadila Yusuf, moved an ex-parte motion, stated that the detention would be pending the conclusion of the investigation into the alleged offenses and possible prosecution.
“I have listened to the submission of the learned counsel for the applicant (EFCC). I have also reviewed the affidavit evidence, including the exhibits, along with the written address. I am of the view and I so hold that the application is meritorious. Consequently, the application is granted as prayed,” the judge held.
The six suspects listed as the 1st to 6th defendants are Adefowora Abiodun Olanipekun, Adefowora Oluwanisola, Emmanuel Uko, Seyi Oloyede, Avwerosuo Otorudo, and Chukwuebuka Ehirim.
In the ex-parte motion filed on April 23 by Yusuf, the EFCC sought an order from the court to issue warrants of arrest for the defendants and an order remanding the defendants in custody pending the conclusion of the investigation into the alleged offenses and possible prosecution.
The lawyer stated four grounds for the motion, noting that the EFCC has a statutory duty to prevent and detect financial crimes through investigation. She also mentioned that there was intelligence received by the office of the commission’s chairman regarding the defendants, concerning various criminal offenses.
She said: “The defendants are at large, and a warrant of arrest is required to apprehend them for proper investigation and prosecution of this case.”
In the affidavit supporting the motion, the EFCC stated that in April 2025, it received intelligence about an alleged investment scheme fraud involving the defendants.
It was alleged that the defendants and their company, ST Technologies International Limited, in collaboration with another company, Crypto Bridge Exchange (CBEX), orchestrated the fraud. The case was assigned to the EFCC’s Cybercrimes Section for investigation.
The agency revealed that preliminary investigations into the intelligence revealed:
“That Messrs. Adefowora Abiodun Olanipekun, Adefowora Oluwanisola, Emmanuel Uko, and Seyi Oloyede, through their company, ST Technologies International Limited, promoted another company, Crypto Bridge Exchange (CBEX), by advertising and luring unsuspecting members of the public to invest in cryptocurrencies on the CBEX investment platform.”
The EFCC also stated that the defendants promised unrealistic returns of up to 100% on investments.
“That the victims were made to convert their digital assets into USDT stablecoin for deposit into the suspects’ crypto wallet.
“That the victims were initially given full access to the platform to monitor their investments. However, following deposits worth over $1 billion by the victims, the CBEX investment platform became inaccessible, and they could no longer withdraw their investments.
“That the victims later discovered that the scheme was a scam.”
During the investigation, it was discovered that although ST Technologies International Limited was registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), it was not registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for investment purposes.
The EFCC also uncovered that the defendants had moved out of their last known addresses in Lagos and Ogun states. The agency added that a warrant of arrest was necessary to place the defendants on a red watch list so they could be traced and apprehended to face the charges against them.
According to the commission, the investigation into the allegations revealed a prima facie case of investment fraud, and it would be in the interest of justice to grant the application.
