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Food for Living: Discover Your Gift, Impact Your World
By Henry Ukazu
Dear Destiny Friends,
Everyone of us has an inert gift. However, many of us don’t seem to make use of our gifts. You may be wondering how one can know his gift. It is rather very easy to discover gifts if one is intentional on the purpose. One of the many ways of discovering your gift is by looking inwards to know that thing you can do with relative ease, and without stress. For instance, if you see yourself singing with a unique voice which receives adulation from people, it’s a sign you are gifted in singing; if you see yourself dancing, writing creatively, speaking intuitively, prophesying, cooking etc. with little or no effort, and to the admiration of a lot of people, who feel blessed and reach out to you spontaneously, you have a gift. It is therefore up to you to develop it.
It is imperative to state that the art of self-discovery is truly lacking in our society. Most people don’t really know themselves and this singular fact limits their capabilities. When you know yourself, you won’t need to beg or struggle to get certain things. You will have self-confidence, and equally understand the process. When you know your gift, you’ll know the right people who need your gift, and you will offer it to them. The world is in dire need of people who are gifted and talented in their craft. Knowing and representing your gift make the world a happy place to live in. When you see people who are gifted, there are certain levels of grace and joy that radiate in your heart.
As a human capacity coach, my business is focused on developing human beings to reach their highest level of human potential. One of the best ways of unleashing your potential is by tapping into the power of your gift. Your gift is your blessing to the world. Many of us have gifts but have failed to open them.
Gifts come with value. Your gift is not for fun or a hobby. Your gift is a service and currency for the world to appreciate. When you have discovered your gift, the next step is to find people who need it, and offer it to them. Your gift comes with value which needs to be appreciated. Your job is to horn your gift by cultivating it so you can perform at optimal capacity.
The problem with most people is that they don’t know how to develop their gift. The creator of heaven and earth has given you a gift; he won’t develop it for you. It’s up to you to horn it by getting training, going to school, or cultivating it one way or another. That’s why God gave us common sense and understanding in addition to making us superior among other creatures on earth.
Gifts work in all places. It’s a universal principle that can attract opportunities to whoever activated them properly. Regardless of the hardship prevailing in life, if you know your gift, people will borrow money to have you around them. You will be blessed with so much favour which ordinarily you won’t be able to access. That’s why the book of life, says “a man’s gift opens doors for him”.
The process of employment, we all can agree, sometimes requires employers to hire individuals with gifts/talents rather than those with theoretical knowledge but little or no practicable knowledge. When your gift is properly activated, it normally receives grace and favour at the place of assignment. You won’t stress yourself to succeed. The universe will make humanity feel attracted to come to you.
Let me share a short story with you; just last week, while listening to a gospel artist, Panam Percy Paul on YouTube, I was inspired to reach out to my social media network to find him. As expected, lots of recommendations came through, and I was able to connect with him and his daughter. And to the glory of God, I was able to bless him as led by the spirit. What’s the moral of this story? This is a song I have been listening to for many years yet didn’t get the inspiration to reach out to him. But when the spirit came through, I had to act, and he was very grateful at how his song blessed me. That’s the power of a gift.
Again, as an author of a trailblazer book, I was surprised to see the royalties I got for December and January; it was really a fortune to me to say the least. This is a book that I promote heavily, and which has announced me to world leaders, as well as given me audience in television in New York, New York Times, schools etc. The hundreds of copies that were sold in December and January really humbled me. As a matter of fact, it was competing with my monthly salary. Again, this is the power of gift at work.
Furthermore, most of the times, we look for jobs, but fail to understand that God has given us opportunities if only we think out of the box. Your gift is your blessing. Your gift is your job. The simple reason why most skillful entrepreneurs succeed is because they have not only known themselves, but they have also known how to convert their talent to their profession, vocation, and ministry. For clarification on how self-discovery works, you must understand the difference between your profession, vocation, and ministry. Your profession is what you are trained to do as an attorney, medical doctor, pastor etc.; your vocation is what you are paid to do like a skill job or 9-5 career job, and your ministry is your calling, like what you are called to do. This is where you find your talent and gift. It is through your gift or talent that self-discovery evolves.
Just like life is a journey, we must continually develop ourselves by learning, relearning, and unlearning certain things about ourselves. That’s exactly how the gift principle works. You must endeavor to develop your gift otherwise, it will remain redundant. You must make an effort to discover what’s unique about you. Nobody will do it for you.
Most times, we think when we get a good paying job we are made for life; sometimes, we think when we marry a good spouse we are settled for life; other times we think when we have reached certain heights politically, academically, professionally etc., we are accomplished. While all these might be great attributes, what we fail to ask ourselves is whether we are fulfilled. Fulfilment is the hallmark of success. Regardless of how much money you have, if you are not fulfilled, you are empty. No matter who you marry, if the person is not supporting you to reach your purpose, you are leaning on the wrong ladder of success. No matter the height you attain in life, if you get to the peak without being fulfilled, trust me, you are a victim of defective success.
You will know your gift is working when you have little or no concern with the money you are paid; you can even do the job/work for free simply because it makes you happy. It’s just like a lady who is truly and genuinely in love, she won’t be materialistic about her partner’s support. All she might care for might be the guy’s attention which can be the way he speaks affirming his love for her, the small gifts he buys for her, the little services he performs for her, the little touches he gives to her and the time he spends for her. This might be all the lady needs. A man who is not able to decipher the lady’s “gift” might be busy buying or investing in other things that don’t appeal to her as opposed to what turns her on.
In summary, take time to ask yourself what’s my gift and talent? By the time you figure it out, you will know how wealthy you are. If you have a hard time knowing your gift or who you are, feel free to reach out with the email below and I will be glad to work with you with my Self-Discovery training manual.
Henry Ukazu writes from New York. He’s a Human Capacity & mindset coach. He’s also a public speaker, youth advocate and creative writer. 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
Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission have arrested a former chairman of defunct Skye Bank Plc, Tunde Ayeni, over alleged money laundering, misappropriation and diversion of funds amounting to N36.54bn and $30m.
Ayeni, a businessman, was arrested in Abuja on Thursday, and is currently being held at the commission’s facility.
The arrest followed an EFCC probe into alleged misappropriation and diversion of funds said to have been obtained from Polaris Bank through multiple entities linked to him.
“Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, have arrested a former board chairman of defunct Skye Bank Plc and businessman, Tunde Ayeni, in connection with alleged money laundering, misappropriation and diversion of funds to the tune of N36,540,058,400.00 and $30m.
“Ayeni was arrested sequel to the investigation of the EFCC into alleged misappropriation and diversion of funds to the tune of N36,540,058,400.00 and $30m obtained from Polaris Bank Plc by different entities linked to him.
“The funds were loans obtained allegedly for specific investment projects but subsequently transferred to other entities’ accounts. Investigations showed that, though the loans were obtained for purposes such as finance of marine security activities, electricity distribution contract, estate development, they were diverted to the NITEL/MTEL asset acquisition through NATCOM account,” one of the sources said.
Another source said the commission is currently probing 12 companies allegedly linked to Ayeni, which it said were used to obtain the loans from Polaris Bank.
“Twelve different companies linked to Ayeni are being investigated by the EFCC. They are entities he allegedly used to obtain loans from Polaris Bank for his shady activities. The loans are depositors’ funds fraudulently obtained and frittered into diverse wasteful purposes. Ayeni will be arraigned in due course upon conclusion of investigations,” the source said.
When contacted, EFCC spokesman Dele Oyewale confirmed the arrest but declined to give further details.
The Punch
By Henry Ukazu
Dear Destiny Friends,
To be fruitful is to be productive, profitable, and successful in all areas of your life. When one is fruitful, he will attract many opportunities and values. When we are fruitful, we won’t be barren because we will be producing fruits and results with our work. Even the book of life said no woman will be barren in your land. That’s being fruitful.
Fruitfulness permeates every area of our life. When you are fruitful, your life, marriage, business, academic, ethics, relationship/network will flourish. Our business must be fruitful to survive, otherwise it will be out of business. We shall discuss several areas where one can be fruitful.
Parents
The joy of every father is for the child to be greater than him. Any father that wants to be greater than his son is not a good father in my understanding. Parents, mentors, government, teachers, leaders of faith, etc. all want us to be fruitful.
Let’s take a case study of parents. They sacrifice their time, resources and health just to give us a decent life. They do it because they want us to be successful in life.
Personally, I watched my late father and mother deprive themselves of the luxury of life just to give me and my siblings a decent life. My late parents never had the opportunity of having a decent education, it won’t be out of place for one to say they are unlettered, but they knew the value of education.
My late dad will always say, he’s not concerned about building houses, or living a luxury lifestyle, to him, those are secondary needs of life. His primary concern is for his children to have a good education. My late dad will always say assuming he’s educated, he would have excelled higher in life.
My late mother is not an exemption. I vividly remember one day my late mother said to me, her colleagues are buying jewelry, shoes, clothes, making their hair, etc. to fit into trends, but she’s not concerned about that, her major concern is for her children to have a decent education and look good.
Most people don’t understand the inspiration behind why I do what I do today. My late parents were and remained my biggest supporter. Apart from going to heaven, my greatest goal is to make my late parents and children proud. The moral of this analysis is my late parents sacrificed even their life for me and siblings just because they want us to be successful and fruitful.
Mentors
Mentors are not left out of this equation; mentors can be regarded as gatekeepers because they have paid the price of success. It is the fruitfulness of mentors that attracts values and mentees to them. When a mentor accepts a mentee into his fold, he’s simply telling the mentee, “I want you to be successful, I don’t want you to fail. However, it is important to state that before a mentor can accept to mentor a mentee, the mentor would have seen some potential in the mentees.
It’s instructive to mention that there are five types of mentors namely:
- Position Mentor: People follow you because they have a right to follow you which can be because of the position you occupy.
- Permission Mentor: People follow you because you allow them. For example, in relationships when you decide to allow people to build relationships with you.
- Production Mentor: People follow you because of what you have done for the organization or association. This is result oriented.
- People Development Mentor: People follow you because of what you have done for them.
- Pinnacle Mentor: People follow you because of who you are or what you represent. The question now is where do you belong?
For the umpteenth time, I am a product of mentorship. My mentors have really shaped my life.
Teachers
Teachers are not left out. Teachers are generally regarded as professional educators who play a critical role in fostering student achievement, personal growth, and social development. They are seen as the “lifeblood” of the education system, often serving as mentors, role models, and agents of social change.
There are many components of teachers namely:
- Professional Experts: Teachers are trained specialists in pedagogy (the art/science of teaching) and subject matter, holding degrees and certifications that qualify them to guide learners.
- Facilitators and Mentors: Beyond delivering content, they act as guides who help students acquire critical thinking skills and knowledge, shifting from “information dispensers” to active facilitators.
- Lifelong Learners: Effective teachers are viewed as individuals who continuously learn and adapt their practices to new technologies, curricula, and student needs.
- Moral and Cultural Guides: Teachers are often expected to act as stewards of community values, maintaining student safety, and cultivating civic responsibility.
- “Backbone of Society”: They are considered crucial to a nation’s social and economic development by preparing the future workforce. Above all, they assist in making us fruitful human beings.
Leaders of faith
The leaders of faith are regarded as the molders of the human faith because they help to build our faith. When the scripture says in Genesis 1:8, be fruitful and multiply, the scripture is also referring to them because they are regarded as shepherds. As Christians, we expected to be fruitful because our heavenly father is fruitful. Being fruitful here entails bearing fruits with our life and this entails using our life to attract people into the kingdom of God as evidence of our heavenly father who expects us to be Christlike.
Government
Let’s talk about the government. When a government is fruitful, it will reflect on the lives of her citizens, but when the government is performing below expectations, the citizens will be on the receiving end. The principal responsibility of the government is protection of life and security for her citizens. Every other thing is secondary. The government is also responsible for creating job opportunities for the citizens. However, it should be noted the government cannot create for all her citizens, and as such they provide an enabling environment for the private sector to thrive.
Employers/Supervisors/Leaders
These sets of people are regarded as people of influence. You need them at your corner, if you intend to move higher in life. Your employers and supervisors are regarded as your leaders. You can never outsmart them; the best one can try is to be in their good books and tolerate their excesses. When an employee is fruitful and exceeding expectations at work, they tend to be rewarded by their supervisors or employers because of the value they create and the problem they solve
In conclusion, whatever you do in life, please try and be fruitful.
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
Justice Darius Khobo of the Kaduna State High Court has adjourned the bail hearing of former Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, to the first week of June, 2026.
El-Rufai is being arraigned on multiple charges bordering on alleged financial crime and abuse of office by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
“Similarly, another charge, number KDH/KAD/ICPC/01/26, against Mallam Nasir El-Rufa’i and one Amadu Sule (LEDA) has also been filed before a Kaduna State High Court in the Kaduna Judicial Division,” the ICPC said last month.
“The charges in the State High Court case range from abuse of office, fraud, and intent to commit fraud to conferring undue advantage, among others. Both charges were filed by the ICPC on the 18th of March, 2026.”
Speaking after the court session, counsel to the former governor, Ukpon Akpan, kicked against the lingering adjournment of the bail hearing by one presiding judge as politically motivated.
The high-profile case has drawn significant public attention, with heightened security presence observed around the court premises.
The former governor had arrived at the court at about 9 am in a convoy accompanied by ICPC officials and operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS).
During the proceedings, supporters of the former governor gathered outside the courtroom, while security agencies maintained order and restricted movement within the vicinity.
Inside the courtroom, journalists, as usual, were not allowed, as proceedings are expected to focus on arguments presented by both the defence and prosecution regarding the bail request.
At the last sitting, the defence team had maintained that their client poses no flight risk and is willing to comply with all conditions set by the court.
Meanwhile, the prosecution has urged the court to carefully consider the gravity of the charges.
The 66-year-old former governor of Kaduna has been in ICPC custody since February 19 following his release by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
El-Rufai, a former minister of the FCT, was, however, released on March 27 based on compassionate grounds following his mother’s death
