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Food for Living: Don’t Give Up
By Henry Ukazu
Greetings Destiny Friends,
We all have, at one point, felt like giving up on life. This natural feeling, especially comes to us when we have all it takes to create an idea, business, relationship or even learning a course or trade. You may have dreams, and may have done the needful to actualize those dreams, but still not sure what your fate is; please don’t give up, you might be close to the finish line.
A great way to stay focused on your craft is by listening to the inner voice inside you. It’s normal for people not to believe in you, it is normal for even your family, close friends, or potential sponsors not to believe in your work, please don’t take it personal. All you need is, stay true to your cause, learn the lesson you need because rejection is part of the process. Eventually, when your determination pays off, you may be surprised to know that the same people who neglected your work are the same people who will be your cheerleader when you succeed. They might even be kind enough to mention your works to captains of industries.
In the journey of life, many people will try to discourage you. Some will even mock your ideas as crazy. However, as human beings, we are all born with natural instincts to adapt and survive. Just like little babies always cry for milk when they are hungry until they are properly fed, the same way we have to stay hungry until we get what we want.
You may have failed a couple of times, and even get tired of failing, but then you have to understand failure is part of the learning process. No great man arrived where they are today without experiencing failure. According to Michael Jordan “I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed.” A great example of a champion who failed and never gave up until he succeeded was Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln was a champion and he never gave up. Here is a sketch of Lincoln’s road to the White House:
- 1816: His family was forced out of their home. He had to work to support them.
- 1818: His mother died.
- 1831: Failed in business.
- 1832: Ran for state legislature – lost.
- 1832: Also lost his job – wanted to go to law school but couldn’t get in.
- 1833: Borrowed some money from a friend to begin a business and by the end of the year he was bankrupt. He spent the next 17 years of his life paying off this debt.
- 1834: Ran for state legislature again – won.
- 1835: Was engaged to be married, sweetheart died and his heart was broken.
- 1836: Had a total nervous breakdown and was in bed for six months.
- 1838: Sought to become speaker of the state legislature – defeated.
- 1840: Sought to become elector – defeated.
- 1843: Ran for Congress – lost.
- 1846: Ran for Congress again – this time he won – went to Washington and did a good job.
- 1848: Ran for re-election to Congress – lost.
- 1849 Sought the job of land officer in his home state – rejected.
- 1854: Ran for Senate of the United States – lost.
- 1856: Sought the Vice-Presidential nomination at his party’s national convention – got less than 100 votes.
- 1858: Ran for U.S. Senate again – again he lost.
- 1860: Elected president of the United States.
So what’s your reason for giving up? The best things in life are the most difficult to get. In order for you to succeed, you must have a strong tenacity. Talent no doubt is great, but without tenacity, talent won’t get you very far. I have received compliments about my writing skills. Some have said that I am a talented writer, but I do know that I put in so much work to produce good content. I am also aware of the fact; I was once a horrible writer and still learning the art of writing. The question now becomes, how do you stay focused when the odds are against you?
Know Your Gift
Every human being has a gift. Your gift will announce you where your skill can’t take you. The world is in dire need of your gifts and talents. When you give up, you give people the opportunity to conclude about your personality. Refuse to give detractors the edge to have an opinion about you.
Believe in Your Dreams
Even if no one believes in you, do yourself a favour by believing in yourself and your product. There have been millions of dreamers before you, and if they had given up, the world would not have been the same.
You Have Everything You Need
It is normal for people to say the system is structured against them or they are victims. I personally don’t subscribe to the victim mentality. I agree some people might have a privileged background or opportunity, but I strongly believe that if you are able to think out of the box, you’ll know that everything you need to succeed is around you. Victim mentality will always try to find why each and every successful individual is lucky. If you think, the odds are against you, just know that there are people out there who have much bigger problems.
Let’s see examples of great minds who rose above victim mentality and succeeded
Mark Cuban was a bartender at 25, Harrison Ford was a carpenter at 30; the founder of 5Hour energy drink was a taxi driver at 30; the author of Harry Potter was a mother on welfare at 31; the Founder of McDonald sold the paper cups at 52!
You Inspire Others When You Succeed
When you succeed like Abraham Lincoln, you inspire others with your story, but most especially you tell people their dreams are valid and it’s normal to feel in a certain way.
Success is failure turned Inside Out
Sometimes when some people fail, it is because they have not done their homework very well. A critical point to note is that we all need maturity and time in whatever we do. You might do all you need to do, but if the timing is not right, you won’t get any further. Maturity entails meeting the right person, learning the rope, and being at the right place at the right time.
The key here is to simply take time out for deep self-reflection. Reflect on your situation, focus on solutions and work on finding answers that you may not have been aware of before
In conclusion, I will leave you with a list of some people who didn’t give up. They are Jack Ma, Oprah Winfrey, Walt Disney, Jay Z, Henry Ford, Henry Ukazu among others. Feel free to add yours.
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.
