News
Food for Living: Ignite Your Faith
By Henry Ukazu
Greetings Destiny Friends,
We all have desires, dreams, passions, interest and “causes” which we hold dear to our heart. Just like we have different taste buds, we also have varieties of food. And as the old adage says, one man’s food is another man’s poison.
In the journey of life, we all have a race we must run, and nobody will run the race for anyone but oneself. Just like a newborn baby has to learn how to crawl, stand, talk, walk and then run, so also, we all have a role to play when it comes to possessing our possession and achieving our desires.
According to some schools of thought, given every equal opportunity, everybody is a potential achiever, this is because we don’t have dull brains, only brains undeveloped. As human beings, sometimes, we tend to believe our environment, human beings and circumstances are the cause of our misery, but then we fail to realize we have our race to run just like every other being.
If you’ll agree with me, there’s nothing like luck; luck is simply opportunity meeting preparation. If you are not prepared and an opportunity presents itself, you’ll lose it. Therefore, It’s always good to have something and not need it, than having the need for something and not have it.
In the course of this article, we shall be discussing many reasons why we lose out on opportunities and how we can ignite our faith to possess our possessions. Luck and opportunities are like breeze, it comes to everyone. Sometimes, we have these opportunities without knowing; sometimes, we have to create it by attracting it. There are many reasons we lose out on opportunities, and that explains why we must ignite our faith.
Procrastination
The number one killer of success and opportunities is procrastination. Procrastination can be safely regarded as a death sentence for lazy minds. If you’re desirous of making giant strides, the first step to ignite your faith is to avoid procrastination. As mentioned earlier, we all have dreams, passions, interests and causes we are passionate about, but sometimes we are lazy to do the needful. To ignite your faith, you must kick out procrastination from not only your mind, but from your life. Cut off from anyone or anything that saps your energy from moving forward.
A simple way of avoiding procrastination is by asking yourself, what if I decide to submit my application today as opposed to waiting tomorrow; or meet a friend/mentor today as opposed to waiting for a perfect time? Chances are you can be told, assuming your application was submitted yesterday, you would have been selected for the job because you’re resume and personality is what both the organization and job require.
Also, your friend/mentor might tell he was thinking you’ll stop by the previous day as you normally do on weekends, he would have introduced you to the Chief Executive Officer of a multinational national organization who you have always wished to meet or work with.
Trust
As human beings, sometimes we live in fear and that’s okay. However, we can ignite our faith by kicking out fear from our minds if we trust our beliefs and have faith in ourselves. Trust is a very strong quality and virtue to have. When you’re on a mission, it’s advisable to keep most of your plans to yourself and a few trusted friends. The world doesn’t need to know what you are up to, they’ll know when the plan is unveiled. You can sample their opinion, but remain steadfast on your vision.
Be bold to trust your judgments and have the courage to thread on uncommon paths which lesser minds find difficult to walk on.
When applying this trust, you must have very minimal doubt in your mind, and even if you have doubt or fear, exercise peace of mind, and you’re more than likely going to coast home to victory.
Look Past Your Circumstances
As human beings, it is normal to feel our circumstances affect our progress. Though there’s an element of truth in it however, it’s important to note that the world is not a fair place; it is how you make your bed that you’ll lie on it. If the world throws a lemon at you, you can make a lemonade out of it; if the world throws you pebbles, you can use it to build a house; if the world judges you, let them know they are not your creator and that no condition is permanent.
Please look past your circumstances, and ignite that faith lurking inside of you. Great minds look past their environment and the circumstances around then and they find reason to succeed.
Speak Up
There’s power in the spoken word. We can ignite our faith by speaking into existence, what we trust and desire in our life. However, it should be noted that talk is cheap if it is not backed with work/action. There have been testimonies of people who spoke about their life dreams and ambitions, and it came to pass. What most people don’t understand is that when you speak words into existence, the universe has a way of making it a reality by making sure the ground stamps it, the walls hears it and the air spreads it.
Today, I charge you to ignite your faith, passion, business, love, desires and whatsoever interest you need with your faith. Don’t look at the many reasons it won’t work; just look at one reason it will work. If you do so and it doesn’t work as planned, be rest assured, you have done your bit because that’s all that matters. By so doing, you’ll avoid living in regrets.
Henry Ukazu writes from New York. 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
A federal judge in the United States, on Thursday, put a temporary block on President Donald Trump’s attempt to restrict birthright citizenship.
The ruling imposes a 14-day halt on the enforcement of one of the most controversial executive orders Trump signed hours after being sworn into office for a second term.
It comes after lawsuits were filed by a total of 22 states, two cities and numerous civil rights groups.
“This is a blatantly unconstitutional order,” senior US District Judge John Coughenour was reported as saying during the hearing in Washington State.
“I’ve been on the bench for over four decades, I can’t remember another case where the question presented is as clear as this one is,” said Coughenour, who was appointed to the bench by a Republican president, Ronald Reagan.
Birthright citizenship is fundamental to America’s national identity, with the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution decreeing that anyone born on US soil is a citizen.
It says, in part: “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.”
Trump’s order was premised on the idea that anyone in the US illegally, or on a visa, was not “subject to the jurisdiction” of the country, and therefore excluded from this category.
AFP
The Court of Appeal sitting in Akure, Ondo State capital has upheld the death sentence of Ramon Adedoyin, a prominent businessman and hotelier, for his involvement in the murder of one Timothy Adegoke, a former postgraduate student of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State.
Delivering the judgment on Thursday, the court affirmed the earlier verdict of the Osun State High Court, which had sentenced Adedoyin to death.
“The judgment of the High Court of Osun State stands. Adedoyin’s appeal is dismissed in part,” the court declared in part.
The Court of Appeal, however, set aside some aspects of the lower court’s orders, including the forfeiture of the Hilton Hotel and the order for Adedoyin to pay for the education of Adegoke’s children.
Furthermore, the court ruled that it had no jurisdiction to impose penalties outside the statutory provisions
Adegoke’s death was reported in November 2021 after his corpse was found at the Hilton Honours Hotel in Ile-Ife, Osun State, where he had lodged.
The hotelier had travelled from Abuja for an examination at a distance learning centre in Moro, Osun State on November 5 of that year.
He had checked into the hotel but was reported missing after two days. However, Adegoke’s body was found days later, leading to a probe that linked his death to Adedoyin and others.
In May 2023, Adedoyin and others were sentenced to death after they were found guilty of murder and conspiracy to murder.
But dissatisfied with the judgement, Adedoyin approached the Appeal court to dismiss the sentence and conviction.
The court of appeal, on Thursday, however, upheld the conviction and death sentence of the hotelier.
The Nigeria Police have announced that their operatives have rescued Mrs Folasade Odumosu, the wife of a former Assistant Inspector General, Hakeem Odumosu, who was last Thursday, kidnapped at the entrance of her home in Arepo, Ogun State.
The Force Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, confirmed this in a statement on Thursday in Abuja, noting that two of the kidnappers were killed while four others escaped without their weapons.
Adejobi said with the support of the Force Headquarters technical intelligence platforms, the Ogun State police operatives engaged Odumosu’s abductors in a gun duel and neutralized the criminals in the swampy area of Ikorodu on Wednesday.
The police spokesman added that Mrs Odumosu is currently undergoing a medical evaluation and has since been reunited with her family.
The statement read, “In a commendable display of teamwork and swift action, police operatives attached to the Ogun State Command have successfully neutralized the kidnappers of Mrs. Odumosu, wife of Retired Assistant-Inspector General, AIG Hakeem Odumosu, and rescued her unharmed.
“On January 16, 2025, at approximately 9:45 PM, four masked gunmen forcibly abducted Mrs. Odumosu from her Lexus Jeep outside her residence in Arepo, Ogun State. The abduction sparked an immediate response from the anti-kidnapping unit of the Ogun State Police Command, who commenced a thorough investigation and targeted pursuit of the kidnappers.
“With the support of the Force Headquarters technical intelligence platforms, the Ogun State police operatives engaged in extensive surveillance of the creeks surrounding Arepo, gathering crucial information to track down the assailants. Their efforts culminated in a raid on January 23, 2025, at around 06:45 AM. The intelligence-led operation took the police to a creek in the swampy area of Ikorodu, where the kidnappers were reportedly planning their next attack.
“Upon arrival, the operatives encountered the kidnappers, who opened fire. In the ensuing confrontation, two of the gunmen were neutralized, while four others fled the scene, abandoning their operational weapons.”
Adejobi said the police operatives recovered N10m initially paid to the kidnappers, four Ak-47 rifles, three locally made single barrel rifles, and ammunition of various calibres.
He added, “The victim, Mrs Odumosu was rescued within the swampy creeks during the operation, unharmed. She is currently undergoing medical evaluation as a precautionary measure and has since been reunited with her family. The police also recovered 4 Ak-47 rifles, 3 locally made single barrel rifles, ammunition of various calibres, and the sum of N10,000,000 ransom previously demanded by the kidnappers, further ensuring that justice is served.”
Adejobi said the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, commended the police operatives and the Ogun State Commissioner of Police, Lanre Ogunlowo, for the rescue operation.
He asserted that the Police Force is committed to safeguarding the citizens and combat kidnapping and other violent crimes.
“The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, Ph.D., NPM., has commended the Ogun State Commissioner of Police, CP Lanre Ogunlowo, and his operatives for their displayed gallantry in this successful operation.
“This operation exemplifies the dedication and resilience of our Police officers. The Nigeria Police Force remains steadfast in its mission to combat kidnapping and other violent crimes, providing safety and security to all citizens,” he added.
