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
The Federal government has ordered the closure of areas covered by Mining Licence 11810 in the Wase Local Government Area of Plateau State.
This followed the death of about 37 villagers allegedly mining in a pit containing gaseous emissions.
According to a statement by the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development on Wednesday, the licence is operated by Solid Unit Nigeria Limited, owned by Abdullahi Dan-China in Zuraq.
In a condolence call to Governor Caleb Mutfwang, Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, sympathised with him over the loss of the innocent citizens who died while trying to earn a living.
The minister has also dispatched a team of officials and investigators led by Permanent Secretary, Yusuf Yabo, to probe the remote and immediate causes of the incident and recommend sanctions.
“The team also includes experts in mining, environmental compliance, and artisanal cooperatives. The minister is coordinating the team and the support services to ensure effective management of the situation.
“The actions were taken as preliminary reports indicated that the company ceded the pit where the incident took place to the community to mine following agitations by villagers for empowerment,” the statement, signed by the Special Assistant on Media to the minister, Segun Tomori, read in part.
It said findings showed that the area was an abandoned lead site with the stored mineral prone to emissions of sulphuric oxide.
“Unaware of the poisonous nature of the emissions, the villagers reportedly engaged in extraction while inhaling the gaseous substance.
“ML 11810 lies between longitudes 10.34.45, and 10.35.50 and latitudes 9.13.45, 9.14.40,” it added.
The minister promised to make further disclosures as investigations continue.
The Wase Youth Leader, Shafi Sambo, said he received an early-morning call alerting him to the tragedy because of his position as the youth leader of the area.
“It happened at a mining site in Company Zurak, Wase Local Government Area. We got information that the miners dug deep into the ground and were exposed to a gas that killed 37 of them instantly,” Sambo said in a phone interview.
He stated that several other miners were rescued alive and rushed to nearby hospitals for urgent medical attention, though the exact number of survivors remains unclear as of press time.
Sambo disclosed that the youths were mining zinc on behalf of a company said to be a Chinese-owned mining firm operating in the area.
The nature of the mineral being mined was not immediately confirmed.
Fresh violence erupted on Wednesday in Idanre, Ondo State, during the ward congress of the All Progressives Congress (APC), with at least two persons killed and several others injured.
The incident occurred at Odode-Idanre, headquarters of Idanre Local Government Area, as the ruling party conducted congresses across its 203 wards in the state.
The latest bloodshed was said to be a fallout of Tuesday’s crisis at the APC secretariat in Akure, where hoodlums disrupted a stakeholders’ meeting and assaulted party leaders.
According to a report on THISDAY, one of those attacked in the latest crisis was Raphael Adetimehin, younger brother of the party’s State Caretaker Chairman, Ade Adetimehin who was allegedly assaulted on Tuesday.
It was gathered that Raphael was attacked, his vehicle equally set ablaze by the assailants during the attack at his ward in Idanre, the hometown of the APC chairman, and was rushed to the General Hospital, Idanre, after sustaining machete wounds.
Confirming the incident, Ade Adetimehin said the attackers mistook his brother for him because of their close resemblance.
“They targeted my brother because they thought he was me. They shot him several times but bullets could not penetrate, so, he was cut several times with a cutlass and is now in a coma at the hospital.”
The APC chairman alleged that the attack was politically motivated and carried out by hoodlums sponsored by a former member of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Adefisoye, whom he described as an ally of Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa.
“These hoodlums were sponsored. This was a deliberate attack, and it was meant for me. I appeal to the President and the leadership of our party to step in before this situation gets completely out of hand,” he said.
Besides, a family source, however, alleged that Raphael may not have survived the attack, saying, “he was shot during the chaos. We have lost him, and two other people were also killed.”
The source further claimed that two other men were fatally shot in the violence, saying, “I can tell you confidently that another man who drives a Venza and one other person were shot dead today in Idanre,” the source said, adding that the identities of the additional victims were still being ascertained.
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state confirmed the outbreak of violence, noting that five persons yet to be identified were reportedly attacked, and a vehicle was set ablaze.
“Three victims sustained varying degrees of injury and are currently receiving medical attention while two others were confirmed dead at the hospital. The Commissioner of Police visited the injured victims to assess their condition and assured them of the Command’s support.
“The Commissioner of Police, Adebowale Lawal alongside the State Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Oluyemi Ibiloye, personally led a combined team of security operatives to the scene. Their timely intervention ensured the restoration of peace and order in the affected area.
“Investigation is ongoing to unravel the circumstances surrounding the attack and to apprehend those responsible for this heinous act,” he said.
Meanwhile, it was also learnt that the ward congress was disrupted by violence in Akure North Local Government Area, particularly in Iju, where clashes were said to have marred the process.
ThisDay
A former Governor of Abia State and Senator representing Abia North, Orji Uzor Kalu, has declared that he will oppose the re-election of Governor Alex Otti in the 2027 governorship poll.
Kalu insisted that party loyalty must come before personal friendship.
He made the remarks in an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily.
The senator stressed that he maintains a strong relationship with Otti, noting that political differences should not destroy personal ties.
According to him, he remains committed to the All Progressives Congress (APC), while Otti is a member of the Labour Party.
“I always believe if he wants to be his party, be your party and vote for your party. I’m a member of APC. I will work for APC. He should work for Labour Party. We should not lose friendship,” Kalu said, adding that his priority is to maintain peace and political stability in Abia State.
Despite pledging to give the governor room to work, Kalu was firm about his stance ahead of the 2027 election.
“I will oppose it because my party will be fielding a candidate. That’s it. It is about the interest of the party,” he stated.
