News
Food for Living: Importance, Limitations of Money
By Henry Ukazu
Dear Destiny Friends,
It’s an unassailable fact that money is money. I mean how else can one say it. According to the book of life, in Ecclesiastes 10:19, “Money answereth all things”. The only problem money can’t solve is death. Though in some instances, money can be used to postpone death. The message here is that money can be used to solve almost all of life’s problems, if not all. Money is not only good, but also sweet. A friend once jokingly told me that, money is sweeter than a woman.
But as sweet as money is, it has two sides, just like the knife. The use depends on what one wants to achieve with it, and in whose hands the money is. That determines if it will function for itsadvantages or disadvantages.
One however, would ask what the disadvantages of money are. As interesting as the question might be, the answer is found in using it for negative purposes such as for oppression or ungodly acts or purposes detrimental to the upliftment of mankind. When the money is used to support worthy causes that uplift humanity, its advantages are immediately established.
One of the many things my late dad, Chief Lazarus Ukazu, told me includes the fact that two things that can separate brothers or friends are money or women. And according to a school of thought, if you want to know someone, give him money or power. They will try to influence or control him, but if he’s able to control both then he can be judged to be a man of integrity. This is in league with another school of thought, which states that there are four people one cannot advise; a rich man, a woman in love, a religious bigot and a member of a political party.
The interesting thing about money is that it has a spirit. If one is not careful, they might become a victim. Let me share a practical example. When one has money, he is supposed to control money and not allow the money to control him. It’s sad to know that some people are slaves to money. When money controls you, you are a slave to money, but when you control money, money is your slave. Your money is supposed to work for you, and not you working for money.
Acquiring money is good because it can be used to enjoy the good things of life like good accommodation, good cars, good food, good education, good health system and more. We basically enjoy the good things of life. That’s why a lot of people strive to make money through any means even if it involves negative avenues, and this urge has led many people to engage in nefarious activities.
Let’s talk about the importance and value of money.
Money is a form of inspiration: If you have travelled to different Countries, Cities, States, and Continents you’ll understand the importance of money. I have been inspired by visiting friends because I see the value money accords them. I have also been inspired by seeing great people and the respect they have been accorded due to the associated impact their products and services have been used to solve problems in the world which in turn brought large sums of money. This singular act inspired me to become successful because when I do, I will help the needy in addition to promoting worthy causes.
Money provides security: When you have money, you won’t be bothered too much about the challenges of life. According to an Igbo adage from the Eastern part of Nigeria, it is said that “a hunger that is backed with hope can’t kill anyone”. What it really means is that, when a person is hungry and he knows that he has food, he won’t be bothered too much because he knows when he gets home, he will have good to eat.
Now contrast that to when he’s hungry and he knows that if he gets home, he won’t have food to eat. That level of pain is different. That’s why I said, money provides security because there is a certain level of respect that one will be accorded.
Money has value: There’s no doubt money and value are relative. It all depends on what one is looking at. It’s sad to see uninformed minds respect someone because of the money they have in their bank account. This shouldn’t be the right approach to life. Everyone ought to be respected irrespective of the money in their bank account.
In politics, two things are required for one to be accorded a decent amount of respect and recognition. It’s either you have money or have electoral value. Let me explain a little, in politics one of the greatest needs of politicians is money.
According to some schools of thought, money is the greatest need of any politician because it can be used to sway electorates especially as it relates to campaigns, however another school of thought are of the opinion having electoral value is more important because one may have money, but may not be a great candidate, the electorates might not be swayed especially the independents.
But if the candidate is good enough, the electorates can even contribute and campaign aggressively for him.
This act was seen during the 2023 Presidential election where H.E Peter Obi shocked Nigerians with the “Obidient Movement. In less than nine months, he was able to upstage the political landmark of Nigeria electoral system, but unfortunately, he was rigged out of the system despite being alleged to have won the election.
Also, in 2008, President Obama shocked the world by winning the Presidential election against McCain. Again in 2012, he won a reelection against Mitt Ronney, who had more money than him.
The moral is that despite money having value, it was quite limited in what it can do.
However, despite the importance and value of money, money itself is limited. It’s not every problem money can solve. For instance, if one has a life-threatening sickness like stage four cancer, money can be limited in saving the life of the person.
Also, money cannot solve deeply personal, emotional issues. As a matter of fact, it can even create new problems if not handled well especially when one lacks empathy and emotional intelligence.
Emotional and mental well-being: Money cannot cure loneliness, heal trauma, or erase emotional pain. While financial stability can reduce stress, it does not guarantee genuine happiness, contentment, or a sense of purpose. Money can buy but it can’t buy sleep and peace of mind. It can buy a comedian to create jokes, but it can’t buy joy.
Genuine relationships. Money cannot buy true love, friendship, or deep intimacy, at most it can influence it.
Serious health issues. While wealth can provide access to top medical care, it cannot cure all diseases or prevent aging and death. Some of the wealthiest people still face serious illnesses.
Lack of character. Money does not buy good character, integrity, or wisdom. A person’s flaws, like greed or immorality, are not erased by wealth.
Loss of a loved one. The pain of losing a loved one cannot be fixed by any amount of money.
Satisfaction and purpose. For those who equate financial success with happiness, an abundance of money can lead to a state of dissatisfaction.
Some societal problems.
Broader social issues like discrimination, inequality, and systemic problems cannot be solved by an individual’s money alone, as they require collective and systemic solutions.
In conclusion, money is a crucial resource for solving problems related to safety, security and access. It provides stability and freedom that can significantly improve one’s quality of life, especially for those living in hardship. However, it is an inadequate tool for solving core human needs related to emotions, relationships, and finding meaning.
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
By Henry Ukazu
Dear Destiny Friends,
Secrets are exclusive preserves of certain individuals or institutions. They are one’s advantage over others, in the sense of ‘there’s something I know, which no one else knows. No one can ever claim that they don’t have a secret, either in the good or bad light.
Secrets therefore, exist in the family circle, business terrain, academic environment, career/professional pursuit, health management, spiritual connectivity and even in everyday personal living. It is an undeniable fact that everyone has a secret that works for them.
Let’s take a minute to discuss some of the aforementioned secrets.
Family
Every family has a secret. It will be foolhardy for anyone to disclose family secrets. Most families die with their secrets. To understand how family secrets work, imagine the Coca-Cola company. The family is said to be the only one in the world that has the formula for the beverage; a trade secret that originated with its creator, John Pemberton.
It is said that not even all family members enter the room where Coca-Cola is mixed or manufactured for fear of the secret being divulged. Imagine where spouses have access to the room and the marriage goes south, there’s a tendency that a spiteful divorced partner might leak the secret and the rest as they say is history.
There are many secrets that bind many families which only the immediate family members know. In some cases, only the parents or grandparents know. They can decide to share the secret to either the first male child, first female child or even a member of the family that one considers rational. For instance, imagine where a family is faced with a peculiar life threatening illness which ordinarily might scare anyone who wants to get married into that family, it will be stupid for anyone to spit it out, that act alone can make the intending spouse to reconsider his/her plan to marry from the family.
Business
Every business has a trade secret. Trade secrets are what makes a business unique. Every business has a unique selling point. (USP), which is a distinct benefit that sets the business or product apart from its competitors. A shrewd businessman will never leak his secret to his employees or competitors. The best his employees will know are the values, the operational systems or structures of the business and how his mindset works. But what makes the business stand out is the mystery that one will need to unravel.
Academic
Every student has a distinct trait that makes him/her succeed academically. This unique trait makes the student exceptional. For any student to succeed in their academics, he must know himself and what works for him. While some might study at night, some might study during the day, others might just listen during the lecture and understand the key points.
It’s sad to see students, who haven’t discovered who they are and what works for them following students who have discovered who they are. For example, while some students have good listening and understanding ability, and can listen to lectures and read a little and pass their examinations, some other students will have to read the course material before the lecture, listen during the lecture, read after the lecture and read thoroughly for examination before they can get a decent grade.
In some cases, they might not get the desired grade. Some students will even party hard during the day and at night they study, while some will party at night and study during the day. So, you can see that while some students have discovered themselves and what works for them, some others follow them sheepishly. Moral: Know what works for you and do what works for you because according to Oscar Wilde, “be yourself because others are taken”.
Career/Profession
Every career professional has a secret that works for them. In the same way, every industry knows what makes it stands out. The secret of what makes someone in the entertainment industry successful is quite different from what makes someone in politics or law enforcement, energy, education, legal, or health sector different. They all have different strokes, and the ability of one to do the needful in addition to playing the associated game can be the game changer.
Health
Health is a personal thing. Nobody knows you more than you know yourself. To show you how secretive and important one’s health is, it’s been said that there are three kinds of life: Public life, private life and secret life.
Your public life is the life that is generally known by everyone. It is the character we exhibit in the public space. It can also be regarded as the image perception lifestyle; we don’t generally go around revealing our health status in the public domain except where necessary. The private lifestyle; this is the kind of life only our family and close friends know.
Again, we don’t disclose such pertinent information to them only where and when necessary, then we have the secret lifestyle which only us and our creator knows. In some cases, we go to the graveyard with this. Do you see why health is a personal issue which needs to be kept in a secret place?
Personal
As mentioned earlier, everyone is unique. One of the best things that can happen to anyone is knowing themselves, and knowing what makes them different. I strongly believe we all have seeds of greatness in us. What works for Mr. A might not work for Mr. B. Like I always say, you can copy my style, but you can’t be me because imitation is a limitation.
For instance, I have unique energy and inspiration when it comes to writing. I have developed a keen interest and passion for writing. If tomorrow I become very successful or attract a unique opportunity, and someone decides to try writing to attract similar opportunities, the person might fail because God is the one that decides what opportunities come to anyone nor matter how hard someone may work.
Spiritual
This is another interesting aspect of life. Life is indeed spiritual. There’s nothing that happens physically without taking place spiritually. Everyone has a covenant point that was assigned to them at birth. Once that covenant point is touched that fellow might lose their blessings, anointing or what makes them strong.
There have been many testimonies about this. For instance, in the Bible, Samson’s touching point was his hair. He knows his power lies in his hair, that’s why Delilah tried so many times to know the secret of his strength, but Samson refused to tell her. She tried to make him drunk, but Samson still has the power. Samson repeatedly lied to Delilah about the secret of his strength, first saying it was new bowstrings, then new ropes, and finally by weaving his hair into a loom. Each time, he easily broke free, but Delilah continued to pressure him.
Weary from her constant questioning, Samson finally confessed that his strength was tied to his hair, which had never been cut because he was a Nazirite from birth. Delilah then called for a man to shave Samson’s seven locks of hair while he slept in her lap. His secret was revealed. His hair was cut. He strength was gone.
Do you see that Samson’s secret place was his hair?
In conclusion, depending on what we are working on, we all have our secret strength and place. The onus is on us to cultivate and dwell on this secret place to avoid losing power and focus.
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
Amid growing insecurity in different parts of the country, Niger State Governor, Umaru Bago, has urged residents to defend themselves against persistent bandit attacks.
He insisted that his administration would neither negotiate with nor pay ransom to criminals under any circumstances.
Bago made the declaration during a visit to the Rijau and Magama local government areas, where several communities were recently attacked by bandits operating from the Kontagora axis.
The governor said the State has reached a critical stage that demands collective action, warning that ransom payments would only embolden the criminals and turn kidnapping into a profitable venture.
“I will not negotiate with bandits. I will not pay ransom.
“The moment we start paying, they will open shop on our heads and continue kidnapping people,” he said.
“The situation has reached a state of war that requires collective resistance. We are surrounded by enemies, but we will not give up.
“The constitution gives us the right to defend our lives and property, and we will do just that,” the governor added.
Describing the recurring attacks and displacement of residents as “embarrassing and unacceptable,” Bago announced plans to recruit and train 10,000 personnel into the state’s joint task force to strengthen community security and restore peace.
In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Print Media, Aisha Wakaso, the governor also announced a total ban on all mining activities across Zone C of the state.
The affected local government areas include Magama, Kontagora, Rijau, Wushishi, Mariga, Borgu, Mashegu, and Agwara.
Bago explained that illegal mining had become a major driver of insecurity in the zone, noting that many miners had unrestricted access to forest areas considered unsafe for residents.
“It is suspicious that miners can enter the forests freely, yet the bandits don’t touch them. I have ordered the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to arrest anyone caught engaging in mining activities,” he said.
Governor Bago also reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to ending the cycle of violence and restoring lasting peace throughout the state.
The Nigeria Police have reportedly arrested human rights activist Omoyele Sowore.
Sowore was taken into custody at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
This was revealed in a post on X by human rights lawyer Inibehe Effiong, who accused the police and President Bola Tinubu’s administration of undermining Nigeria’s judicial system.
He wrote: “The arrest of Omoyele Sowore at the Federal High Court in Abuja moments ago is preposterous.
“The police and the Tinubu regime are making a mockery of our judicial system.He should be freed immediately. Stop the shenanigans.”
Sowore had earlier posted on Facebook that he was with Kanu Agabi, the lead lawyer for Nnamdi Kanu, at the Federal High Court.
According to him, Agabi disclosed that his team would be withdrawing from the case, leaving Kanu to continue his trial without representation.
