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Food for Living: Make Plans for Your Future
By Henry Ukazu
Dear Destiny Friends,
It is generally stated that ‘organization’ is the law in heaven. Though I don’t really know how truthful that statement is, I tend to agree with this position because when it comes to going to heaven, preparation is of essence, and to prepare well, one must be organized.
It is also generally stated that the journey of a thousand miles begins with a step in the right direction. Before anyone prepares for a journey, they must ensure that they have all the necessary tools required. Let’s take a case study of a man who would like to build a house, he must take stock of all the equipment needed. A student must also take inventory stock of the necessary books and academic resources he needs to succeed. Parents must also consider the resources and mental preparation to take care of their child or children.
All these points in one direction. Preparation. Most people sometimes do not understand what it really means to prepare. They limit preparation to just reading to pass an examination, organizing properties, and doing all that’s expected from us professionally in our place of work. Preparation entails much more.
Did you know there are different ways to prepare for the future? Informed minds know that strategy is a part of preparation. Not only do they work hard, but they are also strategic in their thought process by being smart. They know that despite their academic prowess, sometimes they must leave their comfort zone to network with the right people and organization.
Sometimes, one cannot get what they want by following the traditional method or approach. Sometimes one will have to use the unconventional approach. For instance, it’s normal for the wealthy to give to the less privilege, but it’s also normal for the less privilege to give to the wealthy because the wealthy have a lot of people looking up to them for support and as such they find it really attractive when someone gives to them no matter how little the gift might be.
I have personally experienced this feeling having been privileged to relate with some wealthy and influential people in society. Wealthy and influential people don’t like it when people beg for support without having value in return for their money. They respect you the most when you bring opportunities to them or bring people who can assist them to solve a particular problem which is peculiar to their business.
This is how to approach wealthy people. Study them critically, and see where they need assistance. They like it when people help them to solve problems, no matter how little it might be. That singular act can differentiate you from ordinary people who beg them for money.
What most uniformed minds don’t know is that rich people also have rich problems. Isn’t it true that the bigger the head the bigger the crown? Despite the fact they appear wealthy and influential, they also have secret battles they are dealing with, and as such any little effort you can bring to ease their challenges will be greatly appreciated.
Most of the time some people see rich people as people with luxurious lifestyles. What they fail to understand is that it might be easier to get to the top, but it’s harder to remain at the top, that’s why most rich people work extremely hard and smart to remain at the top. One of my mentors recently told me, he dreads poverty like leprosy, that’s why he works day and night.
Again, preparing for the future entails sacrificing for the future. Sacrificing is not only about depriving oneself of the goodies of life. One can sacrifice his money, time, and interest just to get certain opportunities. Couple of years ago, I bought a shoe for one of my mentors for over a thousand dollars, and in the sight of some of my friends, it was baseless giving to a wealthy person when it should rather be given to them.
I laughed and told them they wouldn’t understand. That singular act made me a little bit closer to him. He opened his doors to me and our level of conversation became a little bit stronger and deeper. Imagine if I had begged him for money or bought him a cheaper pair of shoes, he might appreciate the gift but our level of communication and relationship might not be as strong as it is. This is simply because life is governed by perception.
In my native Igbo origin, we are taught that when a child washes his hands clean, he dines with elders. This is a great way to prepare for the future. Another of my mentors once told me, “Henry, you give to me and your mentors more than we give to you” According to him, one of the reasons he doesn’t hesitate to pick my call is because I don’t bother him for money unlike other youths who think he’s the lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world.
Why am I sharing this information? Uninformed minds who are ignorant of how life works will think it’s okay to ask for financial assistance from resource minds instead of appreciating them for their time and access. I personally appreciate people who have made a great impact in my life. Sometimes, it’s not about the money, opportunities, access or information, but the knowledge I gained from them.
Still on sacrifice, allow me share with you this practical experience. Recently, I traveled to Dublin, in the Republic of Ireland for a two-day religious programme, and in the minds of some people, why the trouble since one can worship God anywhere, after all, God is everywhere. What they don’t know is that where your prayers cannot reach, your sacrifice can get there.
While some people might have the money, they won’t have the courage and heart to make the intended sacrifice which involves time and money. This is what makes the rich and poor different. While the rich look for problems to solve, the poor look for problems to create.
One may be curious to know why I must travel to Ireland for a religious conference; well, the things of the spirit cannot be understood by a carnal mind. Do you know God can see through the hearts of a man and bless them. It might be that my sacrifice of travelling, leaving my job and being intentional to seek his divinely ordained prophet to bless the works of my hands can make a huge difference soon.
Do you see how some people prepare for the future? I don’t know what your storyline might be, but I do know that if one wants to get anything one must strategically prepare to move in an unconventional way.
In conclusion, I would like to ask you, what do you desire to do soon and how are you preparing for it?
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
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has handed over one of his houses in Yola to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as its Adamawa State Secretariat.
The house in view, which is located at a choice area of Jimeta near famous Mubi Roundabout, once served as Adamawa State Secretariat of the PDP and remained in PDP colours up until Thursday evening.
The allocation of the personal property for the use of ADC has come as part of the latest significant moves of Atiku towards making the ADC a major party in Adamawa State.
He made one of his boldest statements about his inclination towards the ADC last month when he resigned from the PDP and was quickly followed by the defection of high profile associates of his into the ADC.
The associates who have swelled the ranks and fame of the ADC include the Adamawa governorship candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2023, Senator Aishatu Ahmed (Binani) and APC Governor between 2025 and 2019, Senator Jibrilla Bindow.
A national official of the ADC and ardent Atiku supporter, Umar Jada, who also happens to be of the same Jada descent as Atiku, has described Atiku’s property gift for Adamawa’s ADC use as a leap towards strengthening ADC’s presence in Adamawa.
Jada, who is the Assistant National Organising Secretary/Zonal Organising Secretary of the ADC, said the facility will provide the party with a befitting work environment.
The Chairman of the ADC in Adamawa State, Hon Shehu Yohanna could not be reached for comment on the new ADC State Secretariat but another state official of the party who spoke to our correspondent on condition of anonymity, confirmed that Atiku had indeed handed the Mubi Roundabout property for use of the ADC.
The official said the house had not been painted in ADC colours only because PDP is yet to remove its assets from the house.
By Henry Ukazu
Dear destiny friends,
Nobody is immune to stress. Fact. Stress is an admixture of natural and emotional causes. Fact. Stress can be managed. Fact.
According to a sage, managing stress is like sitting on a chair; one will continue to adjust until he gets a comfortable position.
In recent times, stress has been laid side by side with the female specie, in the sense that both has a lot in common. As a result, a school of thought has opined that managing a woman is akin to managing stress. But the good news is both can be managed if the right parameter or plug is pulled.
Stress, like the woman, is a “necessary evil” that can’t be avoided. It is, like a woman, a heavy to carry, and so cannot be carried with one hand. A friend once jokingly told me that ‘when you carry a woman who is too heavy for you, consider “offloading” her’. And that’s what we do to stress when it encroaches.
As human beings, we all experience stress in different areas and stages of life. There’s nothing anyone does that does not involve stress. As a student, one must undergo the stress of reading to pass an examination. As a woman, one must undergo the stress of child delivery and raising a child.
As a man, one must involve the stress of working and providing for the family. As a career professional, an employee must undergo the stress of being punctual at work and doing the needful to gain recognition. Even as a Christian, one must avoid certain practices to stay faithful in the sight of God. The list is literally endless.
The big question we must answer or deal with here is how do we manage stress? There are different ways we handle stress just like there are different ways we solve problems. We don’t solve a problem the way the problems come to us; it takes wisdom to solve a problem. Sometimes, we solve a problem with silence, action, and technicality. That’s the same way we handle stress.
I will be sharing helpful tips we can use to handle stress. As human beings, whenever we experience stress, we tend to forget what’s happening around us and focus on the stress. We even forget the positive things that have happened to us. For instance, a woman who is pregnant will technically forget all the good things her partner or anyone has done for her, she will even forget what’s happening in the world, her focus will be on the stress of the pregnancy. That’s the reality of life.
So here is my candid advice for anyone who is experiencing stress.
Identify stress exist
First, one will have to admit he/she is experiencing or undergoing stress, and as such seek help. I say this because identification of a problem is fifty percent solved. When the problem has been identified, the next step is to look for the person with the solution. According to the sage, knowledge is of two kinds, it’s either you know the answer, or you know where to find it.
Practice Gratitude.
It’s indisputable we do have good and bad days as humans, so a great way of living life is by trying to be grateful for what life brings to us knowing fully well the universe has previously brought good days to us. It’s sad, as human beings, we tend to mostly focus on the negative things humans have done to us instead of focusing more on the good things they have done.
Let me share a story I recently about gratitude, there are two friends (Mr. A and Mr. B) who were on a journey, Mr. A slapped Mr. B and Mr. B wrote on the sand, my best friend slapped me. When they got to the river, Mr. B had a hard time crossing over, and Mr. B assisted him, and when they got to the shore, Mr. A wrote on the rock, my best friend saved my life.
When they got to their destination, Mr. A asked Mr. B, “Why did you write on the sand when I slapped you and wrote on the rock I saved your life when I saved your life?” Mr. B answered, when anyone hurts you, it’s advisable to write it on the sand because the water will wash it away, but when anyone does you a favor write it on your heart (rock) where it can’t be erased. This is the attitude of dealing with stress. The moral is when we focus on the negative aspect of life, it has a way of increasing our sorrows.
Still on gratitude, as a healthy way of living life, before the day is over reflect on your day and review your accomplishment by appreciating yourself. Most of the time, we don’t take time to celebrate little wins. If you do this, it’s capable of relieving your stress.
Planning
Another way of managing stress is by planning. As humans, sometimes, we tend to leave important things until the last minute before we begin to prepare. This attitude is capable of leading to stress because we will be joggling between meeting up and not forgetting anything. But when we plan, we reduce the stress magnet. So, here is my advice, consider planning your day at least 24hours to avoid unnecessary stress hormones creeping in.
Still on planning, it’s highly advisable for one to avoid wasting time on frivolous activities. There are lots of time-wasting activities that don’t add meaningful progress and value to our life. Most of the time, we spend major time on minor activities that have little impact in our life and spend less time on major activities that’s suppose to add value to our life.
Rest
Do you know that stress can be reduced by taking a thirty-minute walk? Most people don’t know that nature is beautiful. Spending time with nature is a blissful experience most people are yet to explore. For instance, walking has a way of boosting our mental state of mind. Walking is not only a form of exercise, but also a form of resting.
Also, consider taking a deep breath every morning by breathing excessively. This habit if properly nurtured can be a game changer. For instance, if you encounter an unpleasant situation, just breathe in and out deeply and say, this too shall pass. Also consider drinking water every day, it has a way of relieving one from stress.
Practice Kindness
A great act of stress reduction that has greatly helped me is by practicing acts of kindness. On a personal note, whenever I’m stressed, and I see someone who is feeling stressed and I’m able to counsel or assist the person to feel good, I tend to feel much better. Overtime, I began to wonder, does it mean for me to be happy, I must show other people love and concern. The inherent message here is that I do feel good whenever I put smiles on people’s faces. This is a rare trait only people with a heart of service and empathy can exhibit. Consider doing a rare act of kindness and see the effect it will have on your mental being.
Reading
Do you know some people relieve stress by reading? Yes, reading has an impact on our mindset. Christians who read the Bible do feel a form of relief especially when they see stories which are related to theirs. Also, the Bible has a way of encouraging us to be strong when we go through storms. For instance, the Bible states in Matthew 11:28, “come unto me, all you that labor and are heavy load and I will give you rest”.
Do you know when we learn something new everyday, it can help us to reduce stress because it will take our mind out from the stress we are dealing with. So, consider reading or learning something new today.
Declutter Your Mind.
Our mindset is very strong. It’s whatever we feed the mind that it will process. Decluttering the mind is a great way of relieving stress. We juggle through many things due to the vicissitudes of life, we deal with family issues, work issues, personal issues, mental issues, business, government etc. All this has the capacity to weigh us down and thereby give us stress.
We can declutter the mind by meditating at least 30 minutes every day. I personally do this at intervals during the day, but mostly during my quiet moments in the morning and night. When we allow stress to fill our mind, there’s little we can do. To fix stress, I do apply the serenity prayer by Reinhold Niebuhr which says “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference”.
In conclusion, stress is not healthy for our mental health. To be productive, one must be mentally, spiritually, physically, and financially stable. So, whenever one experiences stress, please seek help.
The Kessington Adebukonla Adebutu Foundation (KAAF), founded and chaired by renowned industrialist and philanthropist, Chief Dr. Kessington Adebukonla Adebutu, has announced its readiness to headline the sponsorship of 2025 ‘The Ambassadors Summit’, which is in its seventh edition.
Tagged Ambassadors Summit 7.0, the premier National Youth Leadership and Entrepreneurship Summit, with the theme :Strategic Leadership for Turning Challenges into Opportunities”, is set to take place at the Grand Ballroom of the Oriental Hotel, Lekki, Lagos on Thursday 4th September, 2025 at 9am.
The Summit is organized by the Joshua Oyeniyi International Foundation and convened by Dr. Joshua Oyeniyi. As Nigeria’s representative to the Global Entrepreneurship Event Finals in Washington D.C., USA in 2015, and the CEO of Amborion Consulting, Dr. Oyeniyi brings a wealth of experience to this initiative.
This significant partnership underscores Chief Dr. Adebutu’s unwavering commitment to youth empowerment and national development.
The summit, organized by Joshua Oyeniyi International, is a major platform for nurturing the next generation of leaders and entrepreneurs in Nigeria. With over 5,000 delegates expected from more than 30 states across the Nigerian Federation, the event promises to be a pivotal moment for young Nigerians seeking to turn challenges into opportunities.
The impact of Chief Dr. Adebutu on Nigeria and its young people is truly immense. He is a man who not only built a business empire but also dedicated a significant part of his life to uplifting others. His Kessington Adebukonla Adebutu Foundation (KAAF) has funded countless scholarships, built state-of-the-art medical and educational facilities, and provided vital support to communities across the nation. This consistent and impactful work is a testament to his belief that true success is measured by the positive change one creates.
Through his leadership, Chief Dr. Adebutu has served as a beacon of hope for many young entrepreneurs. He embodies the principle that with hard work, integrity, and a commitment to giving back, any challenge can be turned into an opportunity. His decision to sponsor this summit is a powerful statement of his faith in the potential of young Nigerians to lead and innovate, shaping a brighter future for the entire nation.
Chief Dr. Adebutu will be gracing the event as the distinguished Father of the Day, a role that reflects his lifetime of service and mentorship. His presence, and the support of his foundation, highlight the importance of private sector involvement in creating a prosperous future for the nation’s youth.
The summit will also feature a stellar lineup of high-profile guests and speakers, including the Federal Minister of Youth, Hon. Ayodele Olawande; Federal Minister of Interior, Hon. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo; the First Lady of Lagos State, Dr. (Mrs.) Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu; and the Group Managing Director of FirstBank, Mr. Olusegun Alebiosu. Their participation further reinforces the summit’s mission to bridge the gap between young leaders and influential figures across all sectors.
The Ambassadors Summit 7.0 aims to inspire delegates through powerful sessions on strategic leadership, innovation, and sustainable business practices. The support from the Kessington Adebukonla Adebutu Foundation ensures that this year’s summit will be a resounding success, providing invaluable resources and networking opportunities to thousands of aspiring young professionals.
