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Food for Living: Nobody is Holding You Back
By Henry Ukazu
Greetings Destiny Friends,
As humans, it is normal to feel disliked when we don’t get the desired attention or job we crave for. It is also normal to blame our environment or lack of education as being responsible for a lack of opportunities. Sometimes, we feel because our parents are born poor, that’s why we are poor. Let me tell you, if your parents are born poor, you don’t have to die poor. It is sadder to note most times, that we give excuses and blame others for our misfortunes in life. The truth is that nobody is responsible for your failure, you’re the one holding yourself down.
If you really want to get work done, you’ll have to get to work. Talk is cheap. I have since come to the sublime realization that the universe always set apart the man who knows where he is going. Waiting for the perfect time sometimes, is not the best. The more you explore, the more opportunities you will see. Most of the innovators who are truly successful didn’t see the big picture when they first began their project. The same is true for wealthy people who started their businesses with little capital.
Most times we think we need to be in a particular environment before we can make a difference, but that’s fallacy because if you truly want to make an impact in the society, you must start with yourself, with what you have and where you are. Let me ask you, have you ever wondered why you were born in a certain place? Have you bothered to know why you have peculiar traits or features? Have you ever wondered why you have an interest in a subject, business, or even arts? All these are very symbolic because they signify one thing; you have all you need to jumpstart your life.
Your success in life depends on many principles, but for the purpose of this article, we shall be exploring the TEA principle.
Time
If you are desirous of making an impact, what you do with your time defines a lot about you. You need to know how to maximize your time. Your time is the most productive asset you have in life. You can waste money and recover it, but you can’t waste time and recover it. Imagine if you are given $86,400 daily and you are told if you don’t use it will be erased, what will you do with it? That’s simply how time works. Each of us has 24hours in a day, to some, it’s not enough, to others it’s enough.
Environment
Your environment has a role to play in your life. I agree some environments encourage innovation, but remember, an artist, preacher, and comedian who was born and raised in the USA might have a challenge doing the same work in Africa and vice versa for an artist, comedian or preacher who was born and raised in Africa trying to entertain people in Europe. It is instructive to know that you’ll always be the same person except for two things; the books you read and the people you relate with. Avoid environments that bring out the worst in you. Once your environment is conducive and encouraging, your chances of succeeding in life will be high.
Association
Your success and failure can be linked to people. Human beings are the most priceless asset in life. According to Robin Sharma, “the business of business is human relation, but the business of life is human connection”. When you join worthy groups, associations and organizations, the tendency of succeeding will be high. Associate only with those who share the same or better values than you. And you will succeed.
How to Release Yourself from the Chains Holding You Back
Seek approval
If you are always focused on what others think of you, you are not ready to take charge of your life. Yes, there are times when it’s good to get the opinions of others, but you don’t need constant accolades from everyone around you. You are your own person, with your own successes and failure.
Define Your Goals
Defining your goals is the first step toward making them happen. It’s about creating a roadmap that will guide you. Without a plan to pull you into the future, you can easily go off course without even knowing it.
Avoid Self-doubt
Self-doubt is a dream killer. The fear of rejection will only fuel feelings of uncertainty and indecision. If you constantly doubt yourself and question whether your goals are attainable, you are one step from failure
Desist from Staying in Your Comfort Zone
Taking risks is a scary proposition for many. Stepping outside your comfort zone means taking a leap of faith and inviting the possibility of failure. But you will never know what you are truly capable of unless you try. Consider the many business leaders who took radical leaps out of their comfort zones such as Bill Gates, Richard Branson, Larry Ellison and Warren Buffet. All of them failed at one point, but none would have been successful if they hadn’t pushed themselves. Remember, with great risk comes the possibility of great reward.
Do Not Fold Your Arms Waiting for the right time
If you refuse to jump into the fray until it feels like the “right” time, you may spend your life as a benchwarmer. It’s one thing to make calculated risk by watching the economy or taking the time to fine-tune your skills. But don’t let fear keep you from moving forward. If you never start, you will never succeed.
Don’t Be Consumed by Fear of Failure
Sometimes, we let failures hold us down. Don’t let failure or past mistakes weigh you down. Instead, wear it like a badge of honour. I call failures experiences. No one succeeds without failing sometimes. In order to learn from failure, assess what went wrong. Learn the lessons you need to learn so you can move forward and make better decisions next time.
Henry Ukazu writes from New York. He’s a mindset coach and public speaker. 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 Nigerian Police Force has announced the rescue of former Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu’s sister and her twin sons, who were abducted on June 3, in Ibadan.
A statement signed by the Force Public Relations Officer, DCP Anthony Okon Pkacid revealed ad follows:
The Nigeria Police Force announces the successful rescue of Mrs. Olaide Busayo Adegoke John-Paul and her 12-year-old twin sons, Peter and Paul, who were abducted on June 3, 2026, in Ibadan, Oyo State.
The hostages were rescued during a coordinated operation by the Force Intelligence Department Intelligence Response Team (FID-IRT) in Ibadan at approximately 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 6, 2026.
Mrs. Adegoke and her children were abducted while she was driving them to school at about 7:30 a.m. on June 3, 2026. The rescue was achieved through sustained intelligence gathering, surveillance, and tactical operations. These efforts enabled investigators to track the kidnappers’ movements, resulting in a confrontation with FID-IRT operatives.
During the confrontation, two suspected kidnappers were fatally wounded and two rifles were recovered. The victims were rescued unharmed and are now in safe custody, receiving medical care and support.
The Inspector-General of Police commends the courage, professionalism, and effectiveness of the FID-IRT operatives and all officers involved. Their resilience and commitment were instrumental in the safe rescue of the hostages.
Security operatives have intensified efforts in the area to apprehend fleeing members of the kidnapping syndicate. Preliminary intelligence indicates that some suspects escaped with gunshot injuries. Operations are ongoing to track, arrest, and bring all involved to justice.
The Nigeria Police Force appreciates the public’s support, cooperation, and patience during the operation. We remain committed to combating violent crime, protecting lives and property, and ensuring the safety of all citizens.
By Henry Ukazu
Greetings Destiny Friends,
A race, in a literary sense, is a contest between two or more persons competing for a prize. A race can be a sprint, relay, marathon, middle-distance, long-distance, and hurdles. When it comes to running a race, every single step is important because a wrong move can affect the entire outcome. Can you imagine where an athlete has a faulty start or enters the lane of another athlete. That athlete will be disqualified. Can you also imagine a case where an athlete misses the baton; it will definitely affect their chances of winning the race.
Beyond the race on the tracks, there’s also a larger race on the field of life. This race is not interested in whether one is an athlete or not. It is open to everyone living. Consequently, everyone must run his race with his mates and contemporaries, and here’s why.
In the journey of life, everyone is entitled to running their individual races. Nobody will run another’s race for them; the best anyone can do for another is assist in providing an enabling environment for the race. For instance, our parents, mentors, siblings, relatives, benefactors, churches, government, among others have all contributed in one way or another to shape our journey. They did it so that we won’t be found wanting when we step out to the tracks to compete with mates.
Let’s face it, our parents, siblings, relatives may have supported us with resources in training us in schools. Our mentors, benefactors, government, churches, etc. may have provided an enabling environment and by putting the necessary structures for us excel. The government can formulate policies that will enable progressive minds to thrive. All these acts are structured to give us an edge in life.
One may be wondering why this illustration important; well, the simple reason is because we must run our race at the right time, otherwise, we’ll be left behind. My beloved mother Lolo Agnes Ukazu, will always say, when your mates are running, run with them. That statement might sound ordinary, but it is very deep. One may be wondering what it means, well, it simply means, it’s always good to do the right thing at the right time. For instance, there’s a right time for one to go to school, get married, have kids, invest and give it back to society. When one misses a stage, it might be hard to get back on track. So, when one’s mate is going to school, please, if you have the time and resources, join them and go to school, marry, have children, invest, etc. because at the end of the day, everything will align together if done properly.
My late mother will always say, when one is born, the person won’t enter his/her mother’s womb again. The next task for the person is to run their race by fighting their war, and this entails running their race by taking ownership of their life. When your mates leave you behind, it might be difficult to catch up with them. May God help you if they have gone far.
It’s sad to see uniformed minds who always think their messiah or destiny helper will come from heaven. They fail to understand that “Power is never served a la carte“. One will have to struggle to earn it. That’s simply how life works. Anything anyone desires, one will have to roll their sleeves and do the needful. If the universe is kind to you, it will send you destiny helpers, associates, benefactors, mentees, and resourceful people who can assist in birthing your vision.
The universe can also make the government formulate a policy for you. I have since come to the sublime submission that in life, we are the architect of our lives. According to my late dad, Chief Lazarus Ukazu, “any name anyone wants to answer, that person must work hard to earn the name. Again, this is running your race.
Overtime, I have discovered, when you begin a race, people from north and south will align together to assist you in birthing the vision all things being equal. Most of the work I have been celebrated didn’t come because I was smart, even though smartness may have contributed, but the true success was a result of my accomplishment. For instance, as an author, I use my books to create curriculum for my target audience, meet resource people and organization. I didn’t wait for my mentors or anyone to put me in the spotlight. Rather, they saw my work and appreciated the value and problems I was solving, and they extended a hand of fellowship to partner with me.
I didn’t fold my hands and wait for manna from above. No, I rolled my sleeves. I didn’t feel entitled to any favor, I didn’t complain, rather I fixed the problem, and as they say, the rest is history.
To run your race with your mates, timing is critical. You don’t want to have children at old age when you are supposed to be resting. Imagine being in a Parents Teachers Association meeting with children who are supposed to be your kids. Again, when your mates are busy grinding by adding value to their life, please endeavor to do the same because when they get to the top, they’ll find resourceful people who have added to their life. So, imagine a case where one has developed themselves and they still fail, they still stand a better position to attract opportunities because of the bold actions and steps they have taken.
From personal experience, I have seen people who just relax with hope that if a friend succeeds and gets to the top or makes money, they will be remembered, but these uninformed minds don’t know that life doesn’t work that way. As an accomplished author and human capacity development expert, most of the heights I have attained were simple because I collaborated with resourceful minds working the same space or I had people who believed and saw value in my work.
I don’t know what your storyline is, I just want you to know that if you don’t run your race, other people will run it for you. My prayer for you is that you may not be a spectator in a race you are supposed to own.
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
Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court, Abuja, has ordered the African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, to enter a defence in his ongoing trial for alleged criminal defamation of President Bola Tinubu.
In a ruling, Justice Umar rejected a request by counsel to Sowore, Marshall Abubakar, that further hearing in the case be adjourned until after the court’s forthcoming vacation.
The judge ordered that further hearing in the case be conducted daily, beginning from Friday, June 5, when the defendant shall be obligated to open his defence.
Sowore, an online publisher, is being prosecuted by the Department of State Services (DSS) for allegedly making false claims against President Tinubu by calling him “a criminal” in posts he made on his X and Facebook accounts.
At the day’s proceedings, the prosecuting lawyer, Akinlolu Kehinde (SAN), said the case was fixed for June 4 to get the Chief Judge’s response to a May 19, 2026 letter from Sowore requesting that the case be assigned to another judge.
Kehinde said he was served on May 26 with a copy of the Chief Judge’s response, dated May 22, in which the defendant’s request was declined, and the court was ordered to continue hearing the case.
He then applied that the judge orders the defendant to enter his defence.
Responding, Abubakar claimed that a portion of the Chief Judge’s response directed the defendant to file a formal application so that it could be heard in open court.
Abubakar urged the court to adjourn the case until after the court’s forthcoming vacation to enable his client to participate in next year’s presidential election.
Replying, Kehinde faulted Abubakar’s interpretation of the Chief Judge’s response.
He stressed that the case before the court had nothing to do with political activities in the country.
“The letter from the Chief Judge of this court did not ask the defendant or his counsel to file an application for recusal. So, it is disingenuous for counsel to read into the letter an interpretation that the Chief Judge did not include in the letter,” Kehinde said.
Following a disagreement between both lawyers on the content of the Chief Judge’s response, Justice Umar called for a copy of the letter and read through it, following which he declared Abubakar wrong.
“From the content of the letter, there is nowhere the defendant is asked to file an application before this court.
“This court is not denying the defendant the right to file any application. This can be done anytime before judgment,” Justice Umar said.
The judge said the current stage of the case merely required the defendant to enter his defence.
Thereafter, the judge ordered Sowore to enter his defence.
He also ordered that the hearing in the case proceed daily, in line with the provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA).
Following the judge’s order, Abubakar sought an adjournment until after the court’s vacation for the defendant to open his defence.
Again, Kehinde, SAN, objected, noting that having ruled and ordered a daily hearing, the ruling of the court was in consonance with the law.
“The law is that the defendant shall proceed with his defence. There is no option. We are ready. There is no room for dilatory practice for a defendant facing a criminal trial,” he added.
The prosecuting lawyer also said that “the option left at this point is for the defence to continue or simply be foreclosed. It is either they continue, or they are foreclosed”.
Justice Mohammed Umar subsequently adjourned until June 5 for the defendant to open his defence.
