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Food for Living: Running the Race of Life

By Henry Ukazu
Dear Destiny Friends,
Whether we like it or not, life is indeed a race; a race different from track and field. I call this race the race of life in which only the strongest of the strongest will survive it.
Everyone runs the race of life, directly or indirectly, consciously or unconsciously, wittingly or unwittingly. Whether you are a student, entrepreneur, parent, leader, athlete, child, career professional or pastor, we all are running the race of life in one way or another. This is simply because we want to advance in life.
If one is desirous of moving from point A to point B, they must be intentional to run the race of life. However, this does not apply to those, who likes to remain in their comfort zones or have little or no ambition.
The race of life works in many dimensions. For instance, anyone, who intends to be a professor, must complete a Bachelors and Masters degrees, and Ph.D. in the same vein, anyone, who intends to climb the corporate ladder, must start from being an intern or entry level career professional, and work their way up the corporate ladder to be either the Commissioner, Chief Financial officer, Executive Director, Managing Director, Senator, Governor, President or Chief Executive Officer depending on the industry and areas of interest. All these can only be possible when one runs the race of life efficiently, and has added a substantial level of value to his or her life.
It should be noted that the race of life is personal; nobody will run it for you. You are in charge and responsible for the outcome of your life. Nobody will run the race of your life for you.
According to Jay Z, “Rosa Parks sat so Martin Luther King could walk. Martin Luther King walked so Obama could run. Obama’s running so we all can fly.” This means they all ran the race of life by handing over the baton to you and me.
My late beloved mother will always say, when your mates are running, run with them, otherwise they will leave you behind. Yes, life do happen, but it just simply means that you must do your best by picking yourself up when if you fall. She also said that when a child is born, the child can’t enter his/her mother’s womb again. In the same way, as a progressive mind, you can’t enter your mother’s womb again, and as such you must live your life. This literally means you must fight for your life by paying adequate attention to your life race.
In this journey called life, nobody will give you anything on the platter of gold, you must show people the reasons you need an opportunity. It’s just like in politics, nobody will literally give you power or any elective position without any corresponding effort on your part either by way of campaigning or showing that you deserve the position. In politics, one must grab power, no leader voluntarily gives up power to his opponent.
In the same way, one must go out to seek whatever they want or desire if really serious about making a headway. Did you know that the more risk, mistakes and opportunities one undertakes, the more luck one attracts. So, continue to run your own peculiar race because one might not know the inherent and associated futuristic opportunities that will come as he continues to dare to succeed. If one does not try to run his race, one wouldn’t have known what he would have gained.
In my journey to life, I have failed numerous times, and I have also succeeded on several fronts, but one thing I have learnt overtime is the fact that one must step out of their comfort zones and do a little bit more by adding value to their lives in what may be referred to as self-knowledge and personal development. These are the things that will distinguish anyone from their contemporaries.
When you add value to your life, it will be easy for people to identify you. Nobody likes a parasite. The irony of life is that most people like to add water to a cup already filled with water as opposed to adding water to an empty cup. This literally means people go for ripe fruits. This is just the sad reality of life.
Wisdom entails that every one’s path is different, your journey and race is different from mine, and so the ability to know what’s unique about you will go a long way to designing your life. Just to put this in perspective, every morning, a lion knows that if it doesn’t go out and strategize on how to get the deer, or any other prey, it will go hungry for the rest of the day, and if the prey does not run for its life, it will be eaten by the lion. This is just the reality of life. Nobody can save you if you don’t save yourself. This is a typical case of a prudent mind saving money so that the money can save him in future.
Furthermore, and according to Dr. Yomi Garnett, “a giraffe is seen as the tallest but feeds on leaves, and a hyena eats meat and is short. A cow eats grass and gets fat, but if a lion eats it, it will fall flat and die. That is why you should never compare yourself with others. A stream that an elephant considers shallow would swallow a leopard. Therefore, run your own race at your own pace, in your own space to get to the right place without ending in disgrace”.
The moral of this quote is that what works for one person may not work for another person, as a matter of fact, it might even kill the other person. So, focus on the gifts God gave you, and don’t be envious of the blessings of another person. If you develop yourself, you will be celebrated.
In summary, if you are not running, endeavor to walk, if you can’t walk, endeavor to crawl; just ensure that at all times, you are in motion. This is the only way the universe will respond to you. A Latin maxim says, Ex nihilo nihil fit”, meaning that “you can’t build something on nothing”. So if you want streams of water to flow into your ocean, you must have a form of magnetic prowess to attract the water, and this will only work if you know how to run the race life by adding value to your life.
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 Your and Unleash Your Destiny . He can be reached via info@gloemi.com
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Lagos Police Command Gets New CP, Moshood Jimoh

The Police Service Commission (PSC) has approved the removal of CP Lanre Ishola as the Commissioner of Police, Lagos, replacing him with CP Moshood Lawal.
The removal is with immediate effect…
Details soon…
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Lagos Assembly: Plenary Halted As Security Operatives Take Over Premises

By Eric Elezuo
Amid growing tension following the impeachment of former Speaker Mudashiru Obasa of the Lagos House of Assembly, security operatives including men of the Department of State Services (DSS), the Lagos Task Force and the Nigerian Police Force, have reportedly taken over the Assembly complex, locking the Speaker, Mojisola Meranda and her Deputy.
Eyewitness says that amidst the uncertainty, the Speaker of the House arrived to the cheers of other lawmakers, who expressed confidence in the leadership of Rt. Hon. Meranda.
There has been pleasure on Hon Meranda to resign as Speaker since the brouhaha emerged as a result of the rejection of his impeachment by Obasa, who had since taken the matter to court.
Other sources alleged that Meranda may have to resign to pave way for peaceful resolution of the crises that originated from the January 13 impeachment of Obasa.
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WAEC Releases 2024 WASSCE Results for Private Candidates, Says 2669 Results Under Processing

By Eric Elezuo
The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has announced the released of the results of the 2024 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for private candidates, adding that about 2669 results are still being processed for release.
The examinations body made the announcement via a statement signed by the Ag. Head, Public Affairs, Moyosola Adesina, and made available to this medium. It stated that a total of 62,354 candidates, representing 95.90% have had their results fully processed and released, and are requested to visit www.waecdirect.org to ascertain their status before visiting the Digital Certificate platform (www.waec.org).
The statement in details:
The West African Examinations Council (WAEC), Nigeria, wishes to announce to candidates, stakeholders and the general public that the results of the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for Private Candidates, 2024–Second Series, has been released.
Recall that the Council announced that the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for Private Candidates, 2024–Second Series would be conducted in two modes, for the first time, in line with emerging best practices and the continuous quest for excellence. The examination diet was conducted in those two modes, the Paper and Pen option and the computer-based hybrid mode, and candidates sat the examination based on the option they chose during registration.
The examination took place in Nigeria between Friday, October 25, 2024 and Friday, December 20, 2024. The Coordination of Examiners and Marking of Candidates’ Scripts were carried out at FIVE (5) Marking Venues in Lagos, Ibadan, Benin, Enugu and Kaduna from Wednesday, January 15, to Tuesday, February 4, 2025. A total of THREE THOUSAND THREE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-SEVEN (3,327) Examiners participated in the Coordination and Marking Exercise.
SIXTY-EIGHT THOUSAND, THREE HUNDRED AND FORTY-TWO (68,342) candidates, representing a 20% decrease, when compared with the 2023 entry figure, entered for the examination, while SIXTY-FIVE THOUSAND AND TWENTY-THREE (65,023) candidates sat the examination at FIVE THOUSAND AND SIXTY-SEVEN (5,067) centres spread across the nooks and crannies of the country.
Amongst the candidates that sat the examination, ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY-SEVEN (157) candidates, with varying degrees of Special Needs, were registered for the examination. Out of this number, TWENTY-FIVE (25) were visually challenged, THIRTEEN (13) had impaired hearing and FIFTEEN (15) were Albinos. All these candidates with special needs were adequately provided for in the administration of the examination.
Of the total number of SIXTY-FIVE THOUSAND AND TWENTY-THREE (65,023) candidates that sat the examination, THIRTY-ONE THOUSAND, FIVE HUNDRED AND FOUR (31,504) were males while THIRTY-THREE THOUSAND, FIVE HUNDRED AND NINETEEN (33,519) were females, representing 48.45% AND 51.55% respectively.
Out of the total number of candidates that sat the examination, SIXTY-TWO THOUSAND, THREE HUNDRED AND FIFTY-FOUR (62,354) candidates, representing 95.90% have their results fully processed and released while TWO THOUSAND, SIX HUNDRED AND SIXTY-NINE (2,669) candidates, representing 4.10% have a few of their subjects still being processed due to some errors traceable to them.
However, efforts are being made to speedily complete the processing to enable all the affected candidates to get their results fully processed and released, subsequently.
The analysis of the statistics of the performance of candidates shows that out of the SIXTY-FIVE THOUSAND AND TWENTY-THREE (65,023) candidates that sat the examination:
FORTY-THREE THOUSAND, NINE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-THREE (43,923) candidates representing 67.55% obtained credit and above in a minimum of FIVE (5) subjects (with or without English Language and/or Mathematics);
THIRTY-FOUR THOUSAND, EIGHT HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-EIGHT (34,878) candidates representing 53.64 % obtained credit and above in a minimum of FIVE (5) subjects, including English Language and Mathematics
Of this number, SIXTEEN THOUSAND, EIGHT HUNDRED AND EIGHTY-SIX (16,886) i.e., 48.41% were male candidates, while SEVENTEEN THOUSAND, NINE HUNDRED AND NINETY-TWO (17,992), i.e., 51.58 % were female candidates. The percentage of candidates in this category in the WASSCE for Private Candidates, 2022 and 2023 – Second Series, that is, those who obtained credit and above in a minimum of five (5) subjects, including English Language and Mathematics, were 42.16% and 44.29% respectively. Thus, there is a marginal increase of 9.35 % in performance in this regard.
This analysis, however, cannot be compared with that of WASSCE for School Candidates. Whereas the candidates in WASSCE for School Candidates Examination are compelled to sit eight or nine subjects, the candidates in WASSCE for Private Candidates Examination, though can register for eight or nine subjects, are not compelled to take all. They are free to sit, even one subject, depending on the deficiency they want to remedy.
TWO-THOUSAND, FIVE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-SEVEN (2,577) Candidates’ results, representing 3.96 % of the total number of candidates that sat the examination, were withheld in connection with various allegations of examination malpractice. Candidates whose results were withheld are advised to visit the WAEC Notice of Examination Malpractice Portal at: https//waecinternational.org/complaints to make representations with regard to allegations bordering on examination malpractice.
All reported cases will be investigated including exhibits obtained, alongside candidates’ representations lodged on the portal. These will be evaluated and reports presented to the appropriate Committee of the Council for determination. The Committee’s decision(s) will be communicated directly to the affected candidates.
Candidates may check their results by visiting www.waecdirect.org to ascertain their status before visiting the Digital Certificate platform (www.waec.org) to access the digital copies of their certificates, which have been released along with the results. Candidates will be required to apply for the printing of the hard copies of their certificates online, through the WAEC Certificate Request Portal (e-Certman). The portal address is https://certrequest.waec.ng/. All candidates who sat the examination diet are hereby advised to check their results carefully and take necessary actions as required.
The West African Examinations Council (WAEC), Nigeria, would like to congratulate all candidates who have worked hard and achieved great results. Our profound gratitude also goes to the Government at all levels, Security Agencies, Ministries of Education, Staff, Supervisors, Invigilators, Custodians, Examiners, and other Ad-hoc personnel who, despite all odds, availed the Council of their services in ensuring the successful conduct of the examination and marking of scripts. The results are a testament to their dedication and hard work. We wish all the candidates the best in their future endeavours.
Once again, we assure all our stakeholders of our dedication and commitment to excellent service delivery.