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Food for Living: Spirituality and Success
By Henry Ukazu
Dear Destiny Friends,
Let me begin this article with a disclosure; I’m not an ordained Minister of God. I am a trained Human Capacity coach. I therefore, speak and write on whatever affects the optimum performance of human beings. One may be wondering why I decided to write about the spirituality of success. Before you conclude, just spare me a minute and you will see reasons you need to pay attention to this wonderful article.
Did you know that all success is spiritual?
Here is the reason. Before anything happens physically, it has taken shape spiritually. This is because success starts from the mind. Is that not spiritual? Before a blogger publishes an article on a website, he or she would have done some background work before the article is published. That’s spiritual success. Before a politician wins an election, he/she must have campaigned; before a student passes an exam, wins a scholarship or an award, he/she must have distinguished himself and herself; before someone gets an appointment, he/she must have developed himself/herself. These are all examples of spiritual success.
To show you how spiritual success works, the work must be done in the closet before it gets public attention. That’s why it’s always said, you must work hard in success and allow your success to make the noise.
Let’s spend a minute on sacrifice. Sacrifice comes in several ways. You must know the kind of sacrifice you want to engage in. As a progressive being, you must be intentional the way you live your life. You must know what you want in life. This entails knowing who you want as a life partner, business partner, the kind of business you would like to engage in, the kind of friend, mentor, parent, child you would love to have. When you have been able to decide on these salient issues, you will know the kind of sacrifice you will have to engage in to get what you want.
As a student, the sacrifice you engage in to pass your exams is different from the sacrifice an entrepreneur will engage in to grow his/her business. The same is applicable to a parent who wants to give his children a decent education. As a mentee, you must know the kind of person you would like to adopt as a mentor, and then know what works for the person and see how you can use your gift, value or time to get the attention of the person. As a man interested in a lady, you must sacrifice your time and resources to get her attention. These are all spiritual sacrifices because you must have done the work before the result comes out.
Did you know that sacrifice can make things happen? There’s a level of sacrifice you will engage in, that can provoke someone to do what they never intended to do. In the corporate world, you will get promoted by the extra work they do.
Sacrifice can be spiritual, occultic or covenanted. Sacrifice can be given to a god/God, it can also be given to a human being. The question you need to ask yourself is who am I you sacrificing to and for what purpose? This is because every sacrifice has a goal and purpose.
Your sacrifice shows how serious, passionate, and intentional you are in getting what you want. I have personally sacrificed a lot to get to where I am today. I invest my time and resources in causes I am passionate about. I invest in my mentors, mentees, business, late parents, family, and friends just to mention a few.
The right sacrifice can open doors of opportunities for you. It’s sad to note that many people don’t know how to offer the right sacrifice. Do you know where your prayers, academics, works and connections cannot reach? Did you know that your sacrifice can speak for you? Your sacrifice can serve as a communication link for you.
It’s also sad to note that most people sacrifice with vested interest. If you sacrifice your money and time due to an interest you have in somebody, it’s only a matter of time for the true intention of the person to be known. Your sacrifice must come from your heart.
The level of sacrifice you engage in determines the kind of result you will get. When most people sleep late at night doing productive work and waking up quite early like an early worm to do some productive work, they don’t do it because it’s fun. They do it because they have a project they are working on. It’s sad to note that many people don’t know how to sacrifice for the right cause. They misplace the time and money they are supposed to use for a worthy cause for an unworthy cause, thereby spending major time on minor things and spend minor time on major things.
According to a veteran celebrity journalist Dr. Dele Momodu, ‘many people are chasing what they should have left for God and ignore what should lead them to God’. If you know what you want in life, no amount of sacrifice is too much to attain it. It’s instructive to note that people become successful by virtue of the work they do based on the sacrifice they have invested with the work they do.
In conclusion, if you want to go far in life, you must sacrifice something. If you want anything in life, you must sacrifice.
Question: what are you using as an exchange for your sacrifice?
Henry Ukazu writes from New York. He works with the New York City Department of Correction as the Legal Coordinator. He’s a Transformative Human Capacity and Mindset coach. He is also a public speaker, youth advocate and creative writer Design Your Destiny and Unleash Your Destiny. He can be reached via info@gloemi.com
The Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF) has constituted the LSSTF Monitoring Team with clear guidelines detailing their baseline expectations, roles, responsibilities, and performance. This is to ensure that all security agencies based in Lagos that benefit from the LSSTF largesse are responsible and responsive to the public goodwill which is reposed on them.
The constitution of the LSSTF Monitoring Team is in fulfillment of the pledge of the Executive Secretary/CEO of Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF), Dr. Ayo Ogunsan at the recent Strategic Media Parley with Senior Editors and Media Executives. He had assured the journalists that the era of abuse and misuse of public resources is over.
It will be recalled that Ogunsan outlined his leadership focus at the media Parley which held at the Agency’s Headquarters on 5th December 2025. ‘Public confidence in the Fund is essential. Under my leadership, transparency will be the standard not the exception. We will, maintain strict oversight on contractor performance, monitor all funded projects closely, publish updates on the utilization of donations, strengthen internal governance and reporting, and deepen stakeholder communication and feedback mechanisms.’
With the LSSTF Monitoring Team duly constituted, Ogunsan gave them the marching orders to include: ‘Monitoring and tracking of vehicles and other security assets belonging to RRS; Conducting routine field inspections to determine the state of Fund’s assets; Maintaining accurate records of assets deployed by the Fund to the RRS and providing operational reports; Accessing the application of assets provided to the security agencies as a prerequisite for further allocation; Monitoring repairs and refurbishments embarked upon by the Fund; and Any other duty as may be assigned from time to time.’
The inauguration and public presentation of a monitoring vehicle to facilitate the efforts of the LSSTF Monitoring Team will be held very soon.
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Lagos Sector Command, has confirmed a tanker explosion that occurred in the early hours of Wednesday, 17th December 2025, along the Temu–Sabo route, by the Bypass Pobona area of Epe, Lagos State.
The incident, according to a statement by the Public Education Officer, SRC Oluwadamilola Jayeola, made available to the National Association of Online Security News Publishers (NAOSNP), occurred at about 0205hrs and was reported at 0210hrs. Operatives of the FRSC Epe Unit Command responded promptly and arrived at the scene within minutes.
Speaking on the incident, the Sector Public Education Officer, Superintendent Route Commander (SRC) Oluwadamilola Jayeola, stated that preliminary findings revealed that the explosion involved a commercial MACK tanker and five other vehicles, bringing the total number of vehicles affected to six (6).
She explained that the crash was attributed to brake failure, which resulted in loss of control and a subsequent lone crash. Although two adult persons were involved in the incident, no injuries or fatalities were recorded.
Traffic control was immediately established by FRSC operatives to prevent secondary incidents. The Corps worked in synergy with the Nigerian Army, the Nigeria Police Force, the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), and the Lagos State Fire Service, which successfully contained and extinguished the fire.
A private tow truck was also contacted and placed on standby to facilitate the prompt recovery of the affected vehicles and clear the obstruction along the route.
The Sector Commander, FRSC Lagos Sector Command, Corps Commander Kehinde Ganiyu Hamzat, reiterated his advisory to motorists, particularly operators of heavy-duty vehicles, to ensure regular and thorough vehicle maintenance, with special emphasis on braking systems, before embarking on any journey.
The Lagos Sector Command of the Federal Road Safety Corps remains steadfast in its commitment to prompt emergency response, effective traffic management, and the safety of all road users.
Chairman, Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, has formally submitted a petition to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) against the Managing Director of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Engr. Ahmed Farouk, over alleged corruption and financial impropriety.
The petition, dated December 16, 2025, was submitted through Dangote’s lawyer, Dr. Ogwu James Onoja, SAN, and received at the office of the ICPC Chairman, Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu, SAN.
In the petition, Dangote called for the arrest, investigation and prosecution of the NMDPRA boss, alleging that Farouk has been living far above his legitimate means as a public servant.
Dangote specifically accused Ahmed Farouk of allegedly spending over seven million United States dollars on the education of his four children in Switzerland, paid upfront for a six-year period, without any lawful explanation for the source of the funds.
According to the petition, the four children and their respective schools in Switzerland were clearly identified, along with the amounts paid on their behalf, to enable the ICPC verify the allegations.
The industrialist further alleged that Farouk Ahmed had been using his position at the NMDPRA to embezzle and divert public funds for personal gain and private interests, actions which he claimed had recently triggered public protests and widespread criticism of the agency.
Dangote maintained that Ahmed Farouk has spent his adult life working in Nigeria’s public sector, adding that his cumulative earnings over the years could not reasonably account for the alleged seven million dollars reportedly spent on the overseas education of his children.
“It is without doubt that the above facts in relation to abuse of office, breach of the Code of Conduct for public officers, corrupt enrichment and embezzlement constitute gross acts of corruption, for which your Commission is statutorily empowered under Section 19 of the ICPC Act to investigate and prosecute,” the petition stated.
It further noted that under the same section of the ICPC Act, any person found guilty of such offences is liable to imprisonment for a term of five years without an option of fine.
Dangote urged the commission to act decisively, stressing that the ICPC, alongside other anti-graft agencies, is strategically positioned to investigate and prosecute corruption-related offences.
“In view of the foregoing, we call on the Commission under your leadership to investigate the complaint of abuse of office and corruption against Engr. Farouk Ahmed and to accordingly prosecute him if found wanting,” the petition added.
The Dangote Group Chairman also expressed confidence that the matter, being in the public domain, would not be ignored, urging the ICPC to act in the interest of justice and to protect the image of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.
Dangote further pledged his readiness to provide additional evidence to substantiate his allegations of corrupt enrichment, abuse of office and impunity against the NMDPRA Managing Director.
