Metro
Food for Living: The Blessing of Parents
By Henry Ukazu
Dear Destiny Friends,
Every living being craves blessings. An apprentice craves the blessings of his/her master or coach to succeed, the same way a mentee craves the blessings of his mentor. Every living being who truly wants to succeed must earnestly crave the blessings of their parents, especially if they are alive.
You may be wondering what parental blessings are? Parental blessings refer to positive forces that follow you and bring you good luck due to the positive words spoken over your life by those with parental authority over you. This can either come from your biological parents or those who have a form of “divine or positional authority” over you. It must not necessarily be your biological parents though biological parents have a more influential role to play, but we have seen some bad parents, but then that’s not a yardstick to castigate or neglect them. They might be bad but, they see still have some divine powers and authority. This is because we came to the world through their cells, genes, and blood which is the foundation of existence. That’s why most people say, blood is thicker than blood.
In this article, I will share personal thought-provoking insights to inform and enlighten us about the effects of parental blessings. As a transformational human capacity coach with a focus on helping humanity in all spheres of life to not only maximize their potentials but also to unleash their potentials, I have come to realize that true success is internal and not external. During my engagements with people (High school and college students, graduates, entrepreneurs and career professionals), I find it why some people succeed much faster with relative ease while some people literally struggle to succeed.
As a mindset coach, I always focus most of my training on self-discovery. This is because, before you can succeed in anything in life, you must not only understand the basics, you must love it, but more especially, you must have the corresponding blessings that come with the opportunity. These blessings can come in various forms, they can either come from your mentors, parents, founders, or even the creator, but I will focus my point on parental blessings.
You may be wondering why I’m focusing and emphasizing parental blessings. Well, the reason is simple, parental blessings are the foundational blessings we need to survive in whatever we do. This is because at creation, God used our biological parents to bring us into the world, and as such, God gave them all we need to succeed in life. That is why when your mother gave birth to you, you will either look like your father, mother, or even a relative, but more importantly, you’ll have features of either your father or mother in you. That’s why it is been said, a lion can’t give birth to a snake. As always, like begets like.
That said, if the creator didn’t want your parents to give birth to you, they’ll find another person to bring you into the world. Therefore, God deposited all the nutrients and all you need to succeed in life. Your parents are the first people you met in your life apart from the doctors, nurses, and medical team that played a crucial role in the labour room. Your parents are your first friends, they nurtured, trained, and equipped you with all you need to stand as a human being before you became independent.
I can understand the fact that some parents may not be physically present during the birth and training of the child, I can also understand some parents abandoned their child/children, and are not be physically present in their life. There are a thousand and one reasons out there, but the point I’m trying to emphasize is that, regardless of the odd, your parents have a role to play in your life’s success. Yes, it can be painful if you have odd stories and memories. But let me ask, if you are told the reason you have not been able to succeed in life or why life is not adding up for you is because your parents have not blessed you, and you are told, you have to seek for your parents’ blessings, will you seek for your parents’ blessings or will you disregard it? If your thinking is like mine, you will go and search for them wherever they are because they have the key to your success.
This might sound a little bit strange to you, but trust me, there are spiritual blessings that come with parental blessings, but quite unfortunately, many people don’t know about it. It may interest you to know that, in the Holy Bible, the only commandment with a promise is the fifth commandment which says, “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.”
What does this instruction portend? It shows, your “parents” are the only people God has given your blessing. If you like meet world leaders, preachers, billionaires, celebrities, etc., for opportunities, trust me, the blessings or favours will be temporary no matter how long you may think it lasted or may last. Even if it lasts a long period of time, there’s a level of happiness, fulfillment and goodwill you are supposed to get which you may not get because you are not working on purpose. But if your biological parents should pray for you and bless you from their heart, trust me you will attract uncommon favours, goodwill and peace of mind that surpasses all joy. This is why most times reasonable people go all out for parental blessings.
Just like every house has a foundation that holds it together, every success has a foundation upon which it is built. That’s why it is important for children and adults to seek their blessings before they engage in any worthwhile project like the choice of a life partner, marriage, traveling, business, or professional career. I remember giving my late parents my first paycheck in the USA to bless it. I did that because I know the importance of parental blessings.
Here is a personal story: A couple of years ago, I shared on my Instagram and social media pages how I resigned from my job to see my late grandmother and returned back to New York without a job. But at the end of the day, I received the blessings which made me to be profiled and interviewed by New York Times and News12 because of my book. The interesting part of this story is that my late grandmother played a huge role due to the blessings she showered on me and my book.
Ordinarily, I doubt if my hard work and academic work can earn me those opportunities. I must be honest with myself that if at all I will get the opportunity, I doubt if the ovation will be as loud as it is currently trending. It may interest you to know that I didn’t even lobby or seek this publicity, they came naturally. I was even surprised to see the story was shared on YouTube. As you can see these are some of the goodwill I have received in recent times, and I know more are on the way.
Just so you know, your parents are like your earthly “God”. So just like you obey your boss at work to ensure you are in their good book, you must ensure that you seek for your parent’s blessing. When you provoke your parent to the extent they decide to curse you, trust me, it has a tendency of limiting your growth and success in life. But I have good news for you. According to Proverbs 26:2, “Curses cannot hurt you unless you deserve them”. So, even if your parents or anyone should curse you, if you didn’t cause whatever situation that prompted the cause, trust me, it won’t have any effect.
The blessings of parents are priceless. Some of the associated blessings that come with parental blessings include; you will receive divine favor, divine protection, you will receive supernatural blessings and strength, you will move at the speed of light, you’ll attract favors, uncommon goodwill, you won’t struggle to succeed compared to your contemporaries, you will prevail against your foes or negative force, and you will be fruitful.
But remember they all come with a condition, you must honuor your parents, and honoring your parents entails respecting them, providing for them in form of gifts, monetary support no matter how little, and most importantly showing them love by calling to check up on them.
Are you struggling in life? Do you need peace of mind, fulfillment, opportunities, favour etc? If yes, please seek your parents’ blessings why doing the needful. If you genuinely try this principle of seeking parental blessings and it doesn’t work, then only God, in flesh and blood, can help you.
Henry Ukazu writes from New York. He’s a Human Capacity & mindset coach. He’s also a 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 Federal government has suspended the planned closure of Eko Bridge in Lagos State.
The Minister of Works, Engr. Dave Umahi, disclosed this during an inspection of the bridge on Tuesday.
He said: “We directed that this bridge be closed. That was about two weeks back, … but our caring President Bola Tinubu is very much concerned about the closure of this Eko Bridge.
“He has asked me to come back here and take a second look at that decision so that we don’t induce much hardship on Nigerians.”
The minister said his team re-assessed the strength of the bridge on Monday, and confirmed that the closure could be suspended at the moment.
“We have done our technical evaluation in line with the president’s directive.
“Putting safety over and above every decision, we have seen that, for now, we are safe, but we won’t get to any situation that any Nigerian on this bridge will not be safe.
“We have agreed on three procedures,” Umahi added.
According to him, the first procedure is not to close the bridge now but monitor the progression or otherwise of the crack.
He said that the crack is not progressing either arithmetically or geometrically at the moment.
“No progression so far. We are comfortable, but crack can occur anytime. I will return here to reassess it,” he stated.
The minister, however, also said there would be remedial work on the bridge.
Metro
Security Expert Hails Ribadu’s Talks with Vance, Rubio As Positive Devt in Counter-Terrorism Fight
The visit by Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu to the United States where he held talks with Vice President JD Vance, and Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, has been described as a positive development for Nigeria’s fight against terrorism.
A security analyst and columnist, Jas Keita, in a statement says that the meeting underscores the importance of the Nigerian/U. S security relationship.
According to her, the meeting comes at an important time for Nigeria as it seeks to defeat terrorist groups that are seeking to undermine the government, destroying lives and livelihoods across the country.
The statement reads in part: “Security cooperation between the United States and Nigeria were central to these discussions. This comes against the backdrop of escalating terrorist activity in Nigeria. Two weeks ago, ISIS militants killed at least 29 people in an attack in Guyaku, a village in Adamawa state, while Boko Haram killed 11 people during a raid on a village in Borno State. This escalation of violence and destruction poses a serious threat to the social and economic stability of Nigeria. Nigeria must do all it can to destroy the ability and operational capacity of groups such as ISIS or Boko Haram to wage war against its people.
“Despite widespread commentary, driven often by foreign actors, the United States has remained a steadfast ally to Nigeria in its determination to destroy those groups who seek to destroy Nigeria. While some commentators seek to criticise the government for such visits, it’s clear that ordinary people whose lives and livelihoods are being destroyed by these groups, want to see immediate, urgent and effective action against these groups. Working with the United States to empower Nigerian Security forces is the quickest and most effective way to this result.
“Of course, people will remember the 2025 Christmas day strikes where the U.S working with Nigerian security forces undertook a series of attacks against these terrorist groups. But that cooperation continued in the months following the attack. In February, a team of U.S. Special Forces personnel were deployed on the ground. Their mission was to provide direct technical and information support to Nigerian security forces. As well as training support, they have provided invaluable technical and strategic insight developed over decades of providing similar support across the globe.
“This type of support cannot be underestimated. To see a contrast, one simply needs to look at events in Mali and the failure of Russia’s assistance to the government there. Empowering our security forces, ensuring they have the skills and insights is a critical element to ensuring we defeat terrorist groups.
“One of the strands of commentary after the Christmas day strikes was if we even needed American support. Put simply, yes, we are facing a substantial threat from these terrorist groups. They are well armed, well organised and well financed. They are committed to destroying the legitimately elected government and imposing their own vision on our country. They have shown time and time again they have no interest in the welfare of our people, rather they will kill anyone who disagrees with them or simply is in the wrong place at the wrong time.
“Nigeria is facing an existential threat from these terrorist groups. They do not care about our way of life or the welfare of our people. Nigeria cannot become prosperous unless it rids itself of these terrorist organisations. The ongoing security crisis creates an environment of instability and fear that means our people cannot expect to thrive. Nigeria has a prosperous economic future ahead and can create a brighter future for all its people, but this cannot happen without a stable and secure foundation. Defeating these groups not only protects the lives of our families but allows Nigeria to build a brighter economic future for all.
“That is why these talks in Washington are so vital. Our country has a strong and committed ally in the United States. Despite what other foreign actors say, they have shown time and time again their willingness to expend resources to support our fight against terrorism. Strengthening and deepening this relationship must be a key strategic priority for our government and we must ensure it endures. Doing so, will ensure our own people have the skills, insights and resources to defeat these groups. Doing so, will provide the stability that will underpin our future economic and social growth.”
The International Society of Substance Use Professionals (ISSUP) Nigeria has announced plans to host the 33rd edition of its bi-monthly Knowledge Update Series webinar on May 27, 2026, focusing on the use of artificial intelligence in addiction screening and mental health intervention.
The webinar, themed “VibeCheck – An AI Tool for Addiction Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral; From Screening to Real-World Intervention,” will be held online at 3:00 PM WAT.
The session will introduce “VibeCheck,” a digital self-screening assistant designed to support early identification of substance use risks and related mental health concerns using tools such as the WHO ASSIST and PHQ-9 assessments.
The webinar will feature a live demonstration of the platform, practical strategies for integrating the tool into clinical and community workflows, ethical considerations surrounding digital screening tools, and referral pathways for intervention.
Participants will also learn how the platform can be customized for institutional use by healthcare organizations and community-based programmes.
The keynote presentation will be delivered by Dr. Oluwasikemi Alalade, a Consultant Psychiatrist at the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Yaba, Lagos.
Dr. Alalade specializes in child and adolescent psychiatry, substance use disorders, neurodevelopmental conditions, and digital mental health innovations. She has contributed to several research projects focused on psychiatric care delivery and technology-driven mental health solutions in Nigeria.
According to ISSUP Nigeria, the webinar is targeted at public health professionals, addiction counsellors, healthcare providers, policymakers, young people, and professionals working within substance use prevention and treatment settings.
The session will be moderated by ISSUP Nigeria President, Dr. Olajumoke Koyeojo and Ejikeme M. Ogueji, Head, Editorial and Webinar Team
ISSUP noted that the webinar aims to promote evidence-based approaches to substance use prevention and strengthen discussions around ethical digital mental health interventions.
Participation is free and open to interested members of the public.
To register for the ISSUP Nigeria webinar on “VibeCheck – An AI Tool for Addiction Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral”, click below:
https://www.issup.net/node/34651?utm_source=chatgpt.com
