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Food for Living: The Change You Need to Grow
By Henry Ukazu
Dear Destiny Friends,
You must be the change you wish to see in the world.- Mahatma Gandhi
Change is truly necessary for our growth. Without change, it will be difficult for one to grow.
It is often said that the only permanent thing in life is change. Change involves a transformation. Change occurs in every aspect of our life. From birth, a new baby begins to change his/her skin, the food they eat, how they crawl, walk and run. This sequence tells you a baby grows into a toddler, pre-teen, teen and adult. The importance of change cannot be over-emphasized; you graduate from kindergarten to nursery school, middle school, High school, Secondary school, College, Masters, Ph.D., and Professorial. These are all stages of growth.
As progressive beings, we all need change to grow because one can’t be doing the same thing repeatedly and expect to see change. That’s practically impossible.
Change means several things to several people. A businessman has a different perception and understanding of change; a student has a different meaning, a politician understands it differently, a motivational speaker interprets it differently, a Priest/Pastor has a different interpretation, and so does every walk of life. The only connecting factor is the fact they are all trying to achieve something. Change means different things to them.
To truly make progress, change must occur in three areas of your life, and they are the principles you keep, the places you go, and the people you meet. These three areas play a huge role in transforming your life. When you adopt the right principles, you send a message to the world on what is acceptable and what is not. You also attract the right people who believe in your message.
When you are at the right places, and at the right time, you are bound to receive insights and great experiences, and when you meet the right people you are likely to get the right information and knowledge that can change your life.
In whatever you do in life, you must constantly evaluate it by way of meditation to determine if you are getting the right message. For instance, as a leader, it is imperative you must make laws, policies, regulations, and decisions that will stand the test of time. Great leaders create and determine change, they don’t wait for change to happen.
It is instructive to note that you must work for anything you want in life. Nobody will give you anything of value on a platter of gold. You must earn it.
According to Mahatma Gandhi, you must be the change you wish to see in the world. When you decide to grow, you must take the bold steps to do the needful.
Let me share a personal experience; when I published my first book, a lot of doors and opportunities opened globally. I didn’t really know what it means to be a published author until I became one. I was profiled in the news and received many invitations and interviews nationally and internationally all because of my book.
When you decide to change, you are setting up yourself for growth. Whilst a change can happen overnight, growth always takes time. So, when you decide to change, you have to give yourself time to adjust. While changes can come from the outside, growth always comes from within you. It is important to note that since it’s your decision to change, it’s correspondingly necessary to grow and that growth must come from you because it involves internal motivation which others can’t see but feel.
The underlying question you need to ask yourself is, do you need change or growth in your life. To understand the difference, you need change when you graduate from college and you get a job you are not passionate about and your mental health is been affected, but you need growth when you are you are no longer comfortable with the status quo, e.g. your current job responsibilities are now boring and no longer challenging. While the two are important, change changes the status quo while growth elevates change.
According to a philosopher, here are six specific ways change and growth are different:
1. Change can be instant — growth is slow
2. Change can be imposed from the outside — growth is internal
3. Change can be a one-off event — growth is an incremental process
4. Change can be made by a single decision — growth requires consistent motivation and learning
5. Change can be negative or positive – growth is always positive
6. Change can be the beginning of growth — growth always starts with a decision for change
Do you want to see changes in your finance? If yes, you need change.
According to former President of South Africa, late Nelson Mandela, education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
With the right education in place, you can do wonders. It is instructive to note that you can’t change the past, it’s now history, you can’t stop the future from happening, but you can influence it.
Below are some benefits of change. Change pushes you to become a better person. Whether you decide to transform or evolve both in your personal and professional life, you are bound to experience the following positive vibes.
Value
If you want to know the importance of change, try and make an impact in your life. For instance, as a student, when you make good grades, you might be in the spotlight and that alone can change you. As an entrepreneur, develop a product, as a writer publish a book, as a politician win an election, and as Minster of God, heal a sick person. Additionally, as a President make an Executive Law. You will discover that you are bound to be celebrated because of the value you bring to the table.
Awareness
Change creates awareness. It helps you to learn, relearn and unlearn. Change helps you to become more self-aware.
New Opportunities in a new environment.
When you are in a new environment, change is bound to occur. Change pushes you to become a more evolved person. You will learn how to adapt to new circumstances, You will learn a new language, culture or lifestyle in general.
Change itself has its pros and cons. It is quite unfortunate many people are afraid of change. They prefer the status quo either because they are uncertain of what tomorrow will bring for them or they imagine the backlash that will come if the change doesn’t go as planned.
In conclusion, what are the big changes you’ve made in the past that have influenced your growth, if none, what are the changes you need to adapt to change your fortune?
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 Oyo State High Court has granted the Peoples Democratic Party approval to proceed with its elective national convention scheduled for November 15–16, 2025, in Ibadan, the state capital.
The court also directed the Independent National Electoral Commission to attend and monitor the exercise, Channels TV reports.
Delivering the ruling, Justice A. L. Akintola issued an interim order permitting the party to continue its convention plans without obstruction.
The decision came after an ex-parte motion filed by Folahan Adelabi against the PDP, its Acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum; Governor Umaru Fintiri, who heads the National Convention Organising Committee; and the INEC.
In his ruling on Monday, Justice Akintola held that the claimant presented a compelling case that warranted immediate judicial intervention.
“The motion ex-parte has merit and succeeds as prayed,” the judge ruled, granting temporary reliefs that safeguard the party’s schedule and direct all parties to allow the convention to proceed as planned.
The judge subsequently adjourned the hearing of the substantive motion for an interlocutory injunction till November 10, 2025.
The interim order, issued on November 3, 2025, was sealed by the Oyo State High Court and endorsed by its Principal Registrar, S. O. Hammed.
The Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) has released the passport of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan following outrage over what she described as an unlawful and politically motivated seizure of her travel documents at a Nigerian airport.
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing Kogi Central Senatorial District, was reportedly stopped by immigration officers on Tuesday morning, who withheld her passport without any official explanation.
The lawmaker, visibly frustrated, went live on social media to protest the action, accusing Senate President Godswill Akpabio of ordering the seizure.
“I have committed no offence and there is no order from the court to withhold my passport and deny me travelling. The last time this happened, the officer in charge told us that the Senate President, Godswin Akpabio instructed them to withhold my passport and prevent me from travelling because he said each time I travel out of the country, I spoil the country’s image by granting interviews out in international media.
“Please, can you tell them to release my passport and this embarrassment should stop? You have no right to withhold my passport.
“You have no right to deny me exit and entrance into my country. I have not committed any offence and this must stop. No, this must stop.
“As a matter of fact, I think I have to sue you for continuously embarrassing me. No, don’t tell me sorry. Can I please have my passport? You can’t keep doing this to me all the time,” she said.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, who was recently celebrated her second year in office, described the incident as a continuous pattern of harassment.
She noted that her passport had previously been seized under similar circumstances, only to be released after intervention from someone influential.
The female Senator said, “I’ve been standing here for the past 20 minutes. Why are you doing this? What have I committed? The last time it had to take someone influential to call you to release my passport. That was what allowed me travel.
“Now again, you’re withholding my passport while I’m making calls. Is Godswin Akpabio so important? Why is he overruling boundaries? Godswin Akpabio, the Senate President, has instructed the Comptroller General of Customs to deny me exit, to withhold my passport. This is wrong.
“Yes, I know I have two federal government cases against me, of which the president of Nigeria instructed the AGF to cancel the cases, to withdraw the cases.
“This president, Bola Tinubu, actually spoke with Godwin Akpabio to terminate all the cases against me because he admitted, he agreed that they were politically witch-hunting cases. So there is no reason why my passport should be withheld at the international airport.
“There is no reason why. You have no right to do that, madam. You have no right. You are taking laws into your hands. There is no court order. I have not missed any of my court appearances.
“I have attended all my court sessions. I am not a flight risk. I am not a risk to my country. So why are you treating me like a criminal? Can I have my passport, please? Thank you very much. Sometimes I think you just have to be a rebel to get things right. Then you keep asking Nigerians to be good citizens.
Minutes after her public protest gained traction online, the NIS reportedly bowed to pressure and released her passport.
“If I had not gone public, would you have given me my passport,” she added.
News
Would You Rather I Travel with My Enemies’ Children, Wike Defends Traveling with Sons to Official Assignment
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has reacted to viral photos showing his sons accompanying him on local and foreign trips, saying he has the right to carry them along.
He argued that his sons, as master’s degree holders, need the exposure.
“What law says that my sons shouldn’t travel? Let the FCT say where they paid ₦1.
“What official matter? Did they sign any document? It doesn’t need to be a personal trip.
“What’s wrong? So, I can travel with anybody from the FCT. I can travel with anybody in Nigeria. I have that right.
“Oh, come on, they have to know how Nigeria is. They have to learn about government,” Wike said on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday.
Asked whether he was teaching them to become politicians, he said, “No, that’s not correct. My first son is a lawyer. He said, ‘No, I’m not going to practice. I want to be a farmer.’
“I said, ‘What do you mean by this? He said, ‘No, this is what I want to do.’ I said, ‘Okay’. What do you do?
“They’ve gone for training in Spain. They’ve gone for training in Lisbon.
“My second son finished from King’s College — a master’s degree in Economics. He said he wants to be in real estate.”
The former Rivers State governor also said he is happy that his sons behave responsibly and give him comfort.
“I’m so happy that I have children who have given me comfort, who have not given me problems.
“Assuming they were somewhere smoking. You would have said, ‘Oh, look at these children now. Who are they? I will not travel with my enemy’s children,” he added.
Wike has been spotted with his sons at official events, including the commissioning of projects in the FCT.
Last week, he was criticised by some Nigerians for taking them to a summit in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
