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Food for Living: The First Step
By Henry Ukazu
Dear Destiny Friends,
It is an incontrovertible fact that greatness is appealing and soothing to the heart. Globally, greatness is celebrated because of the accolades that come with it. The question we all fail to ask is what does it take to be great?
Several factors contribute to the greatness of an individual, among which are tenacity, discipline, failure, belief system, courage, etc.
According to Ernest Agyemang Yeboah, “There has never been any great person who never met great trials and oppositions, but their patience, tenacity, endurance and perseverance saw them to the end as great people”. It is these trials and oppositions that will determine how great we will be.
Just like gold must go through a furnace to be refined, we all must be tested in our way or another to determine our passion, interest and courage.
Greatness is not easy to come by. One must soil his hand to make ends meet. Ernest Agyemang Yeboah maintains that “anytime you enjoy the sweet fruits of the tree, remember the dirty roots of the tree”. To be great is like making money. Nobody acquires genuine money with clean hands, you must soil your hand in a mud for you to reap the fruits of your labour.
It’s instructive to note that everyone has greatness living inside of them, however, the challenge most of us have is not being able to activate the greatness. Taking the first step is the foundational step to greatness. It’s sad to see people who want to be great, but they are scared of taking the heat Greatness does not come from a place of comfort.
A great factor necessary for greatness to take shape is courage. Per Apostle Joshua Selma, “courage is not outsourced, it is generated.
He further stated that “behind every genuine result you see, there’s a testament of endurance and courage. You must date to succeed despite glaring failures staring at you.
Great people dare the consequences of what people will say. They are not scared of failing. They are not scared of walking alone. They are not scared of risking their lives to birth their vision. Research has it that Charles Leiper Grigg failed 6 times before he succeeded at the seventh time and he nailed the product, 7UP, meaning that he succeeded at the 7th time.
The first step in succeeding is very critical, and in most cases, it is the most important step. The first step is like the foundation of a building. The first step is like the first appearance. The first step is like your resume/curriculum vitae.
Without the first step, every other act is like putting the cat before the horse. Let’s take some practical examples, before a man wins the heart of a lady, he must take the first step in talking to her. Before a person becomes a celebrated author, he must have taken the first step to write the first set of words. Before someone becomes the President of a country or even serves in any elective position, he must have taken the first step in buying the form. Before someone gets a job, he must have taken the first step to apply. Before a mentee gets accepted by a mentor, he must have taken proactive steps to reach out. The list is literally endless.
Amid all these, one thing is certain, one must eliminate fear if one is desirous of taking the first step. Fear hinders one from taking the first step. It would be foolhardy to say we have not experienced fear in our daily lives. I have personally experienced the fear of the unknown. I can vividly remember when I was writing my first book, in all sincerity, I didn’t know what I was writing. I had to reach out to a couple of friends and mentors to review the work, some said just continue, some said, when you are done, the editors will review it. I was literally wondering how my work will be received by the public. Being a first-time author was no joke, but the good part is, the book came out as a resounding success.
The role of the first step in my life cannot be overemphasized. Most of the big accomplishments I was privileged to overcome were simply because I took the first step even when I was not prepared for the task or journey. I vividly remember when I joined the Nigerian Lawyers Association while studying Taxation Law in New York School. In all honesty, I was not prepared to occupy the position. I simply decided to test my faith. I literally failed and learnt on the job, but the interesting perspective to the job was the inherent opportunity that came with the job. The position exposed me to lots of High-Profile people I have access and relate with closely. Imagine if I have not taken the first step; I won’t know most of the people I have access to today.
According to an accomplished Ghost writer, Dr. Yomi Garnett, “You don’t have to be great to start, but you do have to start to be great. If you have a rather big goal. Today take the biggest possible step in the direction of its fulfillment. If the step looks relatively tiny, do not worry if it’s the biggest possible for now.
In as much as it’s advisable to get prepared before you take an opportunity, however, there’s an exception to the rules, sometimes, you don’t have to have everything figured out before you take the first step, you just have to take the risk and, in most cases, it turns out good. Even if it turns out negative, you didn’t fail, rather, you learn from an experience.
In conclusion, do you have a project you would like to accomplish? If yes, take the first step. Don’t be afraid of the challenges, obstacles and forces that are likely to rear their ugly heads.
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
The West African Examinations Council has revoked the licences of 574 secondary schools in Nigeria.
WAEC announced that the affected schools were found to have committed examination malpractices.
The examination body also stated that the schools will not be allowed to conduct examinations even as the 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination, commences from Thursday, April 24, 2025.
This was disclosed by the Head of WAEC’s National Office, Dr. Amos Dangut, during a press briefing on Thursday at the headquarters of the examination body in Lagos.
Dangut said WAEC had forwarded the list of the affected schools to the Nigerian government.
“This year, we have shared with them a total of 574 schools that have had their recognition withdrawn, and that is also going to be the same for all examining bodies.
“So, these are those that have got their license revoked as far as the examination centre is concerned. So we will not conduct examinations there. We don’t know them as far as conducting examinations,” Dangut said.
For the forthcoming 2025 WASSCE, Dangut stated that 1,973,253 candidates registered for the examination from 23,554 schools.
He added that 979,228 males and 994,025 females would take part in the examination.
The Punch
Jigawa State governor, Umar Namadi, has cautioned against calls for self-defence from mauruding bandits and killer herders, warning that such a move could plunge the country into anarchy.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Monday, Governor Namadi responded to recent comments by retired General Theophilus Danjuma, who urged Nigerians to defend themselves against bandits and armed attackers, particularly in Benue and Plateau states.
General Danjuma, a former Minister of Defence, had argued that reliance on the government for protection was no longer tenable given the spate of violence and killings in the country.
“It is now very clear that the government alone cannot protect us. We must stand up and defend ourselves, our families, and our lands before these criminals overrun the entire country,” Danjuma said during a public event in Takum, Taraba State, on Saturday.
But Governor Namadi rejected that approach, describing it as a dangerous path.
“He (T.Y. Danjuma) is a very senior security person, and his words deserve respect and analysis,” Namadi said. “But I think if you say citizens should be allowed to defend themselves, you’re causing anarchy. I don’t think we’ve reached that level yet.”
He argued that rather than encourage armed self-defence, the government at all levels must continue to strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture.
“The government is doing its best in terms of security arrangements. If you allow the people to defend themselves, that means you are encouraging a crisis between farmers and herders,” the governor warned.
Namadi cited his administration’s approach to resolving the long-standing farmer-herder clashes in Jigawa State as a better alternative. According to him, when he assumed office, he prioritised non-violent conflict resolution strategies.
“When we came in, we decided to employ a lot of strategies and tactics, including dialogue,” he said. “We engaged traditional rulers, as well as representatives of both farmers and herders. We sat down, reached a consensus, and established standing committees to reconcile all parties.”
He added that these efforts helped halt a decades-long conflict:
“The people now understand that the 25 years spent fighting and killing each other were not worth it. Today, they are able to work, interact, and live together in peace.”
Governor Namadi further noted that Jigawa is currently not among the states facing severe threats such as insurgency or mass killings by bandits. Instead, the primary challenge had been farmer-herder clashes, which his administration has successfully curtailed.
“We thank God that Jigawa State is not affected by insurgency or insecurity for no. The major issue we are dealing with is the herders-farmers clash, and we are addressing it decisively,” he said.
Despite the worsening security in other parts of the country, Governor Namadi insisted that self-defence is not a viable solution and could deepen the crisis:
“So, I think the government is doing its best, both at the federal and state levels. The issue of asking people to defend themselves — I think we have not reached that level yet.
Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, a former Special Adviser on Political Matters to President Bola Tinubu, has revealed that the North will, in the next six months, take a stand on who to support for the presidency in 2027.
He boasted that no politician can win the presidency in 2027 without the support of the region.
In a video interview he granted in Hausa language, Baba-Ahmed, who appeared alongside a former Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme, Usman Yusuf, lamented the state of the nation and urged northerners to resist divisive and deceptive politicians ahead of the next general elections.
He said: “In the next six months, the North will decide where it stands. If the rest of the country wants to join us, fine. If not, we will go our own way. One thing is clear: nobody can become president of Nigeria without northern support.
“We want a government that understands our problems and can address them. After Buhari’s eight years, we became wiser. Now, we are in another government, and we are still crying. Is crying all we know how to do?” Baba-Ahmed asked.
According to the former presidential aide, the North has suffered greatly during the Boko Haram insurgency, which affected all groups, Muslims, Christians, Fulani, Baju, and others, highlighting the need for unity.
“Before Buhari became president, Boko Haram was bombing mosques, churches, Abuja, and Lagos. That was a time Northerners had to unite. Today, no politician can just show up and expect Northerners to fall in line. Who are you?” he questioned.
He therefore warned against further marginalization of the North, noting that continued disregard for the region would have consequences.
“If they plan to rig the election, they should be careful. It won’t be good for Nigeria. The North is watching, elders, masses, and interest groups will soon say “enough is enough ‘. The injustice and sidelining must stop.
Baba-Ahmed urged the northern region to look beyond identity politics, stressing that competence and integrity should guide voter decisions.
“We are tired of being deceived into voting based on religion or ethnicity. That era is over. We just want a right leader, we just want someone who will solve our problems,” he said.
