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Food for Living: The Hand of God
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By Henry Ukazu
Dear Destiny Friends,
There are, without an iota of doubt, certain acts that are beyond human comprehension and articulation. That’s not debatable.
Let’s take a case study of how we sleep. Did you know that whenever you sleep you are practicing how you will die? Yes, because whenever sleep comes, we don’t know where we are or where our spirit goes. At most one might see himself dreaming in wonderland, only to wake up if it’s a nightmare or the creator (God) decides to wake him up through someone.
An uninformed mind might say my body system is accustomed to waking up at a certain hour or I have my alarm clock. I laugh each time I hear certain statements like that because there have been numerous occasions where some of us sleep and our body system fails to wake us up or due to exhaustion, we fail to hear the alarm or even remember we have an alarm.
Let me ask you, haven’t you seen a system where one sets an alarm clock and one still fails to wake up, haven’t you even seen a situation where some sleeps and fails to wake up. There are many case studies on this. The message here is that there are certain acts that’s beyond human comprehension.
I honestly think the highest miracle on earth is how one can sleep and wake up. Some other person might say, it’s the act of procreation, regardless of which aisle belongs to, certain acts can only be described as the hand of God.
Let me make a disclosure here, this article is not spirituality, rather it is targeted towards explaining how unpredictable life can be and as such human beings ought to be humble because nobody knows tomorrow. The reason why I had to begin by explaining how certain acts are beyond human imagination and comprehension is to highlight the limitations of man especially when it comes to things of the spirit.
If spirituality can work that way, human beings can also be limited in their understanding. If you would like to get a good perspective and understanding of how life can be unpredictable. Imagine how President Hussein Obama became the 44th President of the United States of America. Who would have believed a Black man with Kenya origin can become the President of the greatest country on earth?
The interesting part was that he was able to beat two white men John McCain and Mitt Rommey consecutively during the 2008 and 2012 presidential election. One may ask, is that the hand of God? I will say yes, because there’s no person who becomes a leader either by hook or by crime, all things being equal without the hand of God on it. What the person does when the person gets the opportunity to serve is up to the person.
It’s instructive to note the highest freedom human beings have is the freedom of choice. On a personal note, I can testify to the hand of God upon my life. My story is truly humbling. Let me first begin by stating that God will show mercy on whom he decides to show mercy. During my formative years in New York City, I joined the Nigerian Lawyers Association, and during the election period, I contested for the post of the Public Relations Officer, as fate may have it I won unopposed.
It’s important to note that I was still in Law School at the said time, so my understanding, articulation and writing wasn’t in good shape.
Because the creator wanted me to serve in that position, he was gracious enough to provide mentors and benefactors who supported me along the journey, and till date I still enjoy the good will. The most interesting part for me was the network I developed during the period, and I still enjoy the goodwill and relationship till date.
In all sincerity, sometimes I do wonder if I had not joined the association and contested for the position of Public Relations Officer, would I have known these benefactors who have been of blessing to me?
Again, I remember when I resigned from my job as a Case Manager to see my grandmother who poured her heart to me by showering me with heartfelt prayers. A little background story to this interesting experience. When I came back to New York, I didn’t have job, I was on the street of New York trying to market my book and as God may have it, I met a news anchor on the street who took interest in my work and as God will have it, he facilitated my interview twice on the television and I became a regular guest on the television.
Here is the interesting part of the story, imagine if I had not resigned from my job to see my late grandmother who was hale and hearty at the said time. Maybe her prayers contributed to my blessings. But the mysterious part was how I was able to leave my house to a random spot and how this young man had to leave his office to do some work on the spot. It can only be the hand of God.
I believe, as human beings we all have our fair share of opportunities and blessings. Some we feel we deserve and some we feel we don’t serve but are favored. If not, how can one explain how some people will be working for people more qualified than them. There might be lots of controversies and opinions on it. How can one explain a series of car accidents and plane crashes and a little child or some people were miraculously saved?
How can one explain a case where a stranger meets a benefactor who changed his life. How can one explain how a mentor can find favor in a mentee and open his doors of access and network for him. There have been cases of people struggling to get grants, jobs, and opportunities for years, but as due to some stroke of luck, someone else got the opportunity.
How can we explain the fact that someone will just see someone and instantly connect and like them. The list is numerous.
Life has truly taught us to be humble because nobody knows tomorrow. Just like death is the greatest humbler in life because both the rich and poor will be buried on the same ground, education can be attributed to the second most humbling experience in life because the child of a certified pauper can become a man of means tomorrow if properly educated. In America, the child of a nobody can become somebody tomorrow without knowing anyone.
Sometimes some people think that because their father or mother is influential, they can become some influential person tomorrow, they fail to realize tomorrow is not guaranteed. Imagine a man who is the President or Governor today trying to position his child to become the Governor or President tomorrow. The man doesn’t even know how many Governors and President will come after him before his child becomes of age or matured enough to lead. The child might even work for one of his fathers’ staff children when the time works because nobody knows tomorrow.
There have been cases of some people who think they might get a certain position and at the end of the day, someone of less status gets the position. Such is life.
In conclusion, as we journey on the road called life, there is no doubt that there is luck, grace, favor, and the hand of God. No doubt life can be strange and filled with many vicissitudes, but in all, it’s always good for one to do their best and leave the rest for God.
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 and Unleash Your Destiny . He can be reached via info@gloemi.com
The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate for 2027 general elections, Peter Obi, says that Nigerians across all walks of life are suffering under President Bola Tinubu’s administration due to worsening hunger, widespread insecurity, and systemic harassment.
Speaking with journalists at St Fintan’s Catholic Church in Onicha Local Government Area, Ebonyi State, on Friday, Obi urged citizens to stand firm and resist further hardship imposed by the country’s current leadership.
Obi was in Ebonyi State to attend the burial ceremony of Okaji Okorie, father of the NDC senatorial candidate for the Ebonyi South Zone, Linus Okorie. Responding to questions regarding the alleged harassment of NDC supporters by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Obi said that the current hardship transcends political affiliations.
“For me, every Nigerian is already being harassed, not just my supporters,” Obi said. “Hunger is harassing everybody. The worsening economic situation is affecting everyone. Go to any village, and you will see that people are suffering. It is time for Nigerians to tell those governing us that enough is enough.”
Addressing concerns over the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) ability to conduct free and fair elections in 2027, Obi urged citizens to focus on collective action rather than institutional trust.
“It is not really about confidence in INEC; it is about having confidence in the people. The people will determine what INEC does. If Nigerians insist that their votes must count, then their votes will count,” he asserted.
“The people should look at what is happening in Nigeria and ask themselves: What is the future of our children in this enterprise called Nigeria? Are we going to continue in this direction?”
Obi noted that advocating for real change in the current political climate requires tremendous courage.
“Anyone talking about change in Nigeria today is making the ultimate sacrifice because we cannot continue like this. Every single day, poverty is increasing; every single day, hunger is increasing,” he noted.
“The World Bank recently reported that poverty has risen to almost 79 per cent from about 51 per cent when this government came into office. But you do not even need a World Bank report to know what is happening. Go to the villages and see for yourself.”
“Millions more Nigerians are facing hunger. So, what are we going to do about it? Are we going to continue like this? No.”
Turning to his host, Obi described Okorie as a steadfast ally and dependable partner, highlighting their shared political journey across party lines.
“This is not the first time Hon. Linus Okorie and I are working together. We worked together in the Labour Party, and now we are together in the NDC. That underscores the strength of our relationship,” Obi said.
“However, we are here today to pay our last respects to his late father. We pray that God Almighty, who blessed Papa with a long and fruitful life, will grant him eternal rest in His kingdom and give the family the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss.”
By Henry Ukazu
Dear Destiny Friends,
The beginning of any journey is usually the hardest part. It is usually hard to take the bold step. Whether you are applying for a job, writing a book, starting a new business, getting married or even applying for school, there’s always the tendency to ask yourself mind-boggling questions such as; Will I succeed? Will I be accepted? This is among many others.
When progressive minds encounter this challenge, they are not afraid of taking the first step, they are merely concerned about the big picture, and not what they are currently experiencing. One of the big differences between great people and lesser minds is the ability for great people to take strategic risks, while lesser minds stay in their comfort zone.
On a personal note, I can relate to the journey of greatness when I began writing my first book. In all sincerity, I didn’t know what I was writing. All I knew was that I was putting down whatever comes to my mind provided I found it reasonable and relatable. At the end of the day, I found a proficient and efficient editor who was kind enough to work on the book and it became a trailblazer.
The moral is that I doubted myself many times if I had the capacity to write a book. I was literally afraid of beginning, but immediately I began writing, the universe began to conspire with me to make the work fruitful. Today, when I look back, I’m glad I took the bold step. I say this because just because of one book, I received national and global attention in addition to appearing on television and meeting gatekeepers and resource people.
The same principle is applicable when I began my first business. I didn’t know what to focus on and how to develop bossiness. All I knew was that I’m a motivator and counselor who likes to help youths and career professionals on proactive ways to succeed in their personal and professional lives. After attending a series of training courses, workshops, webinars, and several conferences, I began to have clarity about my business. I remember when I first started, I told the world that I can build a website just because my uncle assisted in using a free tool to build my website.
Why am I sharing this information? The same business I didn’t know how to structure is now registered with the highest certification from the Office of the Governor of New York to do business with any New York City agency. It now has a Chief Operating Officer, Social media manager, IT personnel and an exceptional Director of Partnership who works as a consultant. The company has also partnered with the United Nations Development Programme and has received awards.
All this is because I took the bold step to start a business. Sometimes in life, you don’t know what lies ahead when one takes the bold step.
According to Dr. Yomi Garnet, a proficient Ghost Writer, “If a book is tiled A synopsis of successful living were to be written, it would in all probability contain the following chapters:
1. Identify your talents, (use then to glory God and to benefit of humanity)
2. Have faith in the favor of God,
3. Engage in proper planning
4. 10% belongs to God
5. Give, give and keep in giving
Let’s take a minute to elaborate on this chapter:
1. Identify your talent: Before you begin any project, one must know who they are, what they have and what problems they want to solve. They also must take into consideration whether they have the capacity, competence and capability of doing the business. One thing is certain, they are using their skills, talent, and knowledge to solve a problem
2. Have faith in God:
Taking the first step entails having faith in yourself, in your business and most importantly in God. Without faith in oneself, in the business and in God, it will be difficult for one to succeed. Taking the first set entails believing in the possibility of the future.
3. Engaging in Proper planning:
It’s instructive to note that failing to prepare is preparing to fail. Before anyone begins any task, it’s important for one to sit back and ask oneself if they have all they need to set up the business. This entails setting up a structure for the business, getting the right people, offering services and setting up the mission and vision statement of the company
4. 10% belongs to God
This is Biblical instruction which is part of the spiritual blessings of doing business. No one succeeds on their own. They either have an altar working for them or they have human beings as networks, benefactors, and resource persons recommending them for opportunities. Alternatively, these acts of tithe giving can also refer to Corporate Social Responsibility which is tantamount to giving back to society.
5. Give, give and keep giving.
This is another spiritual blessing. We are quite familiar with the saying, the giver never lacks, however, it’s important to note that when one gives without wisdom and accountability, one might run dry. So, it’s imperatively important for one to give with discretion, otherwise, one will be exhausted. It’s instructive to note that nobody receives with a clenched fist and the giver’s hand is always on top. If you want to receive it, please give. This giving aspect is made possible because someone took the first step to start a business which made it possible for the art of giving to take place.
In conclusion, if you desire to start a business, or have inspiration, just start, the universe has a way of conspiring with the world to support you to birth your passion, idea or vision. I say this because the worst you’ll want to do towards the end of life is to live in regret. So, I say, just begin. Whether you fail, it’s irrelevant because you are gaining and showing perseverance for the cause you believe in. At the end of theer day, we shall all tell our stories.
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, Unleash Your Destiny and The Six Pillars of Succes . He can be reached via info@gloemi.com
The Supreme Court has prohibited lawyers, court registrars, litigation staff and all legal practitioners dealing with the apex court from using the title “Barrister” as a prefix to their names in official correspondence and court-related engagements.
The directive was conveyed in an internal circular dated July 13, 2026, issued by the Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court, Kabir E. Akanbi, on the instruction of the Chief Justice of Nigeria.
The circular, titled “Prohibition of the Use of the Title ‘Barrister’ as a Prefix to Names,” was addressed to legal practitioners, litigation staff, court registrars and other lawyers interacting with the apex court.
According to the memo, the continued use of the title “Barrister” before names is inconsistent with the professional standards expected in official dealings with the Supreme Court.
It stated that the Chief Justice had directed that the practice be discontinued with immediate effect.
Part of the circular reads: “The use of the title ‘Barrister’ as a prefix to names is inappropriate and inconsistent with the standards of professionalism expected within the Supreme Court of Nigeria.”
The court further directed that the title should no longer appear in official correspondence, court processes, legal documents, identity materials or any other official communication with the Supreme Court.
Heads of departments and unit heads were also instructed to ensure strict compliance by officers under their supervision.
However, the directive is limited to official interactions with the Supreme Court and does not prevent legal practitioners from identifying themselves as barristers in academic, professional or other non-court-related settings.
