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Food for Living: The Price of Success
By Henry Ukazu
Greetings Dear Friends,
It is a well established fact every success comes with a price. You may have heard of the saying “Rome wasn’t built in a day”. Just like the building of a house has a foundation, every worthwhile project must have a foundation. In the same way, true success comes with a price. Per B.C Forbes, “A price has to be paid for success. Almost invariably those who have reached the summits worked harder and longer, studied and planned more assiduously, practiced more self-denial, overcame more difficulties than those of us who have not risen so far.”
In the journey of life, we are all bound by the decision/choice we make regardless of the consequence. That’s why it’s always important for one to critically evaluate every direction he decides to take. For instance, if you are driving and you miss an exit or a particular route, you’ll surely pay the price by taking the next available route/exit in order to get back on track. That said, it’s fair to say that every action we take comes with a corresponding reaction. In whatever you want to do in life, you have to pay the price for it. Just like parenting comes with responsibility, so also education, business, and success come with a price.
During the course of this article, we shall be addressing various component/price of success.
Success asks for Commitment:
It’s worthy to note that the level of success that you achieve will be in direct proportion to the depth of your commitment. You must invest time and resources. It is the dedication and perseverance that you bring every day that will make all the difference in the end. Each and every one of us desires success, but the reality of the day is that only a few persons are ready to commit to the work. Just like relationship demands commitment from both parties, you have to pay the price before you can reap the fruit of your labor. When you decide to commit to a project, the whole world sets apart for you. According to Mario Andretti “Desire is the key to motivation, but its determination and commitment to an unrelenting pursuit of your goal — a commitment to excellence — that will enable you to attain the success you seek.”
Success demands hard work & Smart Work
The ultimate price that comes with success is hard work. You need to put in the work because nobody will do the work for you. Just like a farmer who plants crops with the hope of harvesting it, he/she must continually water and remove the weeds in order for the crops to mature very well. If he/she fails to do so, it will be hard to harvest the crops. According to Vince Lombardi “The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and the determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand”.
Sacrifice:
In the words of Napoleon Hill “Great achievement is usually born of great sacrifice and is never the result of selfishness. One of the greatest prices every progressive being must pay to get what he/she needs is sacrifice. Sacrifice is seen as the dues you have to pay to get what you don’t have. In law, sacrifice is likened to consideration, which is the detriment or loss a party may have to forgo in order to gain/benefit. In some social parlance, sacrifice is seen as love a party must show for the significant other. Just like success is relative, sacrifice is also relative. You must continually ask yourself what you need to sacrifice to get what you desire.Ask yourself: What specifically must I sacrifice to achieve my goal? What habits and rituals must I sacrifice to attain this goal? What habits could actually sabotage me from attaining my desired outcome? Finally, the ultimate question is: Am I willing to make these sacrifices to obtain this goal? You simply cannot have your goal without making some necessary physical, financial, emotional, mental, and social sacrifices. As a word of advice, spend your time instead on other areas that will provide you with a greater return on your time.
Success requires you to Continuous learn
Sometimes we fail to get what we want because we haven’t learnt enough. According to Brian Tracy “Those people who develop the ability to continuously acquire new and better forms of knowledge that they can apply to their work and to their lives will be the movers and shakers in our society for the indefinite future.” Constant education is necessary in order to be successful at anything. Therefore, you need to continually ask yourself if you need a piece of specific knowledge, skills, tools or resources.
Fear Elimination
Fear is something that is likely to consistently hold you back from your desired objectives. Success demands that you overcome your fears and develop the necessary courage you need to pursue your goals with vigor and passion. Success demands that you have no fear if you want to achieve any kind of success in your life, When you are fully committed to something, nothing will sidetrack you. It doesn’t matter whether or not the sun comes up tomorrow, or whether or not the earth stops spinning on its axis. You must believe that no matter what happens no matter how badly you fail and how horrible this might make you feel — that failure is never an option.
Success Demands You Make Difficult Choices
As you make progress along your journey towards your desired outcomes, success will demand that you make difficult choices about what you will do and about what you won’t do. It demands that you choose what you will and won’t sacrifice. It demands that you decide what’s the most important thing to focus on at any one time. Success demands that you choose who you will spend your time with, most importantly success demands that you make difficult daily choices about how you spend your time, energy and money. You must consistently invest your energy into meaningful tasks and goal congruent activities that will provide you with the highest long-term benefits. Spending your time on the wrong things could very well spell the difference between success and failure.
Let’s conclude by sharing some habit of success
Identify your core values
What is important to you? Finding your core values may seem a bit off-topic when it comes to success, but creating goals that are in line with your values is key to creating intrinsic motivation. Sit and reflect on what you value most. Pick a handful of things and actually write them down. Remind yourself of your values every day, and reflect on whether you are honoring those values through your work.
Build the right mindset and have a plan
Visualize yourself having completed your goal in the exact time-frame you have chosen and the breakdown goals by week and by day, setting up a plan to reach your overall objective. Keep the number of tasks per day as low as you can, and focus on completing only your planned tasks for each day. Do the hardest things during your peak energy level.
Take risks
You must take risk to succeed in life. Push yourself. Go out of your comfort zone. This is the best way to learn, and the best way to make progress quickly.
Finally, there’s a general saying that the price of success entails the following:
1. Staying up late at night to do some extra work.
2. Waking up early morning to do some work.
3. Having very few friends who understand & share the same values and vision with you
4. You’ll definitely be misunderstood and that’s okay.
5. You’ll be definitely feel overwhelmed., and that’s okay
6. People will continually question your sanity and that’s okay.
7. You have to be your own cheerleader.
In conclusion, if you want to go from where you are to where you want to be, you need to identify the price that needs to be paid and then proceed to pay it. Everything has a price to pay. Are you willing to pay for it?
Henry Ukazu writes from New York. 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. He can be reached via henrous@gmail.com
The Minister of Police Affairs, Ibrahim Gaidam, has expressed deep satisfaction with the conduct of the ongoing recruitment exercises for its orderly and transparent nature across the country.
He made the commendation, according to a statement made available to the National Association of Online Security News Publishers (NAOSNP), while receiving feedback from filed officers across the country and described the process as not just a routine exercise, but a critical step toward rebuilding public trust and enhancing the operational capacity of the Nigeria Police Force.
The Minister urged all participants to remain law-abiding, disciplined, and patient throughout the screening process. He emphasized that integrity and respect for due process are as important as physical and academic qualifications, noting that the future of policing in Nigeria depends largely on the character and commitment of those who wear the uniform.
“This is more than recruitment; it is a call to national service,” he stated. “Nigeria needs men and women of honor, individuals who understand that security is the foundation upon which development and prosperity are built.” Gaidam stressed.
The Minister also extended heartfelt appreciation to the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR for its bold and strategic approval of the recruitment of 50,000 police personnel.
He stressed that the unprecedented move demonstrates a clear resolve to address longstanding gaps in manpower while repositioning the Police Force to meet modern security challenges, just as he noted that beyond numbers, the current administration is focused on meaningful reform—transforming policing into a more professional, accountable, and citizen-centered institution.
Gaidam stated that from improved training frameworks to enhanced welfare and operational support, the reform agenda signals a new era for law enforcement in Nigeria.
The Minister noted that the ongoing recruitment exercise, therefore, stands as a symbol of renewed hope—a bridge between the present challenges and a future where communities feel safer, justice is more accessible, and the rule of law is upheld without compromise.
As the screening continues across the nation, the Minister called on all stakeholders—traditional leaders, community members, and institutions, to support the process and encourage eligible youths to participate with sincerity and patriotism.
“Nigeria’s path to a safer, more secure future is being steadily strengthened through deliberate reforms and renewed commitment to nation-building noting that at the heart of this progress is the ongoing nationwide police recruitment screening exercise, an initiative that reflects both hope and responsibility for thousands of young Nigerians,” the Minister concluded.
Presidential spokesperson, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, has launched a scathing attack on Rauf Aregbesola following the latter’s criticism of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
The exchange comes hours after Aregbesola, while speaking at the convention of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) on Tuesday, described the Tinubu administration as a government of “scammers”, urging Nigerians to block it from retaining power after the 2027 general elections.
“If allowed, this regime will continue to chant renewed hope till eternity. We have a duty to stop these scammers from retaining power,” Aregbesola said.
In a swift response, Onanuga dismissed the remarks and accused the former Governor of Osun State of hypocrisy and poor performance during his time in office.
“My attention has been drawn to Rauf Aregbesola’s attack on the Tinubu administration at today’s illegal elective convention of the ADC — a party of desperados and power mongers who, to date, have not articulated any credible plan for Nigeria,” he said.
Onanuga further criticised Aregbesola for failing to reflect on his own record before attacking his “former boss and benefactor.”
“Unfortunately, Aregbesola did not undertake any honest self-reflection on his own record in public office — as governor or as Minister of Interior,” he stated.
He alleged that Aregbesola’s tenure as governor of Osun State was marked by hardship and poor economic management.
“His eight years as governor of Osun State were characterised by unmitigated hardship for the people. Under his half-baked socialist policies, civil servants went unpaid for months, and those who were paid received only a fraction of their salaries,” Onanuga said.
“It is to Aregbesola’s infamy that Osun became known as a State receiving negative federal allocation and paying just 20 to 30 per cent of normal salaries. It was worse for pensioners in Aregbesola’s Osun State. Many pensioners who relied on their meagre monthly payments died because they were not paid at all.”
Turning to Aregbesola’s tenure as Minister of Interior under former President Muhammadu Buhari, Onanuga said it recorded major security lapses.
“As Minister of Interior under President Muhammadu Buhari, his tenure witnessed the highest number of jailbreaks in Nigeria’s history — including the infamous Kuje Prison escape in Abuja,” he said.
“During his four years, obtaining a Nigerian passport became a nightmarish process, and there were 15 major attacks on correctional facilities in Jos, Abolongo, Imo, Kabba, and Okitipupa, resulting in over 4,000 inmates escaping to join criminal elements.”
Onanuga added, “For someone who failed so woefully to secure our correctional centres and uphold his duties between 2019 and 2023, it is ironic that Aregbesola now seeks to lecture others on insecurity.”
He further accused Aregbesola and other ADC leaders of lacking credible policy alternatives stating, “The real scammers are the politicians inside the SPV called ADC.”
Defending the current administration, Onanuga said the government had acknowledged challenges arising from reforms but was implementing measures to mitigate their impact.
“The Tinubu administration has never shied away from acknowledging that policy reforms have brought unintended consequences, impacting the most vulnerable,” he said, adding that efforts such as wage increases, social support programmes, and economic reforms were underway.
He insisted that the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda was yielding results, including improved economic indicators and increased investor confidence.
“The Renewed Hope Agenda is not a scam,” Onanuga said, maintaining that the government would continue its policies to stabilise the economy and address security challenges.
Senator representing Borno South Senatorial District, Ali Ndume, has argued that Nigeria’s lingering insecurity could be decisively tackled within six months if the Federal government demonstrates sufficient commitment.
Ndume stated this on Monday during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme, where he expressed concern over the recent escalation of violence, particularly in the North-East.
The lawmaker stressed that beyond complaints, what is required is decisive action and political will.
“It is not about complaining. It is not about asking somebody like me as a senator to say why these things. I always believe that if the President and the Federal Government of Nigeria are serious about this, we can end this thing (insecurity) in six months.
“All we need is to train our soldiers, equip them, arm them very well, and then motivate them,” Ndume said.
The senator lamented the continued loss of military personnel, including senior officers, noting that such incidents highlight deeper operational challenges.
“After killing their commanders, they now come back to kill our commanders and they are still taking about five, six, or even seven. Even today, around Northern Borno, we lost a colonel, I understand, with some soldiers. This should not continue. This is now the problem,” he said.
Ndume also attributed the worsening security situation to inconsistent and incomplete implementation of security strategies.
“The escalating security situation has really been enhanced by the challenge and the threat, and the actions that have been taken that have never been completely done. We have to be very serious about this matter; we have to walk the talk.”
Speaking on the issue of foreign support, the lawmaker emphasised the need for intelligence, technology, and specialised expertise rather than relying on external forces.
“What we need is intelligence. What we need is air support. We also need the expertise of those that are specialists. We even have some that were trained outside, special forces. We have capable hands already on the ground; all they need is equipment, ammunition, and motivation.
“We do not have enough drones. Look at what Burkina Faso is doing, it is technology. We can use technology to finish or minimise these things within the shortest possible time. If you deploy drones and have trained people to operate them, with proper command centres, we can achieve results,” he said.
The Borno South senator further noted that Borno State would have suffered greater devastation without the efforts of Governor Babagana Zulum and commended his interventions in stabilising parts of the State.
Ndume’s comments come amid renewed security concerns in the North-East and across Nigeria.
A recent airstrike at Jilli Market along the Yobe–Borno border on Saturday has come under scrutiny over reported civilian casualties.
The Nigerian Air Force said the strike targeted suspected Boko Haram insurgents and that it is investigating reported civilian casualties.
While casualty figures remain unclear, several deaths and injuries were reported, with victims receiving treatment in nearby facilities.
The incident also followed a deadly attack on Thursday on a military formation in Benisheikh, where troops repelled insurgents but suffered casualties.
Security challenges, including banditry, kidnappings, and communal clashes, persist nationwide.
Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu, during a recent visit to Bayelsa State, reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to strengthening Nigeria’s security architecture.
Earlier, the United States Department of State had issued travel advisories and begun reducing its staff presence in Abuja. Federal government, however, described it as a routine precaution and not a reflection the country’s security situation.
