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Food for Living: The Six Pillars of Success (Pt. 2)
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By Henry Ukazu
Dear Destiny Friends,
This is the continuation, and concluding part of last week’s article on The Six Pillars of Success.
Success is something everyone desires. Success is not only endearing, but also nourishing to the heart. It is important to note that there’s something about success which can’t be explained; it just hits differently, especially when one truly earns it.
One of the good things about success is the fulfillment one gets after achieving it. Fulfilment can’t be bought. No matter the level of success one has attained in life, if one has not experienced fulfilment, then success is not complete.
Last week, we discussed the three pillars which I called the foundational pillars of success apart from Spirituality which I strongly believe is the foundational pillar of success because all pillars rest on it.
A recap of last week’s article. On pillar one, we x-rayed the importance of discovering one’s purpose and how it helps in the personal growth of a progressive mind. On pillar two, we discussed the importance and relativity of career and vocational excellence as a tool the world will use to evaluate the tap root of success. Finally, we concluded by highlighting the most controversial topic everyone talks about when the word success is mentioned: Financial Independence and Financial Freedom. It will be hard for people to believe someone is successful without the element of financial success at play. Well, that’s an analysis for another way.
In today’s epistle, we shall be discussing the other three components namely: Health and wellbeing; Healthy family and Social relationship; and Spirituality and Inner grounding.
The Fourth of Pillars of Success: Health and Wellbeing:
Success has no sweetness without good health. This pillar recognizes the interconnectedness of physical vitality, emotional balance, mental clarity, and rest. A sustainable life requires a body and mind strong enough to sustain dreams, relationships, and responsibilities.
Health is one of the most critical aspects and pillars of success. Apart from spirituality, I believe it is the most important pillar of success. Regardless of any amount of money, connection, knowledge, career, family or even spirituality one may have, if one does not have good health on their part, they may not be able to function at optimal capacity. This is simply because, without health on one’s side, one is merely existing as opposed to living.
To show you how important one’s health is, if you don’t have good health, one will find it hard to read, work, exercise, fulfil purpose and even pray. Do you see why health is a critical foundation and pillar of success?
One influential Nigerian politician, Hon. Barr. C. M. C. Onuoha once shared with me a powerful insight from Chief Obafemi Awolowo. He said: “Before you contest for any office, you must have three things: health, money, and connection. But above all, the number one factor you need most is your health.” This is true because money can return, and connections can rebuild. But health, once significantly compromised, does not offer guarantees.
Attaining good health is not rock and science, all one needs to do is exercise, eat good food, sleep well and practice preventive care by avoiding harmful substances and visiting your doctor to check annual medical check-ups, Blood pressure and blood sugar monitoring, cancer screenings (age-appropriate) dental check-ups, eye examinations and taking vaccinations where recommended
The fifth pillars of Success: Healthy Family and Social Relationships.
No one succeeds in isolation. People flourish through connection, support, and community. This pillar affirms the value of nurturing your closest relationships, which include family, friendships, mentors, and networks. These bonds provide strength in difficult seasons, perspective in confusing ones, and joy in victorious ones.
Informed minds know that family is everything. It’s only in family that one can find “ily” which means “I love you”. All other acquaintances have an “end”. E.g. friend, girlfriend, boyfriend and even best friend. It’s sad that most people don’t understand the power of family and relationships in the development of a better society. Some people even sacrifice their family for their job. I think that’s one of the most expensive mistakes one can make. They forget that the moment they kick the bucket, it won’t take the company 24hours to advertise their position. Advice: Maintain family and career balance.
The importance of relationships cannot be over emphasized. We need family, friends, mentors, and even strangers to succeed. Uniformed minds don’t know that relationships are a currency. According to Robin Sharma, the business of business is human relationship, but the business of life is human connection.
The value of relationships to success is priceless. Nobody knows it all, we need each other to survive and succeed. We also need a strong family culture. We need to maximize our friendships and networks to move to the next chapter of life.
The sixth pillars of success: Spirituality and Inner Grounding:
Every human being draws strength from a deeper place. Some call it faith or spirituality; others call it conviction, conscience, or spiritual grounding. This pillar focuses on the inner life: values, belief systems, moral compass, and connection with God. For those who embrace faith, this becomes the source of clarity, integrity, resilience, and peace. It is the secret power that holds all other pillars together.
This pillar here is the most important pillar of success. I believe that’s why it’s saved for the last. If you agree with me before anything happens physically, it will happen in the spirit world. Yes, success happens in the spiritual realm. This can come in the form of dreams or prophecies.
There are many powers that come with spirituality and one of them is words. We can shape our worlds with the power of spoken words. Imagine having a bad dream at night, to overcome the power of the dream, one is expected to pray. Imagine having a bad experience, instead of accepting your fate, say, I am blessed, I am favored. Instead of saying, I am poor, say, I am rich in abundance. Instead of saying the world is against me, say the universe is conspiring for my success.
I vividly remember when I was in New York Law School preparing for an examination, a friend asked Henry, if your exam is tomorrow, how do you feel you will perform? In all honesty, I do know the best I can score is a C in my course. I told her, well, I’m looking at A-. Guess what, I made 3.5GPA that semester which earned me a scholarship. Can you see how significant words can be?
Another dimension of spiritual power of words can be seen in parental blessings. Apart from God, nobody and I repeat, nobody can bless you more than your biological parents. Your parents carry within them the foundational gene of blessings one needs to succeed. I am a living testimony to parental blessings. My first appearance on television was made possible by the prayers of my late grandmother.
Another important aspect of spiritual power is giving. I call it the ultimate gateway to spiritual blessings. Again, this is one of my strengths. I love to give even when it is difficult for me. I believe when one gives to anyone in need, it has a way of coming back in hundreds of folds.
In conclusion, essentially, anyone who claims success, in its fullest sense, will eventually touch all six pillars. Missing one doesn’t mean failure; it simply reveals where to build next. An Igbo proverb says, “Whenever a man wakes up, his morning begins.” No matter your age or stage, you can wake up to a stronger, clearer, and more fulfilling version of success. If you are yet to read the Six Pillars of Success, head fast to Amazon and grab a copy of the trending book with this link. The Six Pillars of Success.
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
A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Chief Dele Momodu, has said no political permutation will save President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election, insisting that widespread hunger and hardship will determine the outcome.
Momodu stated this on Thursday during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, anchored by Seun Okinbaloye.
According to him, Nigerians across all regions and ethnic lines are united by economic hardship, which no amount of money or political calculation can overcome.
“The common factor now is the hunger in the land. No permutation can beat hunger. The Yorubas are suffering, the Hausas are suffering, the Igbos are suffering, everybody is suffering,” he said.
He argued that President Tinubu cannot buy the entire country, even if he was able to deploy money effectively in Lagos State politics in the past.
“Tinubu believes he can buy the whole of Nigeria, but my personal belief is that if he could buy the whole of Lagos, I doubt if he can use money to buy the whole of Nigeria,” Momodu stated.
The Ovation Publisher said Nigerians had become wiser and would collect any money offered to them during elections but still vote according to their conscience.
He cited the Osun State governorship election as a case study, noting that, despite the huge funds allegedly deployed, the people voted for Governor Ademola Adeleke.
“And a lot of people will take the money like they took it in Osun State. People’s eyes are wide open now. They brought a lot of money to Osun State, but they still lost the election to Ademola Adeleke,” he said.
Momodu also recalled that Tinubu lost Lagos State to Mr Peter Obi of the Labour Party in the 2023 presidential election, which he said proves that incumbency and financial muscle do not guarantee victory.
He maintained that President Tinubu would not win in 2027, claiming that many Nigerians could not imagine a second term for the administration.
“If you ask an average Nigerian today, do you trust Tinubu to conduct a free and fair election? 90 per cent will say no. Nobody trusts Tinubu, including his own supporters,” Momodu said.
On the detention of former Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, Momodu described him as a “prisoner of conscience” who is being persecuted because of his political influence.
“Nasir El-Rufai is a lion. They caged him because he is a lion. Even when a lion is caged, it is still a lion. They want him locked up until after 2027 because they fear his influence,” he said.
He disclosed that El-Rufai’s appointment as Deputy Chairman of the Atiku Abubakar Presidential Campaign Council was in honour of his sacrifice and resilience.
“It is a way of honouring his sacrifice because his travails are quite political in nature. That is why Nasir has become a prisoner of conscience. He is in the hands of a government that he helped to midwife,” Momodu added.
He said the 2027 election would be a referendum on hunger, hardship and governance, and not on political permutations.
Meanwhile, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Digital Communications, Engagement and New Media Strategy, O’tega Ogra, has faulted Momodu’s comments.
Reacting to the interview, Ogra accused the opposition of embracing “perpetual negativity” and opposing government policies without objective assessment.
He said Momodu’s assertion ignored ongoing reforms and improvements recorded in key economic indicators, including foreign reserves, power generation and inflation management.
Ogra urged opposition figures to offer constructive criticism rather than painting a picture of total failure, stressing that President Tinubu would ultimately be judged by his reforms and track record.
The Tribune
The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has denied asking Nigerians living in the United Kingdom to abandon relatives who depend on them for financial support, saying his message about hardship in Nigeria was distorted by political opponents.
Obi said he appreciates Nigerians in the Diaspora who make sacrifices to support their families at home, stressing that his concern is the country’s dependence on remittances to meet basic needs.
In a statement titled; “My Message Has Been Twisted”, posted on X on Tuesday, the former Governor of Anambra State clarified that he never asked Nigerians abroad to stop supporting their loved ones.
“I deeply appreciate Nigerians in the diaspora who work tirelessly and make enormous sacrifices to support their families back home,” he said.
“Their remittances pay for school fees, hospital bills, rent, and feeding expenses. Their patriotism and sacrifices deserve our profound respect. I never asked them to abandon their loved ones.”
Obi said his message was aimed at drawing attention to the economic conditions forcing millions of Nigerians to rely on relatives abroad for their survival.
“My concern is that Nigeria should not remain a country where millions depend on relatives abroad for basic survival,” he said.
“Our goal must be to build a nation that provides jobs, affordable healthcare, quality education, and economic opportunities for its citizens.”
He accused political opponents of misrepresenting his comments, insisting that his position is about addressing the causes of hardship rather than discouraging financial assistance to families.
“Political opponents may twist my message, but the truth remains clear: I am not asking Nigerians abroad to abandon their families. I am advocating for a Nigeria that will no longer abandon its own people,” he said.
The clarification followed backlash over comments Obi made during a town hall meeting with Diaspora supporters in Manchester on Sunday.
In a video that went viral, Obi urged Nigerians in the UK to think twice before giving money to relatives and others at home who ask them for financial assistance, arguing that such support could ease hardship without addressing its underlying causes.
“You have people at home in Nigeria today who are begging you for money. Tell them no!” he said.
Obi attributed the country’s economic difficulties to poor leadership, urging Nigerians abroad to encourage their relatives and friends at home to vote for leaders who would prioritise productivity and economic opportunities.
The Court of Appeal, Abuja Division, has dismissed the EFCC’s appeal and affirmed the ₦12 million compensation awarded to Dr. Monday Ubani, SAN, for his unlawful 21-day detention in 2019. The court also awarded ₦300,000 in costs against the Commission.
Ubani was detained after securing administrative bail for a client accused of jumping bail. Despite a court order directing the EFCC to release him conditionally or charge him with any alleged offence, the Commission failed to comply, prompting his lawyer, Chief Professor Mike Ozekhome, to institute a fundamental rights action in his favour.
On January 5, 2022, the Abuja High Court, presided over by Justice Sylvanus Oriji, ruled in Ubani’s favour. The EFCC appealed, challenging the trial court’s jurisdiction and the amount of compensation awarded.
In dismissing the appeal, the Court of Appeal rejected both arguments, holding that the compensation was justified and that the EFCC’s investigative powers do not permit arbitrary detention or disobedience of court orders.
The judgment reaffirms that law enforcement agencies remain subject to the Constitution and judicial authority. It also underscores the protection of fundamental rights, the limits of law enforcement powers and the consequences of unlawful detention.
Beyond the financial award, the decision highlights the responsibilities of sureties and the obligation of security agencies to obey court orders, making it a potentially significant reference in future fundamental rights litigation.
