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Food for Living: Time As Man’s Most Precious Gift
By Henry Ukazu
Dear Destiny Friends,
Time is one of the most precious gifts available to man. And one’s time unarguably is one’s time. Note that one of the greatest ways to know a man/woman is to study the way they invest their time and what they spend their time on. It’s easy to say you love or care for someone, but the effort or measure you put in will determine how valuable the person is to you. It is also instructive to note that we are not too busy for anyone we care about. You can never be too busy for your family and close friends. In the same way, if you cherish a commodity like gold/diamond you will treat it like a priceless jewel or asset.
Time is largely underrated. Sometimes we think we have all the time in the world, especially when you are young or have no project at hand. If you want to know you have no time, start a project or vision that is bigger than you. Sometimes, we think we can always have a second chance to make a first impression; that may be true but that’s not always the case. The phrase time waits for no man is simply another way of saying that the passing of time is unstoppable, and it will march on regardless of what anyone says or does. So, if you are still thinking of the time you will invest in any project, you will be surprised to know that time will come and go, and the task will remain undone. Moral: Don’t look at the time you will spend if you’re passionate about a worthy cause. You can explore options to know what’s reasonable and attainable.
When you host events or training, people are not merely paying you because they like you, they are paying you for your experience which is your time. The same principle is applicable in any job, employers are always concerned about your experience and what you have done to prove you love the opportunity in addition to being the best for the position.
Attention is the price you pay for value. According to Gary Chapman in his book “The Five Love Language”, the five love languages are words affirmation, gift, services, time and physical touch. Any creative man who knows how to use this five-love language will not have a hard time getting a lady of his choice. Of interest to me is the value of time. This is because when you lose money, you can easily get it back if you play by the right rules, but if you lose your time, you can never get it back.
Time is more precious and valuable than money. When you spend your time on any lady, it has a way of showing your attention and in most cases, that’s what love means to you.
In the journey of life, we will never have the perfect time to do the needful, but we will always have time to do what we want to do. To know how to use your time, the best question to ask yourself is what is the best use of my time right now. If we are honest to ourselves, good things don’t always come easy, if you desire to be a published author, you have to put in the work, if you desire success in your academics, business, relationship/marriage, profession, spirituality, politics etc., you must invest your resources into it, but most especially your time is what will make the ultimate difference.
The question we should be asking ourselves is what is my attitude to time? How do I spend my time? Who do I spend my time with? How intentional are you with your life? And most importantly what legacy will I like to be remembered when I depart this sinful world? As a rational and progressive being, it is always important to examine your life by taking stock and evaluating the progress you have made every day, week, month, year or decade. By doing so, you will come to the sublime realization that we don’t really have time to do the needful. You will also realize that you may have made mistakes by investing your time in projects and endeavors that didn’t yield much fruit. Some of which can be regarded as frivolous.
Whatever is the case, we always have time to reset our lives. According to an African proverb, ‘whenever a man wakes up from sleep, that is when his day begins’. This adage simply means, you are never late when you begin to live your life on purpose. So, it doesn’t matter how old you are, it doesn’t matter how far you may have gone out of your path, it doesn’t matter what your past may have been, you can still hit the reset button if you are intentional about living a life of authenticity. It doesn’t matter if you have been fired from your job, if you are divorced, or whatever your situation might be, if you can look past those challenges and setbacks and ask yourself what lesson did I learn, what is it I should have done better, and how can I move from here. This is a healthy way of living and learning from life.
Trust me, time runs faster than light. If you really want to make an impact with your life, set a timeline for a vision your dream of or have in mind. By the time you set your calendar by drawing the plan on what is needed, you would wish you started early to engage with the right people, association, in addition to doing the needful which entails your own personal effort because before anyone can raise his/her finger to assist you, they will like to see the effort you have invested in yourself.
By the time you are done doing the numbers, you will release that indeed, time waits for no man. It is on such occasions you may begin to have regrets, and once regrets begin to set in, you may begin to lose the inspiration to be fired up. But like I mentioned earlier, you are never too late to live a life of purpose. Whenever you wake up from your slumber, that’s when your day begins. You can move with your determination, and time which is the arsenal you need. If late President Nelson Mandela can spend 27 years in prison and still win an election, that should ring a bell for you. You might say, his case is different, but the point and message I want to emphasize is that he was determined to fight for a cause he believed in and it paid off.
In conclusion, as you move along in life, ask yourself, what is the best use of my time now? It is only by doing so you’ll truly realize how valuable time is.
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 Nigerian Police Force has announced the rescue of former Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu’s sister and her twin sons, who were abducted on June 3, in Ibadan.
A statement signed by the Force Public Relations Officer, DCP Anthony Okon Pkacid revealed ad follows:
The Nigeria Police Force announces the successful rescue of Mrs. Olaide Busayo Adegoke John-Paul and her 12-year-old twin sons, Peter and Paul, who were abducted on June 3, 2026, in Ibadan, Oyo State.
The hostages were rescued during a coordinated operation by the Force Intelligence Department Intelligence Response Team (FID-IRT) in Ibadan at approximately 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 6, 2026.
Mrs. Adegoke and her children were abducted while she was driving them to school at about 7:30 a.m. on June 3, 2026. The rescue was achieved through sustained intelligence gathering, surveillance, and tactical operations. These efforts enabled investigators to track the kidnappers’ movements, resulting in a confrontation with FID-IRT operatives.
During the confrontation, two suspected kidnappers were fatally wounded and two rifles were recovered. The victims were rescued unharmed and are now in safe custody, receiving medical care and support.
The Inspector-General of Police commends the courage, professionalism, and effectiveness of the FID-IRT operatives and all officers involved. Their resilience and commitment were instrumental in the safe rescue of the hostages.
Security operatives have intensified efforts in the area to apprehend fleeing members of the kidnapping syndicate. Preliminary intelligence indicates that some suspects escaped with gunshot injuries. Operations are ongoing to track, arrest, and bring all involved to justice.
The Nigeria Police Force appreciates the public’s support, cooperation, and patience during the operation. We remain committed to combating violent crime, protecting lives and property, and ensuring the safety of all citizens.
By Henry Ukazu
Greetings Destiny Friends,
A race, in a literary sense, is a contest between two or more persons competing for a prize. A race can be a sprint, relay, marathon, middle-distance, long-distance, and hurdles. When it comes to running a race, every single step is important because a wrong move can affect the entire outcome. Can you imagine where an athlete has a faulty start or enters the lane of another athlete. That athlete will be disqualified. Can you also imagine a case where an athlete misses the baton; it will definitely affect their chances of winning the race.
Beyond the race on the tracks, there’s also a larger race on the field of life. This race is not interested in whether one is an athlete or not. It is open to everyone living. Consequently, everyone must run his race with his mates and contemporaries, and here’s why.
In the journey of life, everyone is entitled to running their individual races. Nobody will run another’s race for them; the best anyone can do for another is assist in providing an enabling environment for the race. For instance, our parents, mentors, siblings, relatives, benefactors, churches, government, among others have all contributed in one way or another to shape our journey. They did it so that we won’t be found wanting when we step out to the tracks to compete with mates.
Let’s face it, our parents, siblings, relatives may have supported us with resources in training us in schools. Our mentors, benefactors, government, churches, etc. may have provided an enabling environment and by putting the necessary structures for us excel. The government can formulate policies that will enable progressive minds to thrive. All these acts are structured to give us an edge in life.
One may be wondering why this illustration important; well, the simple reason is because we must run our race at the right time, otherwise, we’ll be left behind. My beloved mother Lolo Agnes Ukazu, will always say, when your mates are running, run with them. That statement might sound ordinary, but it is very deep. One may be wondering what it means, well, it simply means, it’s always good to do the right thing at the right time. For instance, there’s a right time for one to go to school, get married, have kids, invest and give it back to society. When one misses a stage, it might be hard to get back on track. So, when one’s mate is going to school, please, if you have the time and resources, join them and go to school, marry, have children, invest, etc. because at the end of the day, everything will align together if done properly.
My late mother will always say, when one is born, the person won’t enter his/her mother’s womb again. The next task for the person is to run their race by fighting their war, and this entails running their race by taking ownership of their life. When your mates leave you behind, it might be difficult to catch up with them. May God help you if they have gone far.
It’s sad to see uniformed minds who always think their messiah or destiny helper will come from heaven. They fail to understand that “Power is never served a la carte“. One will have to struggle to earn it. That’s simply how life works. Anything anyone desires, one will have to roll their sleeves and do the needful. If the universe is kind to you, it will send you destiny helpers, associates, benefactors, mentees, and resourceful people who can assist in birthing your vision.
The universe can also make the government formulate a policy for you. I have since come to the sublime submission that in life, we are the architect of our lives. According to my late dad, Chief Lazarus Ukazu, “any name anyone wants to answer, that person must work hard to earn the name. Again, this is running your race.
Overtime, I have discovered, when you begin a race, people from north and south will align together to assist you in birthing the vision all things being equal. Most of the work I have been celebrated didn’t come because I was smart, even though smartness may have contributed, but the true success was a result of my accomplishment. For instance, as an author, I use my books to create curriculum for my target audience, meet resource people and organization. I didn’t wait for my mentors or anyone to put me in the spotlight. Rather, they saw my work and appreciated the value and problems I was solving, and they extended a hand of fellowship to partner with me.
I didn’t fold my hands and wait for manna from above. No, I rolled my sleeves. I didn’t feel entitled to any favor, I didn’t complain, rather I fixed the problem, and as they say, the rest is history.
To run your race with your mates, timing is critical. You don’t want to have children at old age when you are supposed to be resting. Imagine being in a Parents Teachers Association meeting with children who are supposed to be your kids. Again, when your mates are busy grinding by adding value to their life, please endeavor to do the same because when they get to the top, they’ll find resourceful people who have added to their life. So, imagine a case where one has developed themselves and they still fail, they still stand a better position to attract opportunities because of the bold actions and steps they have taken.
From personal experience, I have seen people who just relax with hope that if a friend succeeds and gets to the top or makes money, they will be remembered, but these uninformed minds don’t know that life doesn’t work that way. As an accomplished author and human capacity development expert, most of the heights I have attained were simple because I collaborated with resourceful minds working the same space or I had people who believed and saw value in my work.
I don’t know what your storyline is, I just want you to know that if you don’t run your race, other people will run it for you. My prayer for you is that you may not be a spectator in a race you are supposed to own.
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
Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court, Abuja, has ordered the African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, to enter a defence in his ongoing trial for alleged criminal defamation of President Bola Tinubu.
In a ruling, Justice Umar rejected a request by counsel to Sowore, Marshall Abubakar, that further hearing in the case be adjourned until after the court’s forthcoming vacation.
The judge ordered that further hearing in the case be conducted daily, beginning from Friday, June 5, when the defendant shall be obligated to open his defence.
Sowore, an online publisher, is being prosecuted by the Department of State Services (DSS) for allegedly making false claims against President Tinubu by calling him “a criminal” in posts he made on his X and Facebook accounts.
At the day’s proceedings, the prosecuting lawyer, Akinlolu Kehinde (SAN), said the case was fixed for June 4 to get the Chief Judge’s response to a May 19, 2026 letter from Sowore requesting that the case be assigned to another judge.
Kehinde said he was served on May 26 with a copy of the Chief Judge’s response, dated May 22, in which the defendant’s request was declined, and the court was ordered to continue hearing the case.
He then applied that the judge orders the defendant to enter his defence.
Responding, Abubakar claimed that a portion of the Chief Judge’s response directed the defendant to file a formal application so that it could be heard in open court.
Abubakar urged the court to adjourn the case until after the court’s forthcoming vacation to enable his client to participate in next year’s presidential election.
Replying, Kehinde faulted Abubakar’s interpretation of the Chief Judge’s response.
He stressed that the case before the court had nothing to do with political activities in the country.
“The letter from the Chief Judge of this court did not ask the defendant or his counsel to file an application for recusal. So, it is disingenuous for counsel to read into the letter an interpretation that the Chief Judge did not include in the letter,” Kehinde said.
Following a disagreement between both lawyers on the content of the Chief Judge’s response, Justice Umar called for a copy of the letter and read through it, following which he declared Abubakar wrong.
“From the content of the letter, there is nowhere the defendant is asked to file an application before this court.
“This court is not denying the defendant the right to file any application. This can be done anytime before judgment,” Justice Umar said.
The judge said the current stage of the case merely required the defendant to enter his defence.
Thereafter, the judge ordered Sowore to enter his defence.
He also ordered that the hearing in the case proceed daily, in line with the provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA).
Following the judge’s order, Abubakar sought an adjournment until after the court’s vacation for the defendant to open his defence.
Again, Kehinde, SAN, objected, noting that having ruled and ordered a daily hearing, the ruling of the court was in consonance with the law.
“The law is that the defendant shall proceed with his defence. There is no option. We are ready. There is no room for dilatory practice for a defendant facing a criminal trial,” he added.
The prosecuting lawyer also said that “the option left at this point is for the defence to continue or simply be foreclosed. It is either they continue, or they are foreclosed”.
Justice Mohammed Umar subsequently adjourned until June 5 for the defendant to open his defence.
