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Food for Living: Understanding the Principles of Process
By Henry Ukazu[tps_title][/tps_title]
Dear Destined Friends,
Life is filled with principles and once you miss out on the right principle, it will be difficult to recover from it. Imagine a student trying to solve mathematical problems, and misses the formula, he is likely to get the wrong answer. As a Law student or lawyer, before you can successfully pass your exam or win your case in the court of law, you must successfully apply the IRAC principle. The IRAC principles involve issues, rules, application, and conclusion. So for instance, if you want to resolve any legal question, you must know the issue; the issue is the most important aspect of any legal question. Law students or lawyers who are unable to spot the issues are not likely to win a legal battle. This is because the issues address what is at stake. Once you spot the issue, your next port of call is the applicable rule to apply. The issues determine the rule to apply. Once you determine the right rule, you will have to apply it in such a way it will fit into the case at hand and then, you conclude.
Principles are foundations that guide anyone, once you miss the principles or process, you might find yourself in a zigzag web. Regardless of your profession or vocation, you must understand the process. Process is very critical in life, but it’s quite unfortunate many people just want to bypass the process to get the desired result without doing the work. They fail to understand that it is the process that produces the interesting stories that make the result to be sweet. Every successful person has a story. They didn’t just become a success overnight. They passed through several hurdles which defined not only their success but also defined them.
Process is highly underrated by uninformed minds, but it is the foundation of any worthwhile project. Just like it takes nine months to produce a child, it also takes a process to get admission into a college, travel, or cook a delicious meal. Any effort to bypass the process might lead to unhealthy results. Let’s take a case study of someone who wants to travel to another country, you will have to apply for a visa, and pass through all immigrant processes before you are eligible to board a plane, and even when you board a plane, you must pass through all required immigration process upon arrival before can enter the designated country.
Process works in different styles and dimensions depending on what you want to achieve. If you are desirous of making a great impact in 2022 and in life, you must be ready to do the work. It’s quite easy to make promises, proclamations, resolutions, and wishes, but what is hard is keeping to them. Words are cheap, keeping them is what is expensive. Therefore, you must understand what is required before you embark on a journey. It’s just like someone who wants to build a house or edifice, you must lay a solid foundation that will keep the house intact. Failure to do so is preparing to fail.
On a personal note, I have tried to explore many opportunities, engage in businesses, establish friendships with resourceful people and prepare for professional exams without applying due process. At each stage, I failed in a spectacular way because I didn’t do my homework. Imagine starting a business, without a target audience in mind, or having a viable business plan which will determine the right systems and structure. Imagine also trying to establish a friendship with a resourceful person without doing basic research to know what the person likes and how you can be of value to the person. Imagine also preparing for a professional exam without doing the necessary work as prescribed. What is missing in each link here is the process.
Succeeding in life involves having the right principles and attitudes. Principles are universal. Just like the law of gravitation states whatever goes up must come down. Another worthy principle of life is the law of karma, it has no mouth, hand, or leg but it has unimaginable eyes, ears that fight unseen battles. I have counseled my friends on one of my guiding principles which state you will get what you want faster when you help other people to achieve what they want. When you do good, good has a way of coming back to you. It is just like the golden rule which states, do to others what you like them to do unto you.
You may be wondering why I’m stating these principles, well, they are life. When you apply the right principles to life, you will discover that you will attract goodwill which is literally priceless especially when you have the right attitudes. When you adopt and follow the right principles, humanity will find favor in you. Nobody literally likes anyone that cuts corners, but they are open to teaching or assisting anyone who is willing and open to learning.
The right principles work with the growth mindset, but the wrong principles make one shallow, uninformed, and limited in their thought process. People who don’t like processes are comfortable with the fixed mindset, they always have the victim mentality, they always feel the world is against them. If you adopt and have the right principles, “you will work smart as opposed to working hard” because the universe has a way of conspiring to work in your favor.
In conclusion, examine yourself and what you will like to do and then know what is required to achieve them. Put in the work, believe God, be open, work with the right people, accept criticism, plan carefully, re-strategize if your plans don’t work, and most importantly see failure as a learning curve when you fail. When you apply these principles while following the right process, be rest assured you have done the needful and believe the lines will add up for you. While preparing to get the best result, also prepare for the worst outcomes.
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 Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned social media personality and self-acclaimed relationship adviser, Okoro Blessing Nkiruka, before the Federal High Court in Lagos over an alleged N36 million fraud.
Blessing CEO was arraigned on Friday before Justice D.I. Dipeolu on a two-count charge bordering on obtaining money by false pretence and alleged theft involving N36 million
According to the EFCC, the defendant allegedly obtained the money from one Mrs. Ifeyinwa Nonye Okoye under the pretext of securing a six-bedroom duplex in Lekki, Lagos — a claim prosecutors said she knew to be false.
During proceedings, defence counsel P.I. Nwafor informed the court that the defendant had refunded N24 million to the complainant and requested a short adjournment to allow discussions over the outstanding balance.
“We have an application to make. The defendant approached the nominal complainant and refunded N24 million out of the N36 million.
“We are asking for a short adjournment to resolve the outstanding balance. The nominal complainant agreed that if the balance is paid, they can prevail on the EFCC to drop the case,” the lawyer said.
However, prosecution counsel S.I. Suleiman opposed the request, insisting that the commission was not involved in any private settlement arrangement.
“The complainant here is the Federal Government of Nigeria, and we are here for the arraignment. We urge that the defendant take her plea, as that is the business of the day,” he argued.
Ruling on the matter, Justice Dipeolu held that settlement talks could continue independently but would not stop the arraignment process.
“The defence and the nominal complainant can have discussions even during the pendency of the charge. It does not affect the proceedings before the court. The defendant will take her plea,” the judge ruled.
One of the charges alleged that between July 14 and 17, 2024, Blessing CEO fraudulently obtained N36 million from the complainant over a purported property lease in Lekki.
Another count accused her of unlawfully converting the money to personal use, contrary to provisions of the Criminal Code Act.
She pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Following her plea, the prosecution asked the court to commence trial and remand her in a correctional facility, while the defence requested that she remain in EFCC custody pending bail arrangements.
Justice Dipeolu subsequently ordered that the defendant be remanded in EFCC custody and adjourned the matter to June 5, 2026, for commencement of trial.
Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, has narrated how his principal almost sacked him because of Lagos State House of Assembly member, Desmond Elliot.
He said he almost lost his job during the Lagos Speaker Mudashiru Obasa impeachment saga.
Recall that lawmakers of the Lagos State House of Assembly had said that Obasa was impeached to save the integrity and sanctity of the House of Assembly and Lagos State.
The lawmakers, while jointly addressing journalists at the Assembly Complex, said: “It’s just a change of baton. It is only death that is constant, so change is inevitable.”
However, with President Tinubu against the impeachment, the Speaker was restored and peace returned to the Assembly.
Addressing members of the All Progressives Congress on Thursday, Gbajabiamila said, “I almost lost my job as Chief of Staff last year because of Desmond Elliot. Mr President called me to his house in Abuja during the Lagos Speaker Obasa saga.
“He said, ‘I hear this Desmond is your boy, the one we gave you,’ and I said, ‘Yes, sir. He is one of the people causing problems in the Lagos House of Assembly.’
“Immediately, I told the president that Desmond wasn’t part of them, but the president replied and said that, from the intelligence he received, Desmond was part of them.
“After that meeting, I called Desmond and told him what the president said, and asked him to leave the group if he was part of them. Three days later, the DSS DG called me and said there was a problem.
“He said your name is being mentioned, that you’re the one behind the impeachment saga and that you’re supporting Desmond.
“I spoke to the DSS DG and told him I had spoken to Desmond and he denied being part of the group. I then asked Desmond to make a public statement denying his involvement in the impeachment saga, but till today, he hasn’t done it.”
By Eric Elezuo
The West African Examination Council (WAEC) has announced the kickoff of the 2026 West African Second-term School Certificate Examination, saying it would be computer-based, and decrying the decline of male participation as against their female counterparts.
The Council made the disclosure on Monday, while addressing the media at its National Office in Yaba, Lagos, on steps so far taken to ensure a hitchfree 2026 Examination.
In his address, the Head of National Office, Mr. Jacob Josiah Dangut, remarked that the 2026 computer-based WASSEC, started on April 21, 2026 with practical test papers, stressing that the nitty gritty parts of the exercise will kick off on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, therefore the reason for the sensitization of the Nigerian public on the exams.
He noted that nearly two million candidates registered to sit for the examinations.
In his words, “A total of 1,959,636 candidates from 24,207 schools enrolled for the examination.
“Of this number, 958,564 candidates (48.92%) are male, while 1,001,072 candidates (51.08%) are female. This reflects an increase in female participation and a decline in male participation compared to last year.”
Dangut called on policy formulations to take the matter serious so as to reinvent the urge for education among the malefolks.
Meanwhile, Dangut informed the public that candidates are being tested in 37 subjects across 97 papers, supervised by about 29,000 senior secondary teachers nominated by state ministries of education.
Dangut said the rise in computer-based entries followed the successful debut of the format in 2025, with more schools and offshore institutions adopting it for its efficiency and alignment with global standards.
The 2026 exercise will run through to June 19th.
