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Food for Living: You Are an Embodiment of Success
By Henry Ukazu
Dear Destiny Friends,
“Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.” – Albert Schweitzer
Nothing makes the heart merrier than success. Success comes in different shapes and sizes. However, our contemporary society is now positing money or wealth as success. But it is imperative to note that what most people see as success is actually money or wealth on display. When you don’t have money to show the world, most people don’t see you as successful. But what they fail to understand is that success is relative. You can be successful in any sphere of life including business, academics, politics, spirituality, family, career, entertainment or art.
If you ask me, the first foundational principle of success is knowing yourself. Knowing who you are is a key ingredient for success. As mentioned earlier, all those who have been able to succeed either in business, academic, spirituality, entertainment, art, politics, and family identified themselves. They didn’t copy anyone. They know what they carry is unique and the only way they can make an impact in the world in an efficient manner is to be the best version of themselves.
This is the reason my organisation, Global Empowerment and Mentoring Initiative Inc, (Gloemi.com) focuses on Human Capacity Development. We help youths and career professionals to unleash their potential. We do this by using our self-discovery programme to inquire into the latent gifts and talents which are lying fallow in our clients. We take the client throigh the rudiments of discovering their inept qualities because it is not what we don’t know that makes us fail, but we are not aware that is inside of us.
In Gloemi, we know that everyone is destined to succeed. But this success comes at a price which an individual must be willing to pay. A key component of our training is focused on Mindset transformation. We do this because we success and failure start from the mind, and the fact that many youths lack the right information to succeed. Some youths are mostly influenced by what they see on the internet and social media. For instance, some believe that education is a scam having not come to terms with why one would invest so much money in acquiring a formal education and then find it difficult to get a job commensurate to the money and time invested in formal education. They fail to understand that education itself is a training and opportunity to broaden one’s mind and expose them to the world through enlightenment.
Again, some believe that money is the prize tag when they have come of age. And so, when they are done with High School or College, the next thing is to look for money, they fail to realize that life is very dynamic. You need mentors who can guide you on the right path of life, depending on your interest. That’s why it is important to instill in the minds of youths the relativity of success. You can get all the money in the world and still be poor because there’s more to life than money. These are some of the information and training we offer at Gloemi.
When I say success is inside of you, trust me, it’s real. Success is inside everyone of us. I want you to join me in a little exercise now and say to yourself, success is inside of me. Yes, say it loud to yourself. You may be wondering, where is the success? The answer simply lies in asking yourself, what’s the one thing I can do for free without anyone paying me? Again, you can ask yourself, what’s the one thing I love to do that makes me happy? By the time you answer these question(s), you have solved 50% of your life challenges.
The challenge most people have is that sometimes, they wait for other people to believe in them or give them an opportunity before they can hit the ground running. The world doesn’t need to give you permission, you have what it takes to make the world to go round. If you wait for the world to give you permission, you might be heading for a disaster because the world is filled with jealousy. According to Ray Goforth, “There are two types of people who will tell you that you cannot make a difference in this world: those who are afraid to try and those who are afraid you will succeed.”
If you care to know to know how success is deposited inside of you, consider the likes of Aliko Dangote, Bill gate, Ben Carson, Barack Obama, Peter Obi, Donald Trump, Cristiano Ronaldo, Albert Einstein, Dr. Yomi Garnett, Steve Jobs, Mother Theresa, Mike Tyson, and Henry Ukazu, just to mention a few. All these great world leaders have distinguished themselves in their respective fields. They are known for one thing or another. For instance, Dangote is regarded as the richest Black man in the world, but he can’t cure himself if he is sick, he will have to consult a medical doctor like Ben Carson to operate on him depending on the medical treatment he needs. In the same vein, Bill Gates is so wealthy that he can fund any business he has interest in, but if he wants to write a book about himself, he will have to engage Dr. Yomi Garnett who is one of the best if not the best Ghost writers the world has produced to write his book.
The same principle is applicable if Cristiano Ronaldo, Barack Obama and Bill Gates want to inspire the youths, there’s no other person best suited to train and empower the youths than Henry Ukazu, who has written a trailblazer book on youths’ empowerment and has been globally celebrated and profiled by world leaders, New York Times, United Nations, News12 just to mention a few. The point I am trying to make here is that one has to know himself and what’s unique about him for the world to take him serious. That on its own is success.
In the journey of life, it is important to note that you will have to believe in yourself before others can believe in you. You will have to begin the race or journey before others can join you. According to Chuck Norris “Always remember that your success is inside you, if you can’t see it first, no one can see it”. When you become a man of success, you’ll attract value to yourself. It’s your value that will bring the success that’s inside of you.
According to Albert Einstein, “Try not to become a man of success. Rather become a man of value.”
In conclusion, take a moment self-examination, and then ask yourself, what’s unique about me, what are my gifts, talents and what skills do I have that makes me unique to help other people? When you correctly answer the questions, you are gradually heading to success if only you can develop and multiply it to help other people solve their problems.
Henry Ukazu writes from New York. He works with the New York City Department of Correction as the Legal Coordinator. He’s a Human Capacity and mindset coach. He is also a public speaker, youth advocate and creative writer. He’s the author of the acclaimed book Design Your Destiny – Actualizing Your Birthright to Success. He can be reached info@gloemi.com
Three Nigerian secondary schools are in the ring for the grand prize of N5m in the ongoing Glo Innov8 National STEM competition for girls in Senior Secondary Schools across the country.
The three top finalists were selected for their originality and innovation in the different entries for the competition. A total of 20 secondary schools were picked from over 200 schools which registered for the competition. After a series of considerations, 10 of them made it to the semifinal from which three; Ephraim High School, Isolo Campus, Lagos; Regina Pacis International School, Onitsha, Anambra State; and Peakfield Academy, Jos, Plateau State eventually coasted home to the finals.
Schools from Plateau, Kano, Lagos, Rivers, Edo, Borno, Kebbi, Nasarawa, Ondo, Oyo, Anambra, FCT, Delta, Kaduna and Adamawa states had signified intentions to participate following a call for entries by Glo Foundation, Globacom’s corporate social responsibility arm as part of its celebration of the 2025 International Day of the Girl Child.
Glo Innov8, a STEM-driven challenge, has scheduled prizes worth N5 million to the three schools in the finals. The competition “is geared at inspiring young girls to Compete, Innovate and Win, while also strengthening their confidence and expanding their knowledge in STEM subjects”, Glo Foundation explained.
The eventual overall winning school will go home with a cash prize of N2,000,000 while the 2 students representing the school will each get a laptop. The Teacher/Mentor/STEM Coordinator also gets N200,000.
The schools that come second and third places and their Teachers/Mentors/STEM Coordinators will also receive mouth-watering consolation prizes.
The three female judges of the virtual phase of selection of the top 20 schools said they were excited by the quality of presentations by the competing schools. One of them, Tosin Olabode said: “I was particularly impressed by the prototype presentations from some schools. They demonstrated that they had done their homework”.
In the same vein, Amina Gabriel disclosed that she was thrilled by the variety of ideas that the schools came up with. “The schools presented innovative solutions tackling issues in agriculture, security, waste management, and firefighting. The top 10 schools showcased outstanding prototypes, from apps to robots, making the judging process truly competitive. I’m grateful to Glo Foundation for the opportunity to serve and support young girls in STEM”, she said.
According to Sharon Ibejih, the third judge, “This competition has showcased a highly competitive next generation of women leaders in STEM. This was an excellent exercise and a means to encourage more students in STEM to develop problem-solving and innovative thinking skills”.
The overall winning school will emerge at an event set to hold later this year at the Mike Adenuga Centre (Alliance Française), Ikoyi, Lagos.
The leader of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPoB), Nnamdi Kanu, has filed a motion to stop the judgment of the Federal High Court, Abuja, in his trial for alleged terrorism.
Justice James Omotosho, on November 7, fixed November 20 for judgment on the case.
The judge fixed the date after Kanu’s defence was foreclosed following his insistence that he would not enter his defence under a repealed law.
However, in the motion on notice marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/383/2015, he personally filed, the IPoB leader sought seven reliefs.
In the application dated November 10 and filed same date, Kanu sought an order arresting the delivery of judgment in charge no: FHC/ABJ/CR/383/2015.
The document was made public on Tuesday.
In it, he alleged that the proceedings were conducted under a repealed and non-existent statute and in disobedience to the Supreme Court’s directive contrary to Section 287(1) CFRN 1999.”
He sought a declaration that by virtue of Section 287(1) CFRN, the trial court was constitutionally bound to give effect to the Supreme Court’s finding that count 15 (now count 7) “does not exist in law,” and its failure rendered all subsequent proceedings null and void.
He also sought a declaration that the court’s failure to take judicial notice of the repeal of the 2013 Terrorism Act, contrary to Section 122 Evidence Act 2011, vitiates all steps taken thereunder.
The IPOB leader equally sought a declaration that by virtue of Section 76(1)(d)(iii) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022, the Federal High Court lacked jurisdiction to try him in the absence of proof that the alleged conduct constituted an offence under Kenyan law or of any Kenyan judicial validation or extradition order.
Besides, Kanu sought “a declaration that the plea purportedly taken on March 29, under a repealed and non-existent statute and in violation of Section 220 ACJA 2015 is void and incapable of conferring jurisdiction.
President Bola Tinubu has dispatched a strong delegation to London to address the situation of Ike Ekweremadu, a former Deputy Senate President, who has been imprisoned in the UK since March 2023.
The delegation includes the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, and the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi.
The team arrived in London on Monday and held discussions with officials from the UK’s Ministry of Justice.
Alkasim Abdulkadir, spokesperson for Tuggar, said on Tuesday that the presidential delegation was in London to engage with UK authorities to consider the possibility of Ekweremadu serving the remainder of his prison sentence in Nigeria.
The London Metropolitan Police detained the Ekweremadus in June 2022 after a man was deceitfully presented to a private renal unit at Royal Free Hospital in London as a relative of their daughter Sonia, in what turned out to be a failed attempt to convince medical professionals to perform an £80,000 transplant.
The 21-year-old man, who had allegedly been promised employment in the UK, reported the incident to the police in May of that year, saying that he had been brought to the country for an organ transplant.
In March 2023, the former presiding officer of Nigeria’s Senate was convicted of organ trafficking by a UK court. Beatrice, his wife, and Obinna Obeta, a doctor connected to the case, were also found guilty.
This verdict marked the first of its kind under the UK Modern Slavery Act.
On May 5, 2023, Ekweremadu received a nine-year and eight-month prison sentence, while his wife was sentenced to four years and six months, and Obeta was given a ten-year prison sentence.
In his ruling, Judge Jeremy Johnson determined that Beatrice should serve half of her sentence in custody and be supervised for the remainder. However, she was released from prison in January and has since returned to Nigeria.
