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Food for Living: You Can’t Rush Destiny
By Henry Ukazu
Dear Destiny Friends,
One of the most discussed topics in the world is the concept of destiny. To some people destiny is predetermined, to others it is what you make out of life. Destiny can be likened to leadership. If I may ask; are leaders made or born? According to some schools of thought, leaders are born, while to another school of thought, leaders are made. It all depends on the side of the decide to key in yourself. One thing is certain however, leaders are made and leaders are born. This is because some are born to acquire the skills of leadership by reading and learning from the best while some are born with such quality and then they develop it. According to Williams Shakespeare “some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them”.
In discussing destiny, a lot of questions normally come to mind, amongst them are: is there anything like destiny? Can destiny be delayed? Must one work to accomplish/manifest destiny? These are some of the numerous questions which of course can be a discussion for another day because they are very ambiguous and somewhat sensitive. In today’s conversation, we shall focus on fulfilling one’s destiny.
In our contemporary society, a lot of people worship money. The crave of money has made a lot of people focus on what is not relevant in life thereby leading to misplaced priority. The crave for money has made many people miss their path to life. If we are honest to ourselves, the most priced wealth we may like to have is to be “fulfilled” in life. This is because when you are fulfilled, nothing else matters. It is instructive to note that you might have all the money you desire and still remain miserable because you lack joy and fulfillment. Don’t get me wrong, money is good, but we have seen rich people commit suicide despite the enormous wealth in their possession. That’s a question we need to ponder upon.
It is also instructive to note that if the only thing you have is money, you’re poor. According to some schools of thought, when they have money, it can complement their peace, passion and fulfillment to some extent. One can imagine how true the statement might sound, but a closer look will reveal that they may lack internal peace and fulfillment, especially when they don’t have what makes them happy.
One of the priceless gifts and assets one can have is peace of mind. Nor matter how wealthy you are, if you don’t have peace of mind you’re literally poor. This is because you’ll always be in a perplexed mood.
In seeking wealth, the first thing to ask yourself is, what’s my purpose? In the same vein, in seeking to know more about your destiny, the first thing you need to do is to ask your creator. Once you have been able to figure out your purpose, you’re close to fulfilling your purpose on earth. It’s quite unfortunate to know that a lot of people fail to discover themselves before leaving this world. We struggle with our identity to find purpose which shouldn’t be. It should be noted that we are all packages/gifts waiting to be opened.
It is a well-established fact that succeeding in life entails following lots of laid down principles, some of which might be unpopular. However, the big picture should be the vision as opposed to vested interest. Confident people don’t go about begging to be recognized; they know what they are made of, hence they work on their craft knowing fully well that at the right time, they will get to the end of the tunnel where light will shine.
Furthermore, genuine success in life is a gradual process. There’s nothing like an overnight success. It is very sad and unfortunate to note that due to the crave for fame and material things, lesser minds condescend to criminal and nefarious acts just to attain some level of success. This shouldn’t be the case, especially if you know yourself. The whole word literally stands out for the man who knows where he’s headed. If you truly know yourself, you don’t need anyone to sing your validation. Success will truly come to you if you play by the rules of the game, especially those destined to succeed
Globally, the world has seen rational minds who are desperate for power and material wealth and lose out simply because they were not destined to have it. One of the best things that can happen to any human being knowing himself. Once you know yourself, you can attract opportunities, especially again if you are destined for success.
At creation, you were not responsible for choosing when, how and where you’ll be born, neither are you responsible for choosing your gender. You may have the dream of working in a particular industry, company or even contest for a political election, but if you’re not destined to be in that industry, even if you’re opportune to get there, you’re likely going to crash when you get to the top. Even if you don’t crash, you might not be happy despite having everything together.
Therefore, I will strongly encourage you to maintain your lane and stay focused. Rushing to attain wealth without having substance is like setting up yourself for disaster. When you have a business, you need to be consistent in your craft. If you are a student, you need focus to study your dream course. If you’re a teacher, you need to be rich ‘upstairs’ in order to impact resourceful knowledge. The list is literally endless.
Life generally involves wisdom, sacrifice, patience and understanding in order for one to appreciate the inherent blessings being offered. You may have toiled day and night, but then that’s the price of success. You need to put in the work and hope and pray the universe will appreciate your work. We are all destined to succeed in life, but the simple reason why we don’t truly succeed is because we are either too busy imitating other people or we fail to look inwards at what’s inside of us that makes us unique. There was a story about two friends digging for gold, one was close to hitting tons of gold, but he relented while his friend was able to strike gold. He literally left all he has been doing just to continue to focus his energy on his friend’s exploration instead of concentrating on his work, not knowing he was on the verge of hitting jackpot.
When our plans don’t go as planned, sometimes we feel frustrated which can make us detour. However, if we remain focused, we’ll reap the fruit of our labour. It’s important to note that circumstances don’t say who we are, they reveal who we are.
In conclusion. destiny can be delayed, but it can’t be denied. What is for you will surely wait for you to claim it when the time is right. Therefore, don’t try to rush your destiny, otherwise, you might reroute your success.
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 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.
