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Food for Living: You Deserve the Best
By Henry Ukazu
Dear Destiny Friends,
Growing up as kids in middle/primary schools, our dreams centred on claiming the first position in class. As an athlete/sportsman, the basic dream is to win the race and take the coveted prize. As a social being going into any relationship, your desire is to go for the best. As an employer scouting for the right candidate for a job, your goal is to hire the best applicant. As a leader, your joy will be not only to select competent people to work with, but also get a good successor. The list is endless.
In the journey of life, everyone deserves the best. No one wants to be cut off. But to get the best life can offer, we have to consciously plan for the best, and make provision for the worst if plans fail to go as planned. In the course of this article, we will be exploring options on how we can get the best out of life.
Due to the vicissitudes of life, it is normal for one to feel he/she is a victim of circumstance. This feeling might make one to give up, especially after investing great time and resources into a failed project. The truth is that, we all deserve the best, but the reality remains that sometimes in the pursuit of our goals, we don’t give our very best.
Regardless of the challenges and obstacles you may have experienced, I want you know that you are a force to reckon with. If you are human, you must surely face challenges, one way or another. These problems and challenges are programmed to make you strong provided you are willing to learn the inherent lessons in addition to overcoming the challenges. It is generally believed that the bigger the head, the bigger the crown, but the irony of life is that, problems are structured to make one grow. It is the growth process that will make you a more refined person. Once you are refined, the best in you will begin to see the light of the day.
Most situations that come our way appear permanent, prompting one to ask if the unhealthy circumstance will ever go away. Sometimes, due to the topsy-turvy nature of life, people tend to distance themselves from you with the erroneous belief that something isn’t right with you.
My kind thoughts and advice to you is, be you and do you because those that matter don’t care and those that care don’t matter. The people you need in your life are the right people who believe in you and share the same values and vision with you. These are the people that deserve your time and attention.
In determining the best route to take in life, it is imperative you reconsider your vision and mission statement. Your vision and mission statement determines the choice you make in life. This is because your values are determined by your choice and decision. It is worthy of note that when you make a conscious effort to engage in any act, you are bound by whatever comes with it. For instance, if you have the vision of making the world a better place; where peace and harmony thrives, you must endeavour to marry a spouse who believes in your vision and values. Once you miss that, you are likely going to hit the rock, and bound to live the outcome.
It should be noted that the choice we make has a role to play in our life. Your attitude is a choice, your happiness is a choice, being optimistic and pessimistic is a choice, and life generally is a choice. Your choice normally shows up in your taste and brand of quality you value.
If you have a product of interest you would like to share with resourceful minds, your manner of approach is very critical in the reception you will receive. It is however, normal for some people to reject your product for reasons best known to them. In marketing, it is immaterial what people think about you and your product, your paramount concern should always be how you can improve yourself and your product. According to Wayne Dyer, “What other people think of me is none of my business.”
When you believe in yourself, you’ll have the uncommon courage to thrive. You don’t really need the approval of men. You may have been told, you will amount to nothing due to one or two limitations you have; don’t be deterred, only look at the bigger picture, and have confidence, and you will realise it won’t take time before you overcome.
One of the reasons we don’t get the best out of life is because we allow fear to live in our hearts. It’s high time we kicked out fear from. Fear keeps us from true happiness because it prevents us from taking risks.
In relationships, refuse to settle for less than you deserve. If there is a particular quality you desire in a partner, search and uncover it. According to Bianca Sparacino, “You deserve to find someone who does not ask you to lessen your roar, who is in awe of the magnitude by which your passion burns. You deserve to find someone who will only ever want to add to your fire, someone who will use their own matchstick heart to encourage your passion, to magnify your flame.”
In same vein, if you are a male or female, you must believe in yourself by stooping to conquer. The honest truth is that, when you are fake, you deprive your true friends the opportunity to relate closely with you, and when you are real, you give fake friends the opportunity to run away from you.
Furthermore, true love is supposed to be amazing and a life-changing experience. It is not supposed to be fearful. Love means accepting a person, flaws and all. It’s about fully appreciating a person without trying to change them. It’s about free will. When it comes to love, you shouldn’t settle for anything but the absolute best. You deserve someone who’s going to leave an imprint in your life; someone who’s going to show you that they care about you. However, what people don’t understand is that, “You can’t force a relationship, and you can’t force love. Any one who genuinely wants to be with you will make an effort to be with you. Moral :You can’t change someone.
You deserve someone who will challenge you and make you think about what you really want out of life. You deserve someone who incorporates you into his life. You deserve someone who makes you better by making your dream come true. Brianna Perry, when asked about his advice to intending couples, said, “If you don’t feel lightning in your bones, don’t stay.”
In conclusion, as you journey, I hope you find what you truly deserve. I hope you discover the type of energy and love that you’ve wasted upon others; and finally, I hope you understand that what you demand is never too much.
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. He can be reached via henrous@gmail.com
A federal judge in the United States, on Thursday, put a temporary block on President Donald Trump’s attempt to restrict birthright citizenship.
The ruling imposes a 14-day halt on the enforcement of one of the most controversial executive orders Trump signed hours after being sworn into office for a second term.
It comes after lawsuits were filed by a total of 22 states, two cities and numerous civil rights groups.
“This is a blatantly unconstitutional order,” senior US District Judge John Coughenour was reported as saying during the hearing in Washington State.
“I’ve been on the bench for over four decades, I can’t remember another case where the question presented is as clear as this one is,” said Coughenour, who was appointed to the bench by a Republican president, Ronald Reagan.
Birthright citizenship is fundamental to America’s national identity, with the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution decreeing that anyone born on US soil is a citizen.
It says, in part: “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.”
Trump’s order was premised on the idea that anyone in the US illegally, or on a visa, was not “subject to the jurisdiction” of the country, and therefore excluded from this category.
AFP
The Court of Appeal sitting in Akure, Ondo State capital has upheld the death sentence of Ramon Adedoyin, a prominent businessman and hotelier, for his involvement in the murder of one Timothy Adegoke, a former postgraduate student of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State.
Delivering the judgment on Thursday, the court affirmed the earlier verdict of the Osun State High Court, which had sentenced Adedoyin to death.
“The judgment of the High Court of Osun State stands. Adedoyin’s appeal is dismissed in part,” the court declared in part.
The Court of Appeal, however, set aside some aspects of the lower court’s orders, including the forfeiture of the Hilton Hotel and the order for Adedoyin to pay for the education of Adegoke’s children.
Furthermore, the court ruled that it had no jurisdiction to impose penalties outside the statutory provisions
Adegoke’s death was reported in November 2021 after his corpse was found at the Hilton Honours Hotel in Ile-Ife, Osun State, where he had lodged.
The hotelier had travelled from Abuja for an examination at a distance learning centre in Moro, Osun State on November 5 of that year.
He had checked into the hotel but was reported missing after two days. However, Adegoke’s body was found days later, leading to a probe that linked his death to Adedoyin and others.
In May 2023, Adedoyin and others were sentenced to death after they were found guilty of murder and conspiracy to murder.
But dissatisfied with the judgement, Adedoyin approached the Appeal court to dismiss the sentence and conviction.
The court of appeal, on Thursday, however, upheld the conviction and death sentence of the hotelier.
The Nigeria Police have announced that their operatives have rescued Mrs Folasade Odumosu, the wife of a former Assistant Inspector General, Hakeem Odumosu, who was last Thursday, kidnapped at the entrance of her home in Arepo, Ogun State.
The Force Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, confirmed this in a statement on Thursday in Abuja, noting that two of the kidnappers were killed while four others escaped without their weapons.
Adejobi said with the support of the Force Headquarters technical intelligence platforms, the Ogun State police operatives engaged Odumosu’s abductors in a gun duel and neutralized the criminals in the swampy area of Ikorodu on Wednesday.
The police spokesman added that Mrs Odumosu is currently undergoing a medical evaluation and has since been reunited with her family.
The statement read, “In a commendable display of teamwork and swift action, police operatives attached to the Ogun State Command have successfully neutralized the kidnappers of Mrs. Odumosu, wife of Retired Assistant-Inspector General, AIG Hakeem Odumosu, and rescued her unharmed.
“On January 16, 2025, at approximately 9:45 PM, four masked gunmen forcibly abducted Mrs. Odumosu from her Lexus Jeep outside her residence in Arepo, Ogun State. The abduction sparked an immediate response from the anti-kidnapping unit of the Ogun State Police Command, who commenced a thorough investigation and targeted pursuit of the kidnappers.
“With the support of the Force Headquarters technical intelligence platforms, the Ogun State police operatives engaged in extensive surveillance of the creeks surrounding Arepo, gathering crucial information to track down the assailants. Their efforts culminated in a raid on January 23, 2025, at around 06:45 AM. The intelligence-led operation took the police to a creek in the swampy area of Ikorodu, where the kidnappers were reportedly planning their next attack.
“Upon arrival, the operatives encountered the kidnappers, who opened fire. In the ensuing confrontation, two of the gunmen were neutralized, while four others fled the scene, abandoning their operational weapons.”
Adejobi said the police operatives recovered N10m initially paid to the kidnappers, four Ak-47 rifles, three locally made single barrel rifles, and ammunition of various calibres.
He added, “The victim, Mrs Odumosu was rescued within the swampy creeks during the operation, unharmed. She is currently undergoing medical evaluation as a precautionary measure and has since been reunited with her family. The police also recovered 4 Ak-47 rifles, 3 locally made single barrel rifles, ammunition of various calibres, and the sum of N10,000,000 ransom previously demanded by the kidnappers, further ensuring that justice is served.”
Adejobi said the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, commended the police operatives and the Ogun State Commissioner of Police, Lanre Ogunlowo, for the rescue operation.
He asserted that the Police Force is committed to safeguarding the citizens and combat kidnapping and other violent crimes.
“The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, Ph.D., NPM., has commended the Ogun State Commissioner of Police, CP Lanre Ogunlowo, and his operatives for their displayed gallantry in this successful operation.
“This operation exemplifies the dedication and resilience of our Police officers. The Nigeria Police Force remains steadfast in its mission to combat kidnapping and other violent crimes, providing safety and security to all citizens,” he added.
