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Food for Living: Your Clock is Ticking
By Henry Ukazu
Dear Destiny Friends,
One of the greatest assets available to mankind is time. It’s quite unfortunate many people don’t know how resourceful and important time can play in the life of a progressive being. The proper utilization and resourceful use of time can play a game changer role in one’s life. Whether you are a student, professor, politician, entrepreneur, career professional, pastor or parent; time will play a crucial role in your life.
Just to make you understand how powerful timing is important; did you know that every day we wake up, our clock is ticking, and we are getting closer to our grave. In the same way, every single day you add value to your business, academics, career, or whatever you are involved in, you are getting closer to your success. That is why it is important for one not to give up when pursuing a goal or vision.
Just so you know, you can lose your money, health, opportunities, relationship and job and still get them back, but when you lose time, you can hardly get it back. So, to understand how your clock is ticking, one must be intentional in taking care of his health, relationship, investment and time because a single step might result to a major loss. It’s just like a man who is careless sleeping with ladies, you never can tell which lady will give you sexually transmitted disease or even have a spiritual curse or demon following her, and a minute of fun will usher in failure and setback in life and business.
It’s painful to see someone, who has invested so much time in a project and is literally on the verge of breaking through only to give up at the last lap. There was a story about a man who was striking a rock in search of gold, he was on the verge of hitting a goldmine, when he gave up trying. He didn’t know he was barely one strike to find gold. I guess, if only he knew he needed one more strike, he wouldn’t have left. That is virtually how some of us lose opportunities. Sometimes, ungrateful people with vested interest lose opportunities simply because of what they are looking for in their mentor, friend, benefactor or boss. These ungrateful minds fail to understand that there is a timing for everything. Your mentor, friend, benefactor might be testing your patience, mindset, personality, integrity among others.
Again, imagine a sprinter running a race, every second counts. At the slightest mistake, an athlete can lose his race. The world experienced the closest 100 meters race in history when Usain Bolt of Jamaica beat USA Justin Gatlin by less than a second. Usain Bolt ran 9.79 seconds while Justin Gatlin ran 9.80 in Beijing in 2009. Imagine what a second slip would have caused Usain Bolt if he had relaxed. He would have literally lost the race. That’s simply how the race of life works. A single mistake can cause you a lifetime opportunity. A single message, word, attitude, opportunity etc can set you back.
In the same manner a single opportunity, success, favor, attitude can set you up for life. It’s imperatively important for one not to take anyone and anything for granted. Live your life daily as everything depends on the opportunity you are experiencing because nobody literally knows the opportunity that will be a lifetime changer.
However, I strongly believe regardless of the missed mistakes, what will be, will be regardless of the mistakes one may have made especially when the creator is working on your case. He can remote your life in such a way your detractors will be confused in their confusion. The moral here is don’t take anybody, any opportunity, any access, privilege etc. for granted. The moment you do that, you are bound to pay for it. According to a revered mentor of mine, Dr. Dele Momodu, you are as good as your last performance. He also advised, no one should take access for granted. The moment you do that you are setting yourself for failure.
In the journey of life, we have created and lost opportunities. I can vividly remember when I met the first African (Mpule Kwelagobe ) to win Miss Universe in 1999, in Washington at a High Profile event where African presidents had a meeting with President Obama. She was inspired by confidence and inspiration to better the African continent with my ideas and articles. We had a rosy conversation and meetings. I can vividly remember when she told me she sits on the Board of Warren Buffet during one of our engagements. During that period, I wasn’t really exposed to managing access and relationships with the high and mighty and that robbed me what would have been a lifetime opportunity. Imagine if I had managed the friendship, I believe it would have blossomed.
Just to get a clearer perspective on how the timing of the clock works, if your time for opportunity has not come, there’s nothing you can do to fast track it. This is simply because one cannot fast track their blessings except it is “spiritually” orchestrated. It’s just like when you look at a mango, orange, or any fruit with seed, you will observe that while some are ripe, some are unripe. That simply tells you everybody’ timing and destiny is different.
Opportunity comes in at different times. Sometimes you need to learn, sometimes, you need to volunteer, sometimes, you need to serve, sometimes, you need to develop your craft. On a personal note, I have experienced delayed opportunities despite all effort to get attention. A case study when I got my first City job in New York. I was hoping my high-profile network would assist me, but it dawned on me, life doesn’t always go as planned. I came to the sublime realization and submission that if you are doing your bit to add value to life, you will blossom when the timing is right for you.
Men of influence are very important, but the message here is that one has to be careful and intentional in understanding the roles men and God plays in the lives of men. I say this because, as the author of “Design Your Destiny- Actualising Your Birthright to Success”, I understand the role of a second, minute and hour in the life of a human. So if not properly managed, it can cause you a fortune.
I have even depended so much on people for opportunities and they failed woefully, it was only later in life, I realised the role of God in my life and the life of ordinary people. I say this with all sense of sincerity without sounding immodest because some opportunities and highlights I have attained couldn’t have been possible without the intervention of God. I remembered how the United Nations Development Programme came through for me at the last second. High profile people had to be up at night just to just ensure I board the last plane to fly me to Rwanda for a presentation and upon arrival, I was given a VIP treatment during all my panels and presentations. I can go on and on.
In conclusion, be mindful of how you treat your inferiors, superiors, strangers, etc. because you never can tell what word, attitude etc. you will display which may work against you.
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 Your and Unleash Your Destiny . He can be reached via info@gloemi.com
The Zone 2 Command Headquarters under the leadership of AIG Adegoke M. Fayoade, has held a lecture on measuring gender-related killings of women and girls (femicides), with a view to presenting recommendations for data systems improvement, advocacy and Action.
The lecture, which was held at the MD Abubakar Conference Hall, Zone 2 Command Headquarters, Onikan, Lagos, was was presided over by AIG Fayoade with senior personnel in attendance.
The presentation, according to a statement by the Zone’s Public Relations Officer, SP Ayuba Ummah, and made available to the National Association of Online Security News Publishers (NAOSNP), was an awareness and training programme, which aims at closing the statistical gap and establish a framework for measuring femicides within the Nigeria Police Force and relevant stakeholders to enhance policy making in ending this brutal manifestation of Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) as well as provide a comparable data for global reference.
During the lecture, the Force Pathologist, ACP (Dr.) Samuel Keshinro, spoke on “Measuring Gender-related Killing of Women and Girls (femicides) in Lagos State to Present Recommendations for Data Systems Improvements, Advocacy and Action” focusing on the importance of data collection to assess the burden of femicide according to the framework of the International Classification of Crime for Statistical Purposes (ICCS). The ICCS is a classification of criminal offences developed by the UN based on internationally agreed concepts, definitions and principles to enhance the consistency and international comparability of crime statistics and improve analytical capabilities at both the national and international levels.
At the presentation, Dr Keshinro cited the Spotlight Initiative (the United Nations high-impact initiative to end violence against women and girls) on VAWG stating that one in three women experience sexual, physical, and psychological abuse including victims of trafficking, or violent social norms. The pervasiveness of VAWG which is a subset of GBV that specifically targets females are perpetrated by intimate partners i.e. Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) which includes husbands, boyfriend, ex-husband and ex-boyfriends causing sexual, physical, and psychological harm to the female gender. The extreme form of VAWG that causes death is called FEMICIDE defined by the UN as the intentional killing of a woman or a girl with a gender-related motivation.
Dear Destiny Friends,
The best helping hand you will ever find is at the end of your own arm – John Mason
One of the best forms of love, if not the best, is self-love. The ultimate truth is that apart from the creator, nobody can love you more than you can love yourself.
As human beings, sometimes, we depend on other people’s love to feel loved. Some people even desire social media and online love just to be accepted into the society. No doubt, everyone loves attention and approval.
Everyone loves to be accepted, appreciated, and recognized, but some of us are not ready to do the needful to attract the desired attention. The simple truth about life is that nobody can give you attention, neither will anyone give you recognition if you have not given them a reason to do so. So, one needs to help themselves before other people can help them.
Helping yourself is the best thing that can happen to you. When you help yourself, the joy hits differently. Helping yourself is not limited to adding value to your life. Did you know that self-care is a lifestyle, and it is one of the ways to help your life. Some of the ways self-care can help your life are engaging in regular exercise, eating healthy, avoiding drugs and alcohol, and sleeping well. Self-help also involves taking care of your mental, emotional, physical, environment, recreational, financial, social, physical, and spiritual needs.
Did you know that practicing simple self-care activities can help one achieve greater mental clarity, and gain a better understanding of their feelings?
Helping oneself is okay so long as it doesn’t involve unlawful actions or breach of peace. It’s sad to see people engage in illegality just to get what they want.
Those that depend on fellow human beings for help might be disappointed. Even though they may not have the intention to fail you, life sometimes, happens. They too might be going through personal challenges. Always leave a space in your heart to forgive or overlook when supposed friends, mentors, family members, mentors and benefactors don’t come through for you.
The sad reality of life is that, most times, we like to receive from resourceful persons, but we don’t seem to ask who will give to them. Do you think manna will fall from heaven for them? No. They must find creative ways to make ends meet. One of my mentors once stated, ‘you can work alone, but you can’t eat alone’.
What you don’t know is that these resourceful people were able to help themselves. That’s why they were able to get assistance from established institutions and resourceful people. Some of them might have had a business plans which they pitched to a team of panelists. Some developed programmes, sowed seeds, traveled far and wide and made mistakes while searching for the right path. These are some ways of helping oneself.
I have always stated, we all go through a secret frustration which nobody knows. For a fact, it is easier for people to assist you when you have added adequate value to your life. When you do, people won’t see you as a liability, rather, they will see you as a resource being.
In my journey towards life, I have realized that when you have a mentor or leader you respect, your ability to do the work will enable them to put the icing on the cake. I vividly remember when I published my first book, I had to reach out to Dr. Chief Dele Momodu to write the Foreword to my book. He was kind enough to accept my request. Imagine, if I had not written the book, the opportunity wouldn’t have arisen.
Now, you see that I was able to help myself before help came through. Isn’t it true that heaven helps those who help themselves.
In contemporary times, sometimes, we hope and rely on family members, friends, mentors, associates, mentees, benefactors and more, to help our craft just because we feel and think they are in a better position to assist us, depending on their position or status, but the reality is that sometimes we ask people things that are beyond them and when they refuse to assist, we feel offended.
One of my mentors, Dr. Yomi Garnett, rightly stated as follows, “So your aunt won’t help you financially. Your well-connected uncle won’t give you an introductory note to his minister-friend. Refuse to despise or resent them. Forgive them. Make excuses for them, such as they have enough challenges of their own. Then promptly take responsibility for your own life and your own success by asking God to show you His way.”
I can relate to Dr. Garnett’s statement because, in the past, I have tried to reach some people, some I shared my programmes for consideration, while others came via introduction. In most of these engagements, I couldn’t get what I wanted either because I didn’t come prepared, or was yet to develop the required capacity and competence to execute the task. However, when I developed expertise, they came for me, and in some cases, I was highly recommended. This is the reality of life; people generally love ripe fruits as opposed to unripe fruits which don’t taste nice.
During my formative years, I depended on people to the extent I feel entitled for their support because I felt they were rich, wealthy, and highly connected. I didn’t realize life doesn’t work that way. It was much later in life I realized that it will be easier for them to share their network and net worth with me when I have helped myself. As a matter of fact, that has become my fate because I have had opportunities to relate and work closely with some of my benefactors.
Today, I charge you to make an intentional effort to help yourself. Give your life a meaning. Stop complaining and start to take action to change the course of your life. You are not alone in this struggle; we are all in it together. Remember, nobody can write your story more than you and if you don’t talk about yourself, nobody will talk about you.
In conclusion, endeavor to help yourself so others can help you.
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 Your and Unleash Your Destiny . He can be reached via info@gloemi.com
By Eric Elezuo
The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has said that its novel Computer-Based West African Senior School Certificate Examination (CB-WASSCE) is set to commence on Friday, October 25, with a termination date of Friday December 20, 2024. It also noted that the deadline for the registration of the examination has been extended till October 29, 2024.
The information was contained a press statement signed by the Acting Head, Public Affairs Department, Moyosola Adesina, on behalf of the Head, National Office.
The statement noted that “the examination will adopt the hybrid mode of delivering the examination, which implies that, the objective or multiple-choice questions would be rendered on-screen and candidates would be required to give their responses on the screen, while the essay and practical questions will be rendered on-screen, likewise, but candidates would have to give their responses using the answer booklets provided.”
Read the statement in full:
CONDUCT OF COMPUTER-BASED WEST AFRICAN SENIOR SCHOOL CERTIFICATE EXAMINATION (CB-WASSCE) FOR PRIVATE CANDIDATES, 2024-SECOND SERIES: FINAL EXTENSION OF REGISTRATION DEADLINE
The West African Examinations Council (WAEC), Nigeria, wishes to announce to candidates, stakeholders, and the general public that it is set to conduct the novel Computer-Based West African Senior School Certificate Examination (CB- WASSCE) for Private Candidates, 2024– Second Series from Friday, October 25 to Friday, December 20, 2024.
The examination will adopt the hybrid mode of delivering the examination, which implies that, the objective or multiple-choice questions would be rendered on-screen and candidates would be required to give their responses on the screen, while the essay and practical questions will be rendered on-screen, likewise, but candidates would have to give their responses using the answer booklets provided. Meanwhile, the examination diet has provided an option for candidates who may wish to use Paper and Pen mode, for the whole examination papers.
On this note, the Council wishes to inform all intending candidates that the registration period has been extended to Tuesday, October 29, 2024. Similarly, the “Walk-in-Candidate” opportunity (for candidates who register 24 hours before the particular paper of their choice is due to be taken) will be open at the end of the registration. Final timetable for the examination is available for download on the WAEC Nigeria website (https://www.waecnigeria.org) .
All intending, as well as registered, candidates are advised to take advantage of the numerous learning resources provided by the Council. These include signing up on the WAEC e-Study platform (via https://estudy.ng), purchasing the WAEC Past Questions and Answers’ books, and joining other candidates (on https:// www.waeckonnect.com ) to interact, on the WAECKonnect platform.
WAEC wishes all candidates for the examination success. The Council will always seek ways of delivering on its mandate by deploying technological innovations to make its services easily accessible to all stakeholders.
Issued by Public Affairs Department.
