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Food for Living: Your Clock is Ticking
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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 Court of Appeal, Abuja Division, has dismissed the EFCC’s appeal and affirmed the ₦12 million compensation awarded to Dr. Monday Ubani, SAN, for his unlawful 21-day detention in 2019. The court also awarded ₦300,000 in costs against the Commission.
Ubani was detained after securing administrative bail for a client accused of jumping bail. Despite a court order directing the EFCC to release him conditionally or charge him with any alleged offence, the Commission failed to comply, prompting his lawyer, Chief Professor Mike Ozekhome, to institute a fundamental rights action in his favour.
On January 5, 2022, the Abuja High Court, presided over by Justice Sylvanus Oriji, ruled in Ubani’s favour. The EFCC appealed, challenging the trial court’s jurisdiction and the amount of compensation awarded.
In dismissing the appeal, the Court of Appeal rejected both arguments, holding that the compensation was justified and that the EFCC’s investigative powers do not permit arbitrary detention or disobedience of court orders.
The judgment reaffirms that law enforcement agencies remain subject to the Constitution and judicial authority. It also underscores the protection of fundamental rights, the limits of law enforcement powers and the consequences of unlawful detention.
Beyond the financial award, the decision highlights the responsibilities of sureties and the obligation of security agencies to obey court orders, making it a potentially significant reference in future fundamental rights litigation.
By Henry Ukazu
Dear Destiny Friends,
One of life’s most misunderstood concepts is the relationship between process and failure. When some people fail, they think they have done something wrong, but it could be that the person is experiencing the process, or their season has not yet come.
To understand this concept, let’s explain the two terms. A process is a series of structured actions, steps, or decisions taken in a specific order to transform input into a desired output or goal. Here are the key elements of a process
- Inputs: The raw materials, data, or starting requirements (such as ingredients, customer requests, or raw code).
- Activities/Steps: The specific tasks or decisions performed by people, tools, or machines.
- Trigger: An event or demand that kicks off the process (like submitting an order or launching an app).
- Output: The result, product, or delivered service.
- Owner: The person or role accountable for the outcome.
Failure, on the other hand, is the state or condition of not meeting a desirable, required, or intended objective. According to the Cambridge Dictionary, failure can result from any of the following:
- Omission or Neglect: Failing to perform an action that was promised, owed, or expected (such as a failure to pay on time or submit a report).
- System or Organ Malfunction: A situation where a machine, computer, engine, or bodily organ stops working properly (such as engine failure or kidney failure).
- Insolvency: A financial state of bankruptcy, such as the failure of a business or bank.
Having stated the above terms, one can decipher that process is a necessary tool for success. When a process is lacking, failure is inevitable.
I recently listened to a sermon by a Nigerian Pastor. According to the pastor, there’s something that looks like failure, but in a real sense, it is not failure; it is process. Sometimes in life, when we fail in business, examinations, careers, marriage, or even when our health fails us, the reason why they all happen is that we have failed to do the needful, or we need to go through a process.
Let me explain. Let’s say one has a business; if one has not taken the time to learn the trade very well, the person might fail for not learning a necessary skill required for the business, acquiring formal or informal education, or having a form of apprenticeship from a mentor, which might be all that’s necessary for the entrepreneur to succeed. This is what is called a process.
Also, a student will need to read, research, and do assignments to pass an examination. An employee will have to learn a job as an entry-level employee and work his way through to become the Chief Executive Officer. All this involves a process.
Marriage is not an exception. There’s no successful marriage without a form of mentoring or training. A man/woman must undergo a process of marriage counseling to learn about how to win in marriage. In this training, they will learn about communication in marriage, money in marriage, sex in marriage, money in marriage, and personalities in marriage
I strongly believe that there’s time for everything. There is an appointed time for everything. When something is not in its season, don’t expect to deliver. When one puts pressure, it’s bound to fail.
I can vividly remember what my most revered mentor, Dr. Yomi Garnett, counseled me on the importance of patience. A little background about the case: at that time, I had no job. I was working as a security officer. I tried to use my connections to secure a decent job, but it was very challenging. I reached out to Dr. Yomi, whom I call the sage because of his scintillating and rational wisdom. After ranting to him about my litany of problems, he said to me, “Henry, if you like, meet President Obama, Trump, etc.; if God is not ready to give you a job, you won’t get a job”. He went further to say, you can’t rush God. When the time is ready, God will align everything for you.
According to my mentors, there’s something God and the universe want me to learn. I must go through some process of refining for the task ahead. These refining processes might be preparing for the greater task by learning what needs to be learned, or it could be a case of God teaching me wisdom or something of value that will be useful to me in the near future which I may not be able to see now.
When I look back in retrospect, I can authoritatively say my mentor was right.
Sometimes in life, we prepare for the opportunities, while sometimes, we don’t prepare. We just learn on the job. But I honestly think it’s good to prepare before one embarks on any journey. That preparation is called a process.
To understand how the process works, do you know that if you plant corn in the season that is not the rainy season, you will believe it’s a bad seed, but no, that’s not the case because you planted the corn in the wrong season. Even the bible says there’s a time for everything.
Also, someone might finish university and become frustrated because he doesn’t have a job. What the person might not know is that their season is yet to manifest. It could also be that the student might need refinement, which comes with the process.
It’s instructive to note that when your season comes, nothing can stop it; there will be alignment, and the universe will work for you. What you did many years ago that failed to attract attention will begin to attract attention and draw you in.
Today, I pray, may you command attention in your season, not after your season.
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- Actualizing Your Birthright to Success, Unleash Your Destiny and The Six Pillars of Success . He can be reached via info@gloemi.com
Accomplished media entrepreneur and chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Chief Dele Momodu, has said that nobody trusts President Bola Tinubu to conduct a free and fair election, including the President’s own supporters.
Momodu also noted that there is a belief that if the President does not win in 2027, he will not want to relinquish power.
He added that if Tinubu refuses to step down, he would be chased out of the Presidential Villa.
Momodu made the revelations while speaking on Arise News Prime Time belt.
“If you ask an average Nigerian today about Tinubu, ‘Do you trust Tinubu to conduct a free and fair election?’ I can tell you, 90 per cent of them will say no.
“Look, nobody trusts Tinubu to run a free and fair election, including his own supporters. They will tell you, ‘Oh, we are going to win. There is no way we won’t win.’ Ask them why, and they will say, ‘Oh, you know our oga now.’
“In fact, some people are even suggesting that if Tinubu loses the election, he will not agree to step down. I say, why won’t he agree? We will chase him away.
“Look, you do not know the determination of Nigerians. And now, I’m not resting my confidence on just my party. I’m talking about the ordinary man on the street who cannot imagine Tinubu coming back again. They just can’t.
“I can’t tell you our strategy in public. What we know is that, once upon a time, Tinubu fought for himself to secure a second term as governor of Lagos State.
“So, others are also working very hard behind the scenes. We are not going to come out in public and say this, but we know what to do to make sure that he does not get that second term. We also know that some of the people pretending to support him today—and I’m not trying to trivialise this thing.
“I know some of them. They are praying fervently that they will not have to go through this situation where governors become like houseboys. Governors are scared. Judges are scared. Legislators are scared.
“So, Tinubu has become a god whom nobody is ready to confront and say, ‘Oga, you’ve done your best. Please, go home.’”
