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Food for Living: Your Time is Coming
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By Henry Ukazu
Dear Destiny Friends,
Time is one of the two greatest assets we have in our possession. The other is health. Both are difficult to regain when they are lost, especially time, and so must be jealousy guarded. One can easily get back lost items such as money, friend, job and property but no one prays to lose time and health because to an extent, they are irredeemable. When they are lost, the possibility of recovering them is very slim.
If you want to know what’s valuable to someone, look at how they spend their time. Most people will generally spend their time on what they value. That’s why you see people supporting causes they are passionate about.
Anyone who wants to succeed must endeavour to make judicious use of their time, and that entails building their craft from ground zero. Sometimes, one might do the work, and the result might not come as planned or expected. There’s tendency therefore, for frustration to set in. However, if one is able to think out of the box, he will understand that success is hard work in progress. If you have done the needful, and the result doesn’t kick in, relax, maybe the time is not ripe yet. Be advised, there’s no guarantee of success except when one has done the needful and the timing is right.
The importance of time cannot be overemphasized. I once read an interesting illustration that aptly highlights the value of time, and why it must be properly managed and maximized. Here it is: “Imagine there is a bank account which credits your account every morning with $86,400. It carries no balance from day to day. Every evening the bank deletes whatever part of the balance you failed to use during the day. What will you do? Draw about every cent of course.
Each of us has such a bank account, and it is called time. Every morning it credits you with 86,400 seconds. Every night it writes off as lost whatever of this you failed to invest for a good purpose. It carries over no balance. It allows no overdraft. Each day, it opens a new account for you. Each night, it burns the remains of the day. If you fail to use the day’s deposit, the loss is yours. There’s no drawing against “tomorrow.” You must live in the present on today’s deposit. Invest in it so as to get from it the utmost in good health, happiness and success. The clock is running. Make the most of today.”
In life, we all have things we dream and aspire for, opportunities we hope to get, and problems we hope to turn around. Sometimes we get discouraged and disappointed due to the travails of life. It’s instructive to note that these challenges and setbacks might be part of the grand process in the scheme of things.
It should be noted that there’s a set time for everything, just like all wounds heal differently. Sometimes, one must go through the desert and wilderness before their announcement. The challenge most people will have to deal with is how to cope during the challenging times. If you are faithful while in the wilderness, you will be trusted with abundance. So, it’s imperative for one to be at one’s best during the waiting time. This is because one will have to be anointed to be appointed.
Most times, we are desperate for opportunities, don’t get me wrong, it’s good to hunger for success, but one must be mindful he cannot be faster than his shadow. It’s instructive to note that when your time of success has come, nobody can stop it.
Everyone’s success has a time zone, just like a pregnant woman has nine months to incubate her baby. In the same vein, a dog, goat, elephant, lion etc. all have different time zones to carry their young ones and their life span is also different.
Again, just like a tree takes time to grow and produce fruits, success in life takes a process. I will strongly advise you to continue to work on your craft, regardless of the obstacles and challenges that might be posing as threat to you. Sometimes, you must make mistakes to get it right, and these mistakes can be programmed for your success without one’s understanding.
It’s instructive to note that success has timing. One will have to nurture it by doing the work. Just like a farmer will have to cultivate a land, plant crops, water it, add manure and fertilizer, remove weeds, and then harvest. A progressive mind will have to do the needful to reap the fruits of his/her labour. The sad part is that one might do everything and still lose out, and if that is your case, relax, that is not the end of life. When your vision is limited, your success will be limited.
Everything has its season. Your opportunity will come looking for you, the right people will come through when the timing is right. Pending when they come, please continue to add value to your life by learning and having a great attitude. You have to be ready to meet opportunity.
Everything in life has a set time for it to be unleashed. However, one must take the first step by building the right craft. When you diligently build your craft, you will be surprised to see the opportunities that can come to you. On a personal note, my first book Design Your Destiny has opened numerous doors for me, and announced me in several ways.
To appreciate the right timing to harvest, one will have to plan and prepare well. This planning and preparation entail building capacity. It’s just like meeting a mentor or great man, one must be patient to understand the person.
It’s sad to see people who are concerned about the success of others thinking that it’s over for them, especially in this era of social media where people showcase “success”. Don’t get me wrong, it’s good to share progress and good deeds, but don’t be concerned about others’ success, rather see it as an inspiration. The man/woman you are admiring might be admiring you also without you knowing.
Just to put into perspective, imagine a car that was made twenty years ago, today it’s no longer admired by lovers of cars because of new innovations. Do you see why you have to be patient because of your success because yours might be better when your time comes. Don’t compare your journey to others because you don’t know what their process and trajectory is like. Sometimes, the people you are admiring might be your forerunner who will prepare the ground for you by the mistakes they will experience.
Sometimes, it’s not the waiting that matters, it’s your attitude during the waiting period. On numerous occasions, I have experienced the benefit of exercising patience and I have also paid the price for not being patient.
It’s sad to see some people complaining they did the needful, played by the rules, avoided social vices, yet they are still struggling. If you are in this category, just know the fingerprint of everyone is different, you might decide to engage the act and get caught up and that might be game over for you.
In conclusion, as you journey through life, use the traffic light to understand the timing. The green signifies progress, the amber (yellow) signifies caution while the red light signifies stop or danger. When one can decipher these instructions, one will be able to navigate life properly.
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 and Unleash Your Destiny. He can be reached via info@gloemi.com
Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar has accused President Bola Tinubu of presiding over a grotesque spectacle of executive excess: the reported distribution of 2026 model luxury SUVs, each worth more than ₦150 million, to APC youth leaders while millions of Nigerians are crushed by hunger and soaring costs.
Atiku said it was a brazen insult to ask Nigerians to endure hardship while party loyalists receive vehicles worth a fortune. He demanded an immediate public explanation from President Tinubu and the Presidency: who is paying for these SUVs, and why is such lavish political spending taking place while ordinary families struggle to afford food and transport?
In a statement issued by Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, Atiku said:
“The APC National Youth Leader says these vehicles were donated by First Lady Oluremi Tinubu. Nigerians deserve to know where the money came from to buy and distribute so many 2026 model SUVs, each worth more than ₦150 million, for political mobilisation.
“The First Lady holds no elected or executive office.She is only a domestic appendage of the office of President. Were these vehicles bought with her personal funds, donations or public resources? Who paid for them? What was the total cost? The Presidency must provide a clear account. Nigerians cannot be expected to accept a fleet of extraordinarily expensive vehicles for party loyalists without knowing who financed them.
“At a time families cannot afford food, transport and other basic necessities, these gifts are a brazen insult to the people. The government has found a way to provide luxury SUVs for APC youth leaders, yet millions of Nigerians are still waiting for meaningful relief from the cost of living crisis. This is not merely a question of misplaced priorities. It is one of the most outlandish displays of executive recklessness in our history.
“First, APC women leaders reportedly received luxury vehicles. Now, according to the National Youth Leader, APC youth leaders are receiving SUVs from the First Lady. The earlier gifts came on the eve of the abduction of schoolchildren in Oyo State. Now another lavish round of political giving is taking place while Nigerians face hunger, insecurity and hardship.
“While Nigerians continue to ask where the savings from subsidy removal have gone, the Presidency must explain how such costly gifts are being funded. If the vehicles were paid for privately, the source of the funds should be disclosed. If public resources were used, the government must identify who authorised the spending and under what legal authority.
“The scale of these gifts raises grave questions about whether our collective patrimony is being diverted to buy political loyalty. Nigeria cannot be run as a captured state, where wealth and influence serve the powerful while ordinary citizens are left to struggle.
“The same youth leader who made the gifts public is reportedly travelling by private jet. That image of extraordinary privilege stands in jarring contrast to the hardship facing ordinary Nigerians. The Presidency must stop treating questions about wealth and spending as an inconvenience. Nigerians have a right to ask where the money came from.
“Nor is this culture of privilege confined to party officials; it reaches the very household of the President. His own son, Mr Seyi Tinubu, has been pictured, in widely circulated images, wearing a Richard Mille RM 67-02 Sébastien Ogier, a timepiece that sells for close to half a million dollars ($500k), while the same government asks ordinary Nigerians to endure hardship, tighten their belts and wait patiently for relief that never seems to arrive.
“A worker on the national minimum wage would need several lifetimes to earn what the President’s son wears on one wrist. When the household of the President and the youth leader of his party flaunt such wealth in a season of hunger, insecurity and joblessness, they are not merely displaying poor taste; they are telling Nigerians, in the plainest possible terms, how little their suffering registers in the corridors of power.
“Why is Bola inflicting such pain on Nigerians while those closest to his government enjoy such lavish privilege? Nigerians need answers, not another display of wealth for political mobilisation.
“When I am sworn in as President, every naira found to have been spent illegally will be thoroughly investigated, and everyone found culpable will be brought to justice.
“Tinubu made life difficult. I will make life affordable again.”
The African Democratic Congress Presidential Campaign Council (ADC-PCC) has described the All Progressives Congress (APC) Northwest zonal flag-off rally in Kaduna as a monumental disappointment, accusing the ruling party of relying on rented crowds, empty seats and recycled promises.
Reacting to the rally held at the Kaduna Township Stadium, the Director of Media and Publicity of the ADC-PCC, Kola Ologbondiyan, said an event intended to demonstrate the APC’s political strength across the Northwest had instead exposed what he described as the party’s declining public acceptance.
Ologbondiyan alleged that the APC mobilised people from the seven states of the Northwest and beyond, with payments reportedly ranging from ₦50,000 to ₦100,000 per person, yet the stadium, which he put at a capacity of 5,000, remained sparsely occupied.
“For a rally billed as the Northwest zonal flag-off, what we witnessed was a shameful spectacle. Despite the alleged mobilisation of crowds from across the zone and beyond, the stadium remained scantily filled, with empty seats everywhere,” he said.
He added that the turnout, which he described as disappointing, was compounded by what he called the unenthusiastic reception given to the speeches and messages of APC leaders.
The ADC-PCC Director also criticised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s reported commissioning of road projects at the event, describing the exercise as troubling and questioning the administration’s claims of performance.
Ologbondiyan further alleged that some attendees expressed dissatisfaction with the ruling party after leaving the stadium, chanting the Hausa phrase “Ba mu yi,” which he interpreted as a rejection of the APC and its policies.
“You can rent a crowd, but you cannot rent acceptance. Even if people attend a rally, that does not mean they have surrendered their convictions. The real test of public support is what Nigerians will decide at the ballot box,” he said.
The ADC-PCC accused the APC of returning to Kaduna with promises similar to those made during the 2015, 2019 and 2023 election cycles, arguing that the ruling party had failed to adequately account for its years in power.
It also faulted President Tinubu for, according to the council, shifting responsibility for the hardship facing Nigerians to opposition leaders rather than addressing the economic consequences of his administration’s policies.
Ologbondiyan particularly criticised the President’s position on fuel subsidy removal, which the ADC-PCC maintains has intensified the economic burden on households already struggling with rising living costs.
The council urged the APC to stop what it described as wasteful political jamborees, apologise to Nigerians over the prevailing economic difficulties and begin to prepare for an orderly transfer of power in 2027.
It maintained that the ADC represents a credible alternative for Nigerians seeking a change in leadership, promising that the electorate would use the next general election to express its dissatisfaction with the ruling party.
“The message from Kaduna is loud and clear: Nigerians are saying ‘Ba mu yi’ to the APC and Tinubu. Come 2027, they will speak even louder with their votes,” Ologbondiyan declared.
By Henry Ukazu
Dear Destiny Friends,
If you are asked, what’s your calling, what will be your response? If you are asked what your purpose on earth is, what will be your response? If you are asked who you are, what would be your response? These, no doubt, are interesting questions to decipher one’s calling.
Finding one’s calling is the best thing that can happen to anyone. According to one of my most cherished mentors, Dr. Yomi Garnett, the day you find your purpose is the day you become a millionaire. I couldn’t agree more with this saying because it is nothing but the gospel truth. This is because the best thing that can happen to anyone is knowing their calling.
According to Mark Twain, “The two most important days in your life are the day you are born, and the day you find out why. This is a fact. It’s quite unfortunate that many people are just existing as opposed to living. We were not created to exist, we were created to fill a vacuum, and we can only make an impact if we are intentionally answering our call.
Let’s circle back to the question I asked at the beginning of this article, what’s your calling? To answer this question, I would like you to approach it from a spiritual perspective. At creation, God called us to be something in the world, that’s why he gave us gifts and talents and told us to be fruitful and multiply.
Just like we all have names that our parents, friends, children, mentors, etc. call us. These names are reflections of what we mean to them or how they perceive us. Names are symbolic and have deep meanings if we apply reasoning to them. So, if we can answer the names we are called to earth, how about answering the name God called us at birth. I believe that’s the most important call or name we need to answer as human beings. When we answer the name God gave to us, the world will begin to respond to what we say because we have answered the mother’s call.
Why do I say this? Your purpose was made in heaven, but your calling is meant to be fulfilled on earth. It’s sad to see people answering different names they are not called. When God created you, there’s something he had in mind for you to accomplish or solve on earth, but it’s unfortunate that, due to life’s vicissitudes, some of us derail from the path God destined for us, and hence that’s the reason many of struggle because we are not working in the direction and pathway God designed for us to tread.
It should be known that your calling was not a conference call; the call was personal. If God wanted anyone to know your calling or purpose, he would have revealed it to anyone he wants, but he chose to reveal it to you, so the onus is on you to focus on it, follow it religiously and ultimately fulfill it because that’s the only way you can get fulfillment.
I also asked, what’s your purpose? Your purpose is the reason why you do whatever you are doing. In this context, your purpose is your why. According to Dr. Myles Munroe, “When the purpose of a thing is not known, abuse is inevitable.” Your purpose is the reason why you applied for a job, married your partner, started an NGO, a business, relocated/travelled, started school, or even wrote a book. There’s always a reason why we do something. That reason is the inspiration and motivation we need to forge when everything else fails.
Again, I ask you what’s your purpose? If you can’t figure out your purpose, I will strongly advise you to go to your creator (God) and ask him, what’s your purpose because he’s the person that created you. When people desire different interests in different majors, skills, profession, vocation, etc., it’s simply because someone puts the desire and interest inside them.
To understand how purpose works, there’s no problem on earth without a solution. The only problem without a solution is the problem the person with the solution hasn’t arrived.
Let me share a practical example on purpose. There was a story of an old man whose car (Ford) broke down in the middle of the road, all efforts to fix the car proved abortive. An old man was passing by and saw this man struggling to fix the car, he asked him, “What’s the problem?” The old man said, well, my car has refused to start. The stranger told the man to give a minute. The man initially refused saying who is this old man to fix what I have been working on for hours.
On second thought, he said, what will I lose if I give him a chance. He decided to listen to the old man who told him to give me a minute to check out the car. This stranger didn’t do much, he just touched a particular side of the engine and told the old man to start the car, and immediately the car cranked back to her life. The man was surprised and asked him, who are you? ” The stranger said, “I am Henry Ford, the owner of Ford Motors.
The moral of this story is, Henry Ford, the founder of Ford motors, knows his car more than everyone. So, if a mere mortal can know much, how much about the creator who will not know about our purpose?
When you find your purpose, you find your why, but when you find your why you must find your purpose.
The final question I asked: “Who are you? To answer these questions, I need you to focus on the inmate quality you are blessed with as opposed to what people think about you. What people think about you is your reputation, but who you are is your character. Some people associate titles to who they are. I think that’s the wrong interpretation. One might be a doctor, lawyer, Chief Operating Officer, professor, or even the governor or president, but that doesn’t make them good people with good traits, qualities, values and charismatic inmate abilities.
To lead one must have empathy, compassion, and heart of service. It is through these traits; one can see who a person really is and not the cloth of title they are showing the world.
So, to find one’s calling, here’s my sample suggestion: ask your creator (God), inquire what makes you happy, what you love to do, what do people compliment you on, what do you do with relative ease if you are woken from sleep? What is one thing you can do for free?
In conclusion, finding one’s calling is the best thing that can happen to anyone. The day you find your calling is the day you will begin to live your best life because you will begin to bless the world with your calling.
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
