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Opinion: It’s Your Turn
By Tolulope A. Adegoke
“Just like eagles, turns the storms that come their way, into propellers which aides them to their desired heights and PEAK of greatness; they get up daily to confront and fight against what other birds flee from in the form of storms and other intimidating factors which they strive and thrive on to be where they ought to be and not being where they ought not to be by the standards and forces that power their natural senses, innate abilities and purpose of existence which has exceptionally marked the eagles out to be worthy of emulation, idiomatically speaking. It is worthy of note, that you must wake up, dress up, build up your guts, conquer your fears and excuses, take charge and win, because it’s your turn to thrive and live – the journey to the PEAK starts from within!” – Tolulope A. Adegoke
All the exemplars of greatness we have considered so far in previous articles are great conquerors who refused to allow their backgrounds to put their backs to the ground. They became champions because they did not give up. They passed through the incubation processes, the heat of times (empowerment) and subsequently came out strong as shining lights, as winners in their generation.
I urge you, friend, don’t give up on that dream; don’t belittle those potentials that you are carrying. Time is a very humbling factor that must be regarded, considered and worked with if you surely and honestly desire global impacts. Crawl! Walk! Run! Fly! Soar! But don’t just remain on a spot! You must not stay idle. God Almighty requires us to optimise, empower and harness our gifts for the benefits of mankind and to our lifting, comforts and above all, to His glorification forevermore!
Remember that you are here on earth on a mission of wonders, to deliver unusual possibilities to peoples, corporates and nations, thereby handing over a better world to the coming generation. Remember also that we all shall surely give accounts to the Giver of the life and the gifts that we carry, as soon as we are through here on earth!
Knowing this, I charge you, leave your comfort zone. Aim higher, and work late nights on your dreams, visions and potentials. Acquire relevant knowledge through diverse profitable means. Study relevant books on your areas of interest. PUSH till the doors open. Learn at the feet of the masters (your God-sent mentors or teachers). Stay ever-humble; remain loyal to God and to fellow men; pray hard; meditate in serenity; seek silence; rest well; feed fine; network (meet people); start small; relate with respect and honour, and help others to find their feet.
Chase excellence; perfect your talents into skills (products); understand business terms and administration; invest your time; manage your energy, activate your visions; work on paper (Habakkuk 2:2). Read, study, embrace joy, and maintain happiness, even in whatever storm you may be going through. Be grateful. Work with time. Flow beyond the rhythm of the present so as to secure the future!
It is my expectation and the expectation of God that you will join all the great men and women we have previously discussed here and many more that you may be familiar with. These people, like eagles turned the storms that came their way to propellers that catapulted them to their PEAK of greatness, while others see storms as obstacles or limitations.
Remember, every other number – no matter how huge – started from zero. Zero may connote the difficulties you are going through at the moment, but there is a lot you can make out of it if you do not allow it to overwhelm you. Revisit the success tips that the above people have proffered, as well as the ones you have read here so far. Begin to apply them with all seriousness. Soon, God will locate you with His favour and your story will turn to GLORY!
Here is a drive and charge from me to you to further encourage and guide you and those around you on this plane called earth and the journeys that come with it, in order to maximize your potentials and the opportunities that come with time and chance. It is titled: “A Teachable Spirit & A Heart of Deliverance”
“When you’re learning how to be humble, you have to be willing to listen, learn, and grow and be open to suggestions and corrections from other people.
You don’t know it all, and you can’t act like you know it all, either! So, here is my daily mantra for all seasons: calm, quiet and available is my soul before My Maker, God Almighty!
I shall remain teachable,
I shall not be foolish to be full of Myself!
I shall seat at the feet of my God sent masters to learn, so as to soar beyond the skies,
I shall remain humble for life!
I shall recognize my helpers and glorify God in them, I shall make peace with all men,
I shall keep working on my gifts/potentials with the utmost focus on blessing lives, globally.
I shall never look down on any man I come across,
I shall keep being at my best for God (Divinity) and people(Humanity).
I won’t give up, until I fulfil my destiny,
I won’t let go until I am exhausted,
I am simply a tool in the Mighty Hands of my Creator, He uses me according to His perfect Will, to fulfilling purposes, all to His Glory!
Through me, the world shall continue to see the irresistible wonderfulness of my Maker. He shall continue to increase in and through me… I refuse to be a ‘wander-fool’!
I am not ashamed of these choices I have made, of these steps I am taking…
I shall remain happy and joyful for life! It is not my life, it is my Father’s… God in a MAN (Me); with this, I’m boundless, unchained, unbothered, and limitless.
I am not ashamed nor afraid of this mission, due to this vision…
I shall remain truthful, smart and grateful!
I shall ensure that my impacts are felt across the world, yet, down to earth so as to be launched into the yonder beyond the skies where the realms of impacts flourishes, continually…
I shall never give up, I shall build my castles in the skies and leave my footprints in the skies…
Yes! There are footprints in the sky… Only visionaries can see them…
The strength of an eagle lies in its flights and vision!
I remain humble, so as not to tumble and fumble!
In humility lies the true strength, lies true vision and flights into the yonder!
I shall remain swift and completely obedient to the end… In obedience lies my chances of honour and grace.
I shall ride on the wings of the Holy Spirit to surmount all challenges and oppositions…
I won’t focus on the cross, but the crown… Not the tests but the testimonies, not the price but the prize… Not the grains but the gains, not the hisses but the ease, not the pests but the rest that is to come after all work has been completed…I shall have my crowns of Glory, sitting in Glory and splendour, glorifying my Creator, my Master for keeping me thus far without giving up on me, against all odds!”
This, is when a tool becomes ‘The Tool’!
We are nothing but tools in the Mighty Hands of the Creator- To fulfil His perfect will on Earth: to love, fix, build, solve, touch, bless and impart. His brand is at stake in your life, don’t mess it up! Only your sacrifices would commit His integrity to work with and for you.
Do not envy the success, envy the sacrifice!”
Thank you all for reading.
Watch out for the Book titled: “The Power of an Empowered Zero” (Awakening The Giant Within You!) byTolulope A. Adegoke. Foreword by Dr Yomi Garnett (CEO/Chancellor, Royal Biographical Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania U.S.A., U.K., Abuja, Nigeria.) Edited by Ola Aboderin.
By Henry Ukazu
Dear Destiny Friends,
Experience, by every standard, is a prerequisite for any human to move to the next stage of growth and existence. Experience comes in different forms as one journeys through life, covering health, finance, relationship, marriage, family, personal development or spirituality. We gain valuable experiences that help us see life or understand it in more ways than one.
It is right to say, we are shaped by the experiences life gives to us. It is always advisable to look at life more wholistically as opposed to concentrating on its negative aspects. Sometimes, our experience can serve as the game-changer we need to move to the next phase of our life, but before that can be done, we have to appreciate the experience.
For instance, when we go through turmoil, we experience discomfort, no doubt, but the inherent lessons lie in humility, prudence, patience, and even leadership. In some cases, the experience might be for someone else whom the universe might bring our way for us to teach them how to navigate the problem.
It is generally said that a smart man learns from his mistakes, but a smarter man learns from another person’s mistakes, and this is where the experience of life comes in. As progressive minds, we need the experience of mentors and those who have gone before us to teach us what we don’t know.
In business, an apprentice needs the tutelage of their boss to understand how to succeed in a particular industry or business. A mentee needs the experience of their mentors to succeed. A newly married couple needs the experience of seasoned couples to navigate the challenges of marriage. Even adults need the experience of their parents to know how to raise their children. The list is endless.
To understand how experience works, consider the story of a young man whose car broke down along the road. All efforts to fix the car proved abortive. While he was wondering what to do, an elderly man who was driving by stopped beside him, and inquired if there was a challenge. He stated that his car broke down and he’s having a hard time trying to fix it.
The old man offered to help. Though the young man hesitated, wondering what an old man could do, he yielded on second thought, and gave the old man a chance. After all, he had done all in his capacity, and yet, no solution. The old man opened the bonnet, hit a knob, and told the young man to restart the car. To his amazement, the car buzzed into life. In excitement, he asked the old man, ‘who are you?’, and he replied, ‘I’m Mr. Ford, the owner of Ford Motors’. The young man was humbled.
Now this is what I call experience. You can’t beat a man with experience. If Henry Ford didn’t have experience with his products, he wouldn’t have been able to fix the car.
There’s another story where a mentor was teaching a mentee about the importance of experience. According to the mentor, when the man with experience meets the man with money, the man with money will have to lose his money to gain experience, and the man with experience will have to use his experience to gain money.
According to Abraham Lincoln, “If I had six hours to chop down a tree, I’d spend the first four of them sharpening my axe”. A man without experience might spend the entire six hours cutting down the tree, and that alone can be exhausting and draining. This goes to tell you the importance of mentors. Without the experience of mentors, one may work harder, but with the influence of mentors, one will work smarter.
In the course of life, many people think they can navigate life hurdles on their own. This set of people gets burned out; they fail to understand that mentors are lifesavers.
According to an African proverb, ‘if one wants to go fast, he will go alone, but if he wants to go far, he must go with a team’. Another African proverb states that “What an old man sees while sitting down on a tree, no matter how tall a child grows, he won’t see it”. These two quotes emphasize the importance of mentors in the life of a progressive mind.
One of the most uncharitable disservices I can do in life is to attribute my success to myself as a result of my hard work. My life has literally been shaped by the role of mentors and elders whom I hold in high esteem. In some cases, I seek the counsel of younger people who are knowledgeable than me in a particular area, and their suggestions have worked like magic.
Sometimes, I laugh at people who attribute their success to their personal development. In some cases, they say they are self-made. Don’t get me wrong, personal development and hard work contribute to the success of human beings because even if you have mentors and elders, who guide and support you, if you are not determined to succeed, success will definitely elude you.
Let me share a practical experience with you. I was given an opportunity to publish my weekly articles on a notable platform by one of my mentors. This mentor of mine is not responsible for writing the articles; he just gave me a platform, and each time I write, I have an editor who reviews my work before it gets published. Now, somebody reading my work will think I’m a smart man, but the truth is that I’m not just smart; rather, I am smart by association because I have a team that assists in shaping my work. Do you see that nobody is self-made?
Furthermore, there are opportunities and doors I know for a fact I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to penetrate if not for the role of mentors and elders in my life, whom I occasionally seek their advice. They serve as a strong support system to me both in my personal and professional development.
As you journey through life and experience, please don’t take it personal. Sometimes, the trials, setbacks, and challenges we go through are targeted and structured in such a way that God is positioning you to use them to counsel or assist someone in the near future. In some cases, it might be to strengthen or benefit you.
In summary, we all need the experience of life and mentors to navigate through life.
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 and Unleash Your Destiny . He can be reached via info@gloemi.com
The Nigeria Police Force has suspended the nationwide enforcement of its tinted glass permit policy following an interim court order that restrained the move.
The Force announced on December 15, 2025, that it would begin enforcing the policy starting January 2, 2026, citing its responsibility to ensure public safety and internal security.
However, in a statement issued on Thursday and signed by Force Public Relations Officer Benjamin Hundeyin, the police revealed that they were served with an interim order on December 17, 2025.
The enforcement will remain suspended pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit or the vacation of the interim order.
“The Nigeria Police Force was served with an interim order of court in Suit No. HOR/FHR/M/31/2025, issued on 17th December 2025, restraining the Force from proceeding with the enforcement of the Tinted Glass Permit policy pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit or the vacation of the order,” the statement said.
The police also confirmed that they had entered an appearance in the case, raised preliminary objections, and formally requested the vacation of the interim order.
The case has been adjourned to January 20, 2026, for further hearing.
“In line with constitutional obligations and respect for judicial authority, the Nigeria Police Force has entered appearance in the matter, raised preliminary objections, and formally applied for the vacation of the interim order. The court has adjourned the case to 20th January 2026 for further proceedings,” the statement added.
The statement noted that the suspension of enforcement is being carried out in strict adherence to the ongoing court order.
“Accordingly, and strictly in compliance with the subsisting court order, the Nigeria Police Force has placed the enforcement of the Tinted Glass Permit policy on hold nationwide, pending the decision of the court.”
Inspector-General of Police Kayode Egbetokun reaffirmed the Force’s commitment to upholding the rule of law while fulfilling its duty to protect lives and property.
“The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, PhD, NPM, affirms that the Nigeria Police Force remains resolute in upholding the rule of law while discharging its primary mandate of protecting lives and property. The Force will continue to deploy lawful, intelligence-driven strategies to address security challenges and safeguard public safety across the country,” the statement added.
The Force also assured members of the public that it would communicate further developments and issue clear guidance as appropriate, following the court’s determination of the matter, in the overriding interest of public order and national security.
The Federal High Court In Abuja on Tuesday ordered the remand of the Former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), at the Kuje Correctional Centre pending the hearing and determination of their bail application.
The trial judge, Justice Emeka Nwite, also ordered the remand of his co-dedendants, his son, Abubakar Malami, and one of his wives Bashir Asabe.
Justice Nwite made the order after taking arguments from the defence team led by Joseph Daudu (SAN) and the prosecution counsel Ekele Iheneacho (SAN).
Malami and his co-defendants are facing a 16-count money laundering charge preferred against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
The EFCC alleges that the defendants conspired at various times to conceal, retain and disguise the proceeds of unlawful activities running into several billions of naira.
According to the charge, the alleged offences span several years and include the use of companies and bank accounts to launder funds, the retention of cash as collateral for loans, and the acquisition of high-value properties in Abuja, Kano and other locations.
The commission further alleges that some of the offences were committed while Malami was serving as Attorney-General of the Federation, in breach of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2011, as amended, and the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022.
