News
Opinion: Rising Above Obstacles
By Tolulope A. Adegoke
“Believe in yourself and all that you are. Know that there is something inside you that is greater than any obstacle.” – Christian D. Larson
Never underestimate your power to cope with whatever problem or challenge that may confront you in your life’s journey. Moreover, chances are that the same problem must have been surmounted by others before you. So, rather than being overwhelmed, find ways to turn your adversities to opportunities – then harness such with practical wisdom!
I have seen a lot of people turn their challenges into creative experiences, through a positive mental attitude. They turned their scars into stars, and then beautified and brightened up the world with it.
This reminds me of a friend of mine. After graduation, he went for the one-year mandatory National Youth Service. After the Youth Service, all his efforts to get a job proved abortive. He decided to pursue his master’s degree in a bid to upgrade his knowledge and enhance his resume for better job offers. But getting the funds for the programme was a major challenge. And there was nobody that was willing to help him out. In fact, when he told his uncle, who he was living with of his intention to pursue another degree, the man simply smiled and asked him, “So how do you intend to fund it?” When he replied that God would provide, his uncle retorted, “Okay, let God provide for you!”
Steve – that’s my friend’s name – dragged himself into his room, knelt down and cried unto God with groaning. Thereafter, he resolved to resume classes anyway. A few weeks to examination, however, he was issued a notice to pay his fees or risk being prevented from writing the examination. Somehow, he was able to gather half of the school fees but, the school did not permit part payment of fees (including departmental charges). So, he kept on struggling, believing and maintaining a positive mental attitude. He kept on saying, “My God will provide in full for me.”
Two days to the examination, he received a call from someone who indicated interest in blessing him financially. With that, he was able to conclude his programme in flying colours. He soon got a job with one of the para-military forces in Nigeria and within a short, his financial struggles were over.
Steve’s testimony is a demonstration of the triumph of positive thinking. It all looked impossible at the beginning, but he was able to maintain being positive in the storm till God calmed it in his favour. God is always willing to favour us but He must see our determined actions before He steps in.
Working While Waiting
In harnessing your potential amidst obstacles, there is always a time for patience – a time when you are waiting for the intervention of God to turn the tide in your favour. We saw this in the story of Steve that we have just considered. This is similar to what the farmer does after planting as many seeds as possible.
However, as it is with every serious sower, the time of waiting is not a time of idleness. Patience is not a virtue if you sit back and wait for your problem to solve itself. If you are unemployed, for instance, you cannot expect the phone to ring or an employment letter to miraculously show up in your mail box. Nor can you just expect the government or a union to call you and offer you a job or a company to re-hire you.
Of course, miracles happen. But merely waiting for a miracle could be the worst thing to do. Besides, most challenges have the in-built capability to grow more serious with the passing of time. To wait without making the necessary moves or preparations or taking steps of faith, is to waste time and opportunity. And to wait may be to surrender empowerment (leadership) to the vicissitudes of life.
Moreover, if you really want to solve your challenges, do not wait for others to pick you up. Pick yourself up and save your destiny from within. Tackle your life’s issues yourself by rising up for yourself. Understand that you are the one primarily responsible for your life. Do not expect anyone else to do it for you. Lift up your eyes to God and stretch your hand to your own capabilities (your empowered zero).
If you wait for or expect people to rescue you, you are likely to be disappointed. The worst part is that you may become bitter. And it takes much time and divine intervention for bitter people to get better! They end up hating themselves and blaming others, forgetting that everyone has his or her challenges to contend with.
Take Charge, not Take Care!
It is common these days for people to add “take care” to their “goodbyes”. I however consider it better to say, “take charge”, “take chances” or “take control”! This is because people who “take care” are often over-sensitive to the issues of life which mostly end up demoralising them. They end up being weak; they don’t go far!
Taking charge means harnessing your “empowered zero” by maximising opportunities so as to successfully manage life issues successfully. You need to take charge. You need to take chances. You need to take control! Life itself is a risk! But when you consciously and positively take charge, you easily manage and profit from the risks. When you take control, you consciously and unconsciously manage your life’s issues.
Taking charge is a decision you have to consciously make, not only to harness your empowered zero but to ultimately make a success of your dreams. It is the force that propels your endeavours to success, then, to greatness. Never lose control of your life or relinquish it to someone else! Always have the rugged belief that your problem or challenges can be surmounted when you take the responsibility of taking charge!
Watch out for the Book titled: “The Power of an Empowered Zero” (From Zero to HERO) by Tolulope 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.
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.
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has sent a veiled message to Rivers State governor, Siminalayi Fubara, saying support for President Bola Tinubu alone will not guarantee any election ticket.
Wike made the statement on Sunday during a public outing in Emohua Local Government Area of Rivers State.
His remarks were widely seen as directed at Governor Fubara, amid lingering political crisis in the State.
The former Governor of Rivers State said political loyalty must be tested during difficult times, not after power has been secured.
He mocked those he described as late supporters of President Tinubu, insisting that sudden alignment would not earn political rewards.
He said: “So the issue is not whether you are supporting Tinubu. That one, we have taken too long, long… Yes, oh. So Tinubu’s issue is not an issue again. Yes. Do you understand me? Yes. Tinubu’s issue is that nobody should be coming here to tell a day. We are for Tinubu; I am against you. Who is for Tinubu University? (laughs) That cannot give you any ticket oh! (laughs again) Direct, direct. It will not. Direction. Direction.”
Wike stressed that his political camp stood with Tinubu when the decision was unpopular. He said that support given under pressure carries more weight than alignment after victory.
He also recalled how the Rivers State House of Assembly openly backed Tinubu early, long before the election outcome was certain.
According to him, some of those now making public declarations were absent during the critical period.
“The same people now who came to declare, put them to God… But they should declare they are saying it for a candidate. Yes. Don’t you see characters? (laughs) So I send the sword far ahead of them.”
Wike further spoke on governance and continuity. He defended projects and agreements initiated during his tenure as governor. He said it is often difficult for successors to acknowledge past efforts, even though government is a continuous process.
His comments come weeks after Governor Fubara formally aligned with the All Progressives Congress (APC), the party of President Tinubu.
The move followed months of political crisis in Rivers State, which led to federal intervention and a declaration of emergency rule.
Political watchers believe Wike’s remarks constitute a direct response to Fubara’s recent positioning as a key Tinubu ally in Rivers politics. Critics argue that Fubara’s support surfaced only after the political storm had settled.
Wike, who remains a dominant force in Rivers State politics despite serving in Abuja, appears to have drawn a clear line ahead of the 2027 elections.
He suggested that political tickets would be decided by proven loyalty, not convenience.
Videos from the event in Rumuche, Emohua, spread rapidly on social media. Many users described the speech as a coded warning to the governor.
As of press time, neither the Rivers State Government nor Wike’s media team had issued an official clarification.
The comments, however, suggest that the political rift between both camps is still active, despite earlier peace moves brokered at the national level.
The opposition African Democratic Congress and the Labour Party on Sunday criticized President Bola Tinubu for departing Nigeria for Europe on holiday at a time the country is grappling with rising insecurity, including foreign military interventions in the North.
The Presidency announced on Sunday that Tinubu left Lagos for Europe for his end-of-year holiday ahead of an official visit to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, where he is scheduled to attend the 2026 edition of the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week Summit.
President Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, explained that the trip was by invitation from His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, to participate in the summit, which gathers global leaders from government, business, and civil society to advance sustainable development strategies.
“His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates, has invited President Tinubu to participate in the 2026 edition of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week Summit, which will take place in the emirate early in January,” the statement read.
Reacting to Tinubu’s departure, the ADC, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Bola Abdullahi, faulted the timing as inappropriate given the security challenges facing the country.
The ADC noted the deadly terrorist bomb blast in Zamfara and the ongoing foreign military involvement, calling the President’s move insensitive.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s lack of care is alarming. In the wake of another deadly bomb blast in Zamfara, and following an unprecedented foreign military attack on Nigerian soil, the nation is waiting for reassurance from its leader. Instead, we learn the President has gone on holiday. What a President!” Abdullahi said.
Similarly, LP’s acting National Chairman, Senator Nenadi Usman, described the trip as “insensitive and devoid of empathy” for Nigerians facing violent attacks and humanitarian crises.
Speaking through her Senior Special Adviser on Media, Ken Asogwa, she stressed that the President should have remained in the country to coordinate security responses.
“This is the most inauspicious time for the President to leave the country. Even the Christmas holiday in Lagos seems ill-timed, given that a bomb exploded in Zamfara today, killing nine people,” Usman said.
She further alleged that Nigeria was under external attack and accused the government of downplaying the severity of the situation.
“Nigeria is under attack by a foreign nation. No matter how the government tries to frame this, it is a violation of our sovereignty. This is the time for the commander-in-chief to coordinate the response, not embark on a holiday,” Usman said.
She added that the President had not convened critical security meetings since the U.S.-led bombardment of terrorist camps in Kwara and Sokoto States and condemned the perceived lack of engagement with military leadership.
The President’s trip comes amid heightened security concerns. On Thursday, U.S. President Donald Trump authorised AFRICOM to conduct airstrikes on terrorist camps in Sokoto State, hours before Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs acknowledged the operation. A deadly bomb blast in Zamfara on Friday claimed several lives.
The 17th edition of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week will run from January 11 to 15 at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre under the theme “The Nexus of Next: All Systems Go.”
The event aims to connect innovation, finance, and people to advance sustainable development.
Onanuga confirmed that Tinubu would return to Nigeria after the summit.
Hosted by Masdar, the UAE’s clean energy company, the summit will feature the invitation-only ADSW Summit, the World Future Energy Summit, the Zayed Sustainability Prize Awards Ceremony, and specialised sessions on hydrogen, climate finance, water security, and utilities in the Global South. Organisers expect more than 50,000 participants from over 170 countries, featuring over 700 global brands and exhibitions of emerging clean technologies.
The UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, Dr Sultan Al Jaber, noted that ADSW 2026 builds on two decades of the UAE’s leadership in renewable energy.
Tinubu previously attended the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week in January 2025, where he held meetings with Gulf investors and officials on trade, energy cooperation, and climate finance.
Since assuming office on May 29, 2023, Tinubu has undertaken at least 46 foreign trips, spending an estimated 192 days abroad as of October 2025. In 2025 alone, he travelled internationally no fewer than 15 times to countries including Ghana, the UAE, Tanzania, France, Italy, Saint Lucia, Japan, and Brazil for summits, bilateral engagements, and holidays.
