News
Opinion: The Beauty of Ashes
By Tolulope A. Adegoke
Application of wisdom, knowledge & understanding
Submission through a teachable spirit, usually initiated by
Humbling scenarios,
Empowerment cultures &
Sacrifices that makes kings & priests attract interventions from above! Anyone can give up; it is the easiest thing in the world to do. But to hold it together when everyone else would understand if you fell apart, that’s true strength. He who laughs last laughs the best… That’s simply the ‘Beauty of Ashes!’”
There is no rainfall without sunshine…. (Vice-versa)
For both works for the continuity and purpose of living and existence
There is no death without birth (Vice-versa). It is simply the art of business and renewal of species and its upgrades in the ‘gene-nations’, humanly regarded as generation(s).
There is no present without a past (Vice-versa); and there is no future without a present state…
Miracles are God’s ways of conviction for change, balance and upgrades!
The rich we see today have their past…They were once diamonds in the gutters.
The ashes we see today were once a creative beauty of creation and amusement….
Also, the beauty of today may never end up being the same…
Problems are created for solutions to be valuable such as the creation of viruses and its anti-viruses!
Problems if seen with the invisible eyes of wonderful 6th senses on the fore-head would not be seen as a destructive avenue or force/happening but a leverage to stretch one’s imagination(s) beyond the physical and operate for a change for comforts and profits.
Frustration must not be seen as a negative situation or psychological disorder but as an indication of the passion you have a solution for!
‘Foolishness’ is the deepest foundation of wisdom, because it takes being foolish to drive the wheel of wisdom and do the unimaginable things the ordinary senses of man cannot fathom!
That is why he is called a “crazy dude” lol.
“But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty…”[KJV1Corinthians1:27]
It takes ‘foolishness,’ to value the creative products of wisdom (hmm, total submission with a teachable spirit)!
Ashes in its pure form, has its beauty and transforms the state of dirtiness into pureness! Therefore, you really cannot make your black pots white without beckoning on the “ash.”
“Problem itself is a solution to another problem!” Noticing the fact of sleeping to waking-up!
Therefore, it takes sleeping to wake up! You cannot, therefore “step-up your level” without digging low, because it takes “decay” for the “re-birth” of a seed to germinate!
So problems must no longer be seen as problem but a ‘philo-psychological’ institution of the wilderness that involves the transformation of your (psyche) orientation, “knowledge” from its former to a rugged and more confident state that propels and unleashes the sleeping giant in you to function tirelessly through the frustration!
The wilderness is an unconducive place where things are rough, a state of no-help, a state of loneliness and isolation, a state of pity and weeping. It is more or less called “the state of the nights,” but having being through with the required courses for graduation; you then graduate after completing the cycles in the phases of reality to proceed to another stage (which is tagged as the bus-stop of laughter), through the intervention of The Divine for the sake of Humanity at large.
No weeping lasts forever: joy cometh in the morning…. That delay (problem) is a design! No tears, no joy! No cross, no Crown! No cost, No Glory!
In fact, what you think is a delay is actually a divine DESIGN to get you to your Promised Land! PREMATURE BREAKTHROUGHS are actually MATURED BREAKDOWNS! Guilt is feeling bad about what we’ve done. Shame is feeling bad about who we are. The grace of God frees us from both.
Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all. They were only able to understand the beauty of ashes and the glory in harshness and the heat of times; they discovered it is simply a process of incubation in realism which gives them the courage to move on!
Anyone can give up; it is the easiest thing in the world to do. But to hold it together when everyone else would understand if you fell apart, that’s true strength.” He who laughs last laughs the best… That’s simply the Beauty of Ashes!
Thank you for the time invested on this platform.
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 Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF) has constituted the LSSTF Monitoring Team with clear guidelines detailing their baseline expectations, roles, responsibilities, and performance. This is to ensure that all security agencies based in Lagos that benefit from the LSSTF largesse are responsible and responsive to the public goodwill which is reposed on them.
The constitution of the LSSTF Monitoring Team is in fulfillment of the pledge of the Executive Secretary/CEO of Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF), Dr. Ayo Ogunsan at the recent Strategic Media Parley with Senior Editors and Media Executives. He had assured the journalists that the era of abuse and misuse of public resources is over.
It will be recalled that Ogunsan outlined his leadership focus at the media Parley which held at the Agency’s Headquarters on 5th December 2025. ‘Public confidence in the Fund is essential. Under my leadership, transparency will be the standard not the exception. We will, maintain strict oversight on contractor performance, monitor all funded projects closely, publish updates on the utilization of donations, strengthen internal governance and reporting, and deepen stakeholder communication and feedback mechanisms.’
With the LSSTF Monitoring Team duly constituted, Ogunsan gave them the marching orders to include: ‘Monitoring and tracking of vehicles and other security assets belonging to RRS; Conducting routine field inspections to determine the state of Fund’s assets; Maintaining accurate records of assets deployed by the Fund to the RRS and providing operational reports; Accessing the application of assets provided to the security agencies as a prerequisite for further allocation; Monitoring repairs and refurbishments embarked upon by the Fund; and Any other duty as may be assigned from time to time.’
The inauguration and public presentation of a monitoring vehicle to facilitate the efforts of the LSSTF Monitoring Team will be held very soon.
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Lagos Sector Command, has confirmed a tanker explosion that occurred in the early hours of Wednesday, 17th December 2025, along the Temu–Sabo route, by the Bypass Pobona area of Epe, Lagos State.
The incident, according to a statement by the Public Education Officer, SRC Oluwadamilola Jayeola, made available to the National Association of Online Security News Publishers (NAOSNP), occurred at about 0205hrs and was reported at 0210hrs. Operatives of the FRSC Epe Unit Command responded promptly and arrived at the scene within minutes.
Speaking on the incident, the Sector Public Education Officer, Superintendent Route Commander (SRC) Oluwadamilola Jayeola, stated that preliminary findings revealed that the explosion involved a commercial MACK tanker and five other vehicles, bringing the total number of vehicles affected to six (6).
She explained that the crash was attributed to brake failure, which resulted in loss of control and a subsequent lone crash. Although two adult persons were involved in the incident, no injuries or fatalities were recorded.
Traffic control was immediately established by FRSC operatives to prevent secondary incidents. The Corps worked in synergy with the Nigerian Army, the Nigeria Police Force, the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), and the Lagos State Fire Service, which successfully contained and extinguished the fire.
A private tow truck was also contacted and placed on standby to facilitate the prompt recovery of the affected vehicles and clear the obstruction along the route.
The Sector Commander, FRSC Lagos Sector Command, Corps Commander Kehinde Ganiyu Hamzat, reiterated his advisory to motorists, particularly operators of heavy-duty vehicles, to ensure regular and thorough vehicle maintenance, with special emphasis on braking systems, before embarking on any journey.
The Lagos Sector Command of the Federal Road Safety Corps remains steadfast in its commitment to prompt emergency response, effective traffic management, and the safety of all road users.
Chairman, Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, has formally submitted a petition to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) against the Managing Director of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Engr. Ahmed Farouk, over alleged corruption and financial impropriety.
The petition, dated December 16, 2025, was submitted through Dangote’s lawyer, Dr. Ogwu James Onoja, SAN, and received at the office of the ICPC Chairman, Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu, SAN.
In the petition, Dangote called for the arrest, investigation and prosecution of the NMDPRA boss, alleging that Farouk has been living far above his legitimate means as a public servant.
Dangote specifically accused Ahmed Farouk of allegedly spending over seven million United States dollars on the education of his four children in Switzerland, paid upfront for a six-year period, without any lawful explanation for the source of the funds.
According to the petition, the four children and their respective schools in Switzerland were clearly identified, along with the amounts paid on their behalf, to enable the ICPC verify the allegations.
The industrialist further alleged that Farouk Ahmed had been using his position at the NMDPRA to embezzle and divert public funds for personal gain and private interests, actions which he claimed had recently triggered public protests and widespread criticism of the agency.
Dangote maintained that Ahmed Farouk has spent his adult life working in Nigeria’s public sector, adding that his cumulative earnings over the years could not reasonably account for the alleged seven million dollars reportedly spent on the overseas education of his children.
“It is without doubt that the above facts in relation to abuse of office, breach of the Code of Conduct for public officers, corrupt enrichment and embezzlement constitute gross acts of corruption, for which your Commission is statutorily empowered under Section 19 of the ICPC Act to investigate and prosecute,” the petition stated.
It further noted that under the same section of the ICPC Act, any person found guilty of such offences is liable to imprisonment for a term of five years without an option of fine.
Dangote urged the commission to act decisively, stressing that the ICPC, alongside other anti-graft agencies, is strategically positioned to investigate and prosecute corruption-related offences.
“In view of the foregoing, we call on the Commission under your leadership to investigate the complaint of abuse of office and corruption against Engr. Farouk Ahmed and to accordingly prosecute him if found wanting,” the petition added.
The Dangote Group Chairman also expressed confidence that the matter, being in the public domain, would not be ignored, urging the ICPC to act in the interest of justice and to protect the image of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.
Dangote further pledged his readiness to provide additional evidence to substantiate his allegations of corrupt enrichment, abuse of office and impunity against the NMDPRA Managing Director.
