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Opinion: Untamed Freedom: The Root Cause of Human Errors!
By Tolulope A. Adegoke
“GREED is a matter of CHARACTER. Greed should never be your CREED! When research on the major cause of crisis in the world was made, it was said that some set of people had GREED, and greed became a global phenomenon. Discipline powers character for effective leadership, while Character Disciplines Power. Character and Ethics are national and global security issues. Living right is a global security issue. When you live right, you are simply affecting a lot of people vice-versa.”
The ultimate reason of revisiting this aspect of leadership enlightenment is to solve the societal menace that have ravaged, hampered and tampered with the core systems of many Third World Countries, which has its roots in what I refer to as Untamed Freedom- the root cause of Character failure in humans, corporates and nations at large.
We must understand that true leadership spreads its tentacles to the core aspects of human relations which helps to nurture, build and deliver the authentic requirement for true and sustainable leadership, and its implications on the economy, technology and politics of nations across the world which focuses on ‘Character’ as the ‘authentic key for leadership, its relevance and as well establishing ways of harnessing it to building effective leaders in all sectors of human endeavours for the benefits of mankind.
It must also be understood that character is the major weakness of most developing nations across the world, and how ineffective leadership practices have groomed unethical conducts.
‘Ethics’ could be said to be a disturbing aspect of leadership and how it has so much affected majority of the Third World Countries which are having issues in handling sustainable leadership. Therefore, a blessed nation like Nigeria could enlarge its coasts by judiciously maximizing its endowments through effective ‘Character’ in individual and joint leadership endeavours, thereby enlightening the readers and her citizenries with the facts that character sees people as great ASSETS and not mere properties that could be carelessly ignored.
Here, I shall focus on the indispensable and irrefutable power of Character (as vital requirement for leadership in Nation Building)’ with the aim of building capacities through greater enlightenment strategy towards fixing today, and as well handing over a better world to coming generations, even as trends evolve globally.
Do you know why leaders are so weak in many developing countries of the world? The answer is lack of CHARACTER. The deficiency of character is what makes bad leadership, while bad leadership is what breeds gross mismanagement, unethical conducts and bad policies. Gross misconducts and mismanagement are what destroys or impedes national growths and development.
Bad leaders are one thing in the day and another thing in the night! They make deals that are shady and then look pretty or handsome on the camera. They rule instead of leading; they grind instead of guiding. The Holy Book says, God is the same Yesterday, Today and Forever! It also reveals that Night and Day are the same to God! This is a clear indication that God has CHARACTER! And He has given unto us the same thing called CHARACTER!
If you are going to be what you were born or created or desired to be, then you must develop the first principle God gave to us (MAN), which is CHARACTER! For us to deliver the present and future maximally, and as well fulfil divine intentions (purpose), we need to study God Himself and His manner of operations and creations according to Genesis chapter 1 verses 26 (NKJV): ‘Let us make Man in Our IMAGE after our likeness: and let them have DOMINION over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.’ Nothing is therefore IMPOSSIBLE, because I and you came out of God. He is the most authentic leadership example to be followed, because principles are fixed and not meant to be broken. He has made us in His IMAGE and LIKENESS to have DOMINION over the works of His Hands. It should be noted that the first gift given to Man by God is IMAGE. Whatever God gives you first is what you need first.
What then is IMAGE? The simplest meaning of Image is CHARACTER. God said let Man have my distinctive qualities (Character). What is most expected of you by God is that you become a Leader of worth by consistently living and leading by examples embedded in the qualities of true CHARACTER. Truth be told, the number one fitness and proof of leadership today is CHARACTER. This is the foundation of leadership!
Everybody was born to be a leader. We are not meant to rule over people, but lead and guide one another through and to what is right! Leaders lead by examples, guides by principles and guard by strategies. Leaders lead in specific areas of gifting or expertise. Leaders are not careless beings, but intentional beings who upholds the tenets of selfless and authentic lifestyles in a bid to correct the past errors and set new records for the benefits of the coming generation, which makes leadership a continuous pattern, as it requires passing the tenets as baton unto others for continuity (from generation to generations).
The word CHARACTER means FIXED, Predictable, Stable, Dependable and Ready. These are qualities that are unchanging and dependable like the STATUE. For example, have a good look at a STATUE; what is it doing where you put it or fix it? Whatever inflictive words you say to the ‘statue’, it still stands? It doesn’t react to the negative vibes, but to good maintenance cultures. That is simply CHARACTER!
As a leader that you are, can we trust you to be the same, even in the dark? Are you the same person when no one is watching? What would you do if none would ever find out? What are those things you secretly do on your mobile phones or laptops or on the internet? Are you the same person all the time? Are you the same person even when given freedom or power? When life rains on you, are you the same person? Are you the same person, no matter what people say to you or about you? That is why Third World Countries are having issues handling true and sustainable leadership! What is commonly present in many of these regions of the world are RULERS, not LEADERS, due to CHARACTER deficiency.
Requirements of Character for Sustainable Leadership
Do you have CHARACTER? When you change location, are you still the same person? When given a title, are you still the same person? LEADERSHIP demands CHARACTER. A reliable example of Character is PRINCIPLE, because it is Constant, it never changes. When you throw something up, it falls down… it is like that everywhere. Leadership requires CONSISTENCY! This is because the will of God never changes. No matter where you go, gravity is constant. Do you have Character? I want you to keep encouraging yourself to keep on developing CHARACTER. As leaders, who are empowered to save the present and the future. To impart our world positively, we must be unchanging if truly we are going to develop our powerful leadership capacities beyond mediocrity.
The Disturbing aspect of Leadership
The major disturbing aspect of leadership which most leaders do not consider to develop is ETHICS. Ethics is a result of character! The power of unethical behaviour affects everyone in the community, society, State, nation and the world at large. Ethics is personal, but it is never private! A few business or political leaders have no ETHICS; they make some unethical moves that can affect everyone. When you violate character, it is a personal decision, but it is not a private issue. You affect all of us. That is why corruption must never be tolerated anytime because one corrupt person affects everyone. Many developing nations are still struggling with their economy today, because of unethical behaviours by a majority that has fully established CORRUPTION as a practice that can now be overlooked, which have crippled the economy of these nations. Many people consider Nigeria to be a poor nation in spite of all the natural resources she is endowed with (Precious stones, crude oil, very fertile soil among others) because just a few set of people are unethical, and this tends to affects the entire population in the country. So many investors are currently scared to invest in some part of the developing nations because there are just a few set of people who would abuse such an investment which has therefore deprived so many people of the opportunities to be employed or to become job owners, just because a few people are unethical. You, therefore need to tell your neighbor ‘Do right for my sake’. If great leaders who have been absorbed by history had decided not to do what is right, what do you think would have happened to us today? A few chose to stand right, do right and make right. One decision could have affected the entire world. This is why it is so important for you to This is why it is so important for you to have character for the sake of the millions who will look up to you some day! This is why your gift is critical to your generation, but protecting it is much more important. GREED is a matter of CHARACTER. Greed should never be your CREED! When a research on the major cause of crisis in the world was made, it was said that some set of people had GREED, and greed became a global phenomenon. Discipline powers character for effective leadership, while Character Disciplines Power. Character and Ethics are national and global security issues. Living right is a global security issue. When you live right, you are simply affecting a lot of people vice-versa.
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,
There’s no doubt that human beings by nature are insatiable. When we get one opportunity, we always look for another. When we attain one height, we always look for another accomplishment. Isn’t it true that the end of one mountain is the beginning of another.
However, I don’t think it’s selfish for anyone to dare to succeed.
Being ambitious doesn’t make one an opportunist or disloyal. It all depends on one’s perception or outlook to life. It’s just natural for one to dream big. It’s only ugly when the process one chooses to achieve his desires becomes dirty and nasty.
According to a former Nigerian presidential candidate and seasoned Economist, Mr. Peter Obi, “if you must be referred to as “Your Excellency”, then the process through which you arrived in office must be excellent”.
If you desire to be reckoned with on the journey of existence, you must be legitimately hungry for success. One’s hunger for success will facilitate the drive to accomplish great tasks despite daunting obstacles posing as challenges.
When one has this mindset, one will not be bothered by the noise which serves as obstacles and challenges along the way. Negative and weak minds are always concerned on why something won’t work. They tend to focus their energy and reasons on the obstacles facing them. But great and productive minds always focus their energy on the reasons why it will work. This is the spirit of an insatiable mind who is a goal- getter.
It’s instructive to note that we can’t please everyone. According to Bill Cosby, a famous actor, “I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everyone.” Isn’t it true that when you talk, people will still talk about you, when you don’t talk, people will talk about you, so whether you talk or not, people will still judge you, so, do what’s best for you. There’s nothing you can do to please human beings. Your best option is to live your best life.
To understand how the insatiable nature of man works, one must be oneself. You don’t have to “please” anyone. Be yourself, and don’t try to be like anyone just to curry favour. It’s important to note that when you are yourself, the people that matter will come through for you, and the people that don’t matter will gradually find the bearing in another space because those that truly care don’t bother and those that bother don’t really matter in the grand scheme of things.
Life has truly taught me to focus on the important things of life as opposed to the mundane things. It’s truly sad to see people spending more time on the little things of life, and spending little time on the important things of life. That’s just a misplaced priority.
When you are yourself, the best people can do is to copy or imitate your style. They can never imitate your creativity nor can take your originality from you.
We live in a world or society where people don’t generally care or show empathy. Most people tend to live around themselves, their family, and close associates. They generally find it hard to lift a finger to assist others for reasons best known to them. Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka once said, “we live in a wicked generation”, re-echoing the voices of a lot of people of the world. Some people in authority just have criminal expertise in amassing wealth of opportunities meant for the citizens without thinking of the citizens they are meant to serve.
It’s worthy of note that not everyone will like you nor support your work, but when you find people who truly care about you; please hold them tight. This is because despite having family members you have shown love and compassion, they might not still appreciate you even if you lay your life for them, they will still find something to say. Again, this is the insatiable nature of man.
It’s okay for everyone not to like you, normalize living your life for God, yourself, family and those that care about you. If everyone likes you, you have a problem.
Did you know that you can get a new family from friends, strangers, and acquaintances? These sets of people might appreciate you more than your own family members. They might not demand or under appreciate you like your family members and close friends or associates. Any little support you give them will be highly appreciated. Their focus is to see you do better.
In conclusion, as you desire to succeed in life, never give in to failure until you have made your last attempt, and never make your last attempt until you succeed. This literally means whatever you desire, dream it, think it, say it, and believe you can achieve it. This principle is generally applicable to relationships, businesses, family, personal and professional development.
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
A federal judge in the United States, on Thursday, put a temporary block on President Donald Trump’s attempt to restrict birthright citizenship.
The ruling imposes a 14-day halt on the enforcement of one of the most controversial executive orders Trump signed hours after being sworn into office for a second term.
It comes after lawsuits were filed by a total of 22 states, two cities and numerous civil rights groups.
“This is a blatantly unconstitutional order,” senior US District Judge John Coughenour was reported as saying during the hearing in Washington State.
“I’ve been on the bench for over four decades, I can’t remember another case where the question presented is as clear as this one is,” said Coughenour, who was appointed to the bench by a Republican president, Ronald Reagan.
Birthright citizenship is fundamental to America’s national identity, with the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution decreeing that anyone born on US soil is a citizen.
It says, in part: “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.”
Trump’s order was premised on the idea that anyone in the US illegally, or on a visa, was not “subject to the jurisdiction” of the country, and therefore excluded from this category.
AFP
The Court of Appeal sitting in Akure, Ondo State capital has upheld the death sentence of Ramon Adedoyin, a prominent businessman and hotelier, for his involvement in the murder of one Timothy Adegoke, a former postgraduate student of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State.
Delivering the judgment on Thursday, the court affirmed the earlier verdict of the Osun State High Court, which had sentenced Adedoyin to death.
“The judgment of the High Court of Osun State stands. Adedoyin’s appeal is dismissed in part,” the court declared in part.
The Court of Appeal, however, set aside some aspects of the lower court’s orders, including the forfeiture of the Hilton Hotel and the order for Adedoyin to pay for the education of Adegoke’s children.
Furthermore, the court ruled that it had no jurisdiction to impose penalties outside the statutory provisions
Adegoke’s death was reported in November 2021 after his corpse was found at the Hilton Honours Hotel in Ile-Ife, Osun State, where he had lodged.
The hotelier had travelled from Abuja for an examination at a distance learning centre in Moro, Osun State on November 5 of that year.
He had checked into the hotel but was reported missing after two days. However, Adegoke’s body was found days later, leading to a probe that linked his death to Adedoyin and others.
In May 2023, Adedoyin and others were sentenced to death after they were found guilty of murder and conspiracy to murder.
But dissatisfied with the judgement, Adedoyin approached the Appeal court to dismiss the sentence and conviction.
The court of appeal, on Thursday, however, upheld the conviction and death sentence of the hotelier.
