Metro
Redefining Who You Are: Who Are You?
By Tolulope A. Adegoke, Ph.D.
“Who you are is related to where you came from. Many look, only a few see!” – Dr. Myles Munroe
You need to remember that sculptors look at a work in a very interesting way. I am also an artist of sorts, so I have a bit of an understanding of how artists work. One thing I have learned is that you never argue with an artist until he is finished.
Don’t discuss anything with a painter or a sculptor until his work is completed. An artist can be very rude if you disturb him before he has accomplished what he intends to do, because he sees differently than those who are not artists. An artist can walk by the stone in your front yard and see a figure in it. He may stop by your house and beg you for a stone you have walked past many times without noticing. You may even have been planning to get rid of it because it’s nuisance. But the artist walks into your yard and sees something beautiful in that stone beyond what you can imagine.
Months later, when the artist invites you to his workshop he asks, “Do you see that? Do you know where that came from?” “Italy, England or France?” you asked. “No” says the artist. “it came from your yard.” “That’s from the stone I collected from your yard.” “Do you mean…?” “Yes.” One thousand Pounds, please.” You were sitting on £1,000. But you couldn’t see the potentials in the dirty rock. You never saw a “hero” in a “zero”. Therefore, the stone that was rejected by you has ended up becoming the chief-corner-stone.
YOU ARE NOT TRASH!
Many people are being passed by, under-rated, overlooked or ignored because others don’t see what is in them. But God has revealed to me what’s in me, and I strongly believe that it is in you too. I am charged to stop and inform you: “can you really tell what’s in you?” Do you know what carry is potential? Do you know that you are not just someone born in a slum? There’s a wealth of potential in you. There is a king in your kid. There is a hero in your zero. There’s a wealth of potential in you. There is a strength in your weakness.
Sculptors sees so differently. They use “insight” to create a “foresight”. A worthy exemplar in this context is Michelangelo. They say he used to walk around a block of marble for days – just walking around it, talking to himself. First, he would see things in the rock; then he would go and take them out by creating it from those pieces.
Insight like that of a sculptor is also seen in the Holy Bible. When the world dumps, rejects you and calls you trash, and you land on the dunghill (where the garbage heap of the world is found), God walks along and picks you up. He looks deep within you and see a person of great worth, whom He would use to glorify Himself by impacting the world around him or her.
Don’t ever permit anybody to throw you away nor call you trash. When God looks at you, He sees thing that everyone else ignores. God uses the foolish things of this world to teach the wise lessons. You are worthy so much that Jesus went to cavalry to salvage and reclaim you. The Spirit of God connected to your spirit is the only true judge of your worth. Don’t accept the opinion of others because they are blind enough such that they do see what God sees.
When God looks at you, He sees things that everyone else ignore. GOD LOOKED AND SAW… God looked at “dust” and saw Adam. God looked at Adam and saw a world. He looked at Abraham and saw many nations. In Moses the murderer, God saw a deliverer. Can you just imagine looking at a stammering young man and seeing one of the greatest leader in history? God looked at David, the Shepherd boy and saw a king. When the Israelites wanted a king, God had to send Samuel to the home of Jesse. When Jesse heard why Samuel was there, he dressed up all his sons – the handsome one, the tall one, the curly-haired one, the strong one, the muscular one. All the sons of Jesse twirled out before Samuel, from the greatest to the least. With his vase of anointing oil, Samuel watched Jesse’s show as he presented his sons, even as he read out their profiles one after the other. After the very fine speech, Samuel said, “No”. The next son came out dressed like Paulson Pat and God said, “NO”. A third son gave a fine speech about philosophy, and God said “No”. Finally, after Jesse had paraded all of his sons before him, Samuel said, “I am sorry. None of these is God’s choice for king.” Do you have any other sons, may be somewhere else? Then Jesse replied, “Yes…well no. I just remembered. I do have a little boy, my youngest son. He’s just a little runt who’s out taking care of the sheep. He’s not dressed up like my other sons, nor have his hands manicured and his body scented with perfumes from the East. This guy is really smelly, because he’s been out with the sheep for quite some time.” “Bring him,” Samuel replied. “Let me look at him”. So, Jesse sent for his youngest son. When Samuel saw Jesse’s youngest son walk into the house, a little boy, he began to unscrew the lid of his vase. “I think I found the guy I’m looking for,” Samuel said. (Please note that God chose the son who was working. He was busy. God chooses busy people.) Most of us are like Jesse. We look, but we don’t see. Were you the “black sheep” in your family? (you know God likes sheep). Has your family told you that you are a nobody? Have you been written off and put out and told so many times that you will amount to nothing that you have begun to believe it? Do you really feel like the black sheep?
You are probably the one God is waiting for in the house. God sees things deep within you that others can’t see. They look at you and see nobody; God looks at you and sees a worthwhile somebody. You may spend your whole life competing with others – trying to prove that you are somebody. You may spend your whole life competing with others – trying to prove that you are somebody – and you still feel like nobody. Be free from that today! Emancipate yourself from such mental slavery! You don’t have to live with that any longer. You don’t have to try to be somebody, because you are somebody with glorious worth. You need to remember that you came out of God. You were created in His Image and Likeness. So, it is an error on your part, to look down on who you are. When you look down on WHO you are, you are indirectly or unconsciously looking down on WHOM YOU ARE! Let your focus be on your CREATOR, not those that look down on you. Look up to the INVENTOR, not His INVENTIONS!
YOU CARRY GOD’S IMAGE AND LIKENESS
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. First, He decided what He wanted to make something out of and then spoke to that source. When God wanted plants He spoke to the dirt. When God wanted fishes, He spoke to the waters. When God wanted animals, He spoke to the ground. Whatever God spoke to became the source from which the created thing came. Plants thus came from the dirt, fish from water and animals from the ground. Furthermore, plants return to the dirt, fish return to the sea and animals return to the ground when they die.
All things have the same components and essence as their source. What God created is, in essence, like the substance from which it came. Not only are all things composed of that from which they came, they must also remain attached to their source in order to live. All things must be maintained and sustained by where they came from. The minute a plant decides it doesn’t like the earth anymore, it dies. The minute the fish decide they are tired of water, they die. The minute animals decide, “we don’t want to eat dirt anymore,” they begin to die. Thus, whatever God created came from that to which he spoke. All things were created by God’s word to a source. The source of the creation also becomes, the essence of that creation. All things are composed of whatever they came from, and hence contain the potential of that source. That means plants only have the potential of the soil. Animals only have the potentials of dirt.
But when God was about to created human beings, He spoke to Himself: “Then God said, Let Us make man in Our image, in Our Likeness…” So God created man in His Own Image, in the Image of God He created him, male and female He created them (Genesis 1:26-27)”
God created you by speaking to Himself. You came out of God and thus bear His Image and Likeness. Therefore, carry yourself with the consciousness that you are of GOD. You carry His DNA. Whatever operates in God works in you, for you and also through you to the glory of God Almighty, in the Highest! And whoever looks down on you should be ready to face the wrath of your Creator, because God poured Himself in you to manifest on Earth through you. You carry the wholeness of God! You are not of yourself, but of God Almighty! Therefore, who you are is related to where you came from. MANY LOOK, only a FEW see!
The Nigerian Online Media Alliance (NOMA) has joined the global community in commemorating International Women’s Day 2025, celebrating the achievements, resilience, and contributions of women in Nigeria and beyond.
This year’s theme: “Accelerate Action,” which calls for rapid actions towards gender equality, underscores the urgent need to create equal opportunities for women in all spheres of life, including the media, politics, business, and technology.
As a collective voice in digital journalism, NOMA remains committed to using online platforms to amplify women’s voices, advocate for gender equality, and highlight the challenges women face in the society.
Particularly in the media, Nigerian women have played a pivotal role in shaping the narratives, exposing injustices, and driving meaningful conversations leading to transcendental transformational changes that have galvanised into different affirmative actions.
In her goodwill message to women on the International Women’s Day 2025, the Chairperson of NOMA, Theresa Moses, congratulated the women and called for an accelerated action towards a future where women are valued, respected, and celebrated for their contributions to our society.
“As we commemorate International Women’s Day 2025, I am reminded of the immense progress Nigerian women have made in shaping the media landscape, banking industry and other sphere of life. Yet, we still have a long way to go in achieving true gender parity.
Also speaking on the occasion, NOMA’s Public Relations Officer, Oluwamuyiwa Oyedele, emphasized the need for greater representation and accelerating action towards inclusivity in the media: “Women’s stories matter, their perspectives shape our society, and their voices must be heard.
At NOMA, we are dedicated to fostering a media landscape where women are not only seen but empowered to lead and influence policies. Therefore, women in the public space, offices and political office holders deserve mutual respect devoid of harassment of any kind while carrying out their assigned functions.
NOMA calls on government agencies, private institutions, and the public to take actionable steps in dismantling systemic barriers that hinder women’s progress. By fostering an egalitarian society, as we move closer to a future where women can thrive, lead, and inspire the next generation.
“At NOMA, we are committed to amplifying women’s voices, promoting inclusive storytelling, and advocating for policies that would empower women to take their rightful place in leadership positions.’
#IWD2025 #NOMAForWomen
Governor Ademola Adeleke on Thursday held a special briefing session with the Osun State Council of Traditional Rulers, affirming that there is no court order reinstating the court-sacked ‘Yes/No’ council chairmen.
The briefing, according to statement by Mallam Olawale Rasheed, was a continuation of the governor’s statewide consultations with elders and opinion moulders on the recent uproar on the leadership of local governments including a visit to Chief Bisi Akande at his Ibadan residence.
At the meeting attended by top traditional rulers under the chairmanship of the Ooni of Ife, Arole Oodua, His Imperial Majesty, Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi, both the Commissioners for Justice (Jimi Wole Bada) and Information (Kolapo Alimi) presented the four judgements to prove to the kings that the court order sacking the chairmen remain valid and in force.
Governor Adeleke in his briefing paper widely shared among the monarchs declared that statesmanship and divine intervention have saved Osun from major calamity, lamenting that “our state just survived a major threat to the democratic space.
“As one of the highly literate communities in Nigeria, we have a duty to avoid misinformation and disinformation, hence my coming here to present all details about the recent local government face off.
“We are all aware that after I defeated Gboyega Oyetola in July 2022, he hurriedly organised a Yes/No local government election. Two political parties, PDP and APP went to Court to challenge the arrangement for the election.
“So there were two separate suits, PDP case was filed before the promulgation of Local Government Election Law of 2022. In both of these cases, the Federal High Court decided that the process and procedure leading to the election was flawed. The court in both cases declared the election null and void and of no consequences and removed the persons who were purported to have been elected through that flawed election.The Court nullified and ordered that those who were purportedly elected vacate the office.
“In the first appeal against the APP judgement which sacked the Yes/No Council chairmen, the APC and the APM filed an appeal but did not pursue the case. They went to sleep as lawyers would say. The respondent in the case which included the PDP, sought to dismount the appeal. So the Court of Appeal dismissed the APC appeal.
“Our fathers, since the appeal was dismissed, the judgement sacking the Yes/No chairmen remains valid. As at today, the sack order has never been vacated by any court of law.
“Now in the second case involving APC V PDP, the Court of Appeal noted that there were four issues for determination and resolved issue 1 and 2 and said; (1) the amendment granted by the Federal High Court when the case was pending was wrong; (2) the second order made by the Court of Appeal in that process was that the case itself was premature and that there was no cause of action. The court consequently resolved that issue 3 and 4 became academic exercise, that is of no value, effect or importance.
“So the Court of Appeal in Akure came to the conclusion that the trial court lacked jurisdiction to have entertained the matter in the first place and then struck out that case that was filled by PDP and made NO ORDER.
“In the 53-page judgment that is in the public domain, there is nowhere an order was made by the Court of Appeal for reinstatement of the sacked chairmen. Even if there was any request for reinstatement, prayer 3 and 4 were described by the Court of Appeal as academic and the court declined to consider them”, Governor Adeleke told the monarchs.
The state governor told the royal fathers that “Osun state was ambushed suddenly by elements within the All Progressives Congress (APC) whose agenda was to burn down the state. Without any basis or foundation in law, the APC executed a deadly plot.
“The evil agenda is to illegally take over the council secretariats based on a court of appeal ruling that has no consequential orders nor contain anything about reinstatement of sacked chairmen.
“I immediately alerted the nation and security agencies in a national broadcast. Yet, nothing was done. We lost seven residents with several others injured. As a responsible leader, I ordered all parties to stay away from the secretariats. PDP members obeyed and the APC Yes /No chairmen defied the directive.
“As if that was not enough, we were shocked to read from the Attorney General of the Federation, advising us to comply with a non-existing court order. Same advice was extended to us by the Inspector General of Police.
“We were in the midst of all these when an order of the state high court mandated the electoral commission to fill the vacancies occasioned by the earlier sack of the yes/No chairmen. The court also ordered security agencies to provide security for the elections.
“Our royal fathers, the local government election was validly held despite intimidation and harassment by security operatives who were taking directives from Mr Oyetola. We have now filled the vacancies in line with the electoral act, court judgements and the constitution of the country.
“I have proceeded to direct the elected officials to stay away from the councils. Our approach is to apply rule of law instead of self help to get the illegal occupants of the Secretariats out of the way. We will not resort to violence. We will allow the law to take its full course.
“I was informed that the newly elected council chiefs and local government workers have dragged the illegal occupants of the council secretariats to court. We await court hearings and rulings.
“We are worried as a government because if you have a court judgement in your favour, there is a procedure for enforcement. The court has a process for enforcement. That process has no room for brigandary and self help as the APC Yes/No chairmen are doing.
“Secondly, why did APC refuse to pursue the appeal filed against the APP judgement that sacked its chairmen? Why did the APC fail to appeal to the Supreme Court when its appeal was struck out by the Court of Appeal?
“In the case of Akure appeal court ruling, PDP has nothing to appeal against to the Supreme Court as there was no consequential order and as the court has directly ignored reinstatement request as mere academic exercise.
“Thirdly, the Supreme Court ruling on Rivers local government election has clearly confirmed that the Osun Yes/No election was conducted in violation of the electoral act and therefore remains null and void. The latest judgement of the apex court affirm that there is no legal ground for the Yes/No chairmen to continue to illegally occupy the secretariats.
“Our royal fathers, you have all the facts before you. There is no reinstatement order as you can see. The Supreme Court came on time to validate the judgement of the Federal High Court which sacked those elected in violation of the electoral act.
“I appeal to our royal fathers to further educate their subjects on the facts of the controversies. We are a community of enlightened citizenry. We should not allow fake news to be weaponized to destroy our dear state”, the Governor noted in his address.
The royal fathers expressed appreciation and support for the state Governor and resolved to educate their subjects and also pass the message to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Officers of the Nigerian military, on Thursday, invaded the Ikeja Electric office in Lagos State, following a dispute over power disconnection to an Air Force base.
The armed military personnel forcibly entered Ikeja Electric’s office on Ago Palace Way in Okota, Isolo, Lagos, subjecting the staff to maltreatment.
According eyewitness account, the armed officers, dressed in military uniforms, arrived at the premises opposite MITV, around 7:40 am.
Employees and other individuals present at the office were allegedly subjected to physical assault by the invaders.
The confrontation reportedly stems from Ikeja Electric’s disconnection of power to the Nigerian Air Force base in Ikeja two weeks prior, as sources indicate that the disconnection resulted from unpaid electricity bills amounting to millions of naira.
According to reports, there was an agreement in place for the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) to pay ₦60 million monthly for 10–12 hours of daily electricity supply to the base. However, conflicting claims exist regarding compliance with this arrangement. While NAF sources claim they consistently fulfilled their payment obligations, Ikeja Electric representatives state the Air Force failed to pay its outstanding debt.
Military sources expressed concern that the power outage compromised their security, particularly regarding the operational warehouse containing high-calibre arms. They claim rising temperatures due to failing cooling systems put sensitive equipment at risk.
Although the police intervened, the armed personnel, reportedly led by a female officer, refused to back down, allegedly destroying property of the company, and subjecting the manager to inhuman treatment.
The officers are said to be Nigerian Airforce officers.
