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The Power of Planning: Authentic Strategy for Delivery of Possibilities (Part 2)
By Tolulope A. Adegoke
‘You must:
Permit to perform by planning well; perform to perfect by training well
Lean on knowledge, from it you may find wisdom.
Acquire skills for accessing and actualizing desired intentions or goals.
Never ever relent following the above steps over and over again!
True VISION exposes, then empowers our individual or corporate MISSIONs. There will be no fulfilment of mission(s) without effective planning. It is an effective plan that compels you to sit well (that is, to study well and strategise properly). If you do not sit well, you will never ever discover or unlock a passion (solution) to pass on and on (that is, to solving challenges or problems) unto the next generations- this, will not only grant you prosperity but also posterity! For without effective planning, there will be nothing of such values for all-round IMPACTS! Planning is an intentional and strategic order, through which principles are discovered, from which possibilities are birthed to solving individual, corporate and national challenges in a bid to hand over a better world unto coming generation(s)’
– Tolulope A. Adegoke
Effective planning is the key to success. It is revealed in Proverbs 24:3-4 (NKJV) that: ‘through wisdom is an house builded; and by understanding it is established: And by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches.’ This means that, every enterprise is built on wise planning, it becomes strong through common sense and profits wonderfully by keeping abreast of the facts.
Luke 14:28 further reveals that: ‘For which of you, intending to build a tower sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?’ So, for any serious building to be built, there must be effective planning through blueprints, calculations (that is, Engineers has to work on blueprints and calculations, the same goes for quantity survivors before they start construction at all). Jesus Christ said, before you can live a meaningful life, you must sit down first!
In the University, when you sit for an examination and fail, you will need to re-sit, that means you didn’t sit well for the examination at first! Sitting means planning, while sitting well means planning well!
Most students fail exams in the first place because they didn’t plan well, no definite plans on the grades you intend to get! Common sense tells you to find what works for you, and work on that which works! Those who have flights planned flying higher. Therefore, your goals must be simple as letters A, B and C, which can be described as:
Attainable, accessible, Actual (that is, specific).
Believable, bold (that is seeable, firm)
Creative, concrete.
I can vividly remember at a time (years ago) when one of my revered mentors from the United States requested that I send him synopsis about myself, which includes my plans for the next five to ten years. Though I knew that I needed and wanted to succeed big time, yet I could not write it plain on black and white; I knew I craved to impart lives globally, but I didn’t know what mental or social structures needed to put in place… I was like dynamite wanting and waiting to explode but didn’t know how to. So, I wrote so many pieces of stuff down and forwarded it to him (I guess he’s busy laughing out loud as he’s reading this piece of mine right now). I thought within me that, anyone reading this synopsis would at least, by themselves deduce facts from the many words I have engaged to describe my desires and intentions for the future. In truth, as at then, I didn’t really have the understanding of the formulas A, B and C. My revered mentor later responded with a phone call, in his enchanting and some-how intimidating baritone: ‘Adegoke, you need to make your plans for the future so plain and simple enough such that it will be clear enough to make the race as simple as A, B and C!’ yes sir, I responded timidly. Do you meditate at all? Yes, sir, but not all always, sir. I responded as swiftly as I could. Alright, anyone one who desires to soar must first sit well, seek solitude in order to visit the industrial giant within, the dialogue to with him and discover who and what stuff he has been created for. Whatever answers you receive in such processes must be written in very plain language. Seek answers, find the way, and knock the shut doors you desire through thinking and meditative prayers…this will give you enough substance or capacity to have and make bold plans without missing the right words to describing who you are and what purposes you have been created to fulfil. Is that clear? He uttered firmly. Yes, sir. Very clear, I responded. It was then I realized the Power of Silence in Solitude… it was then that I started developing a firm relationship and became a better friend with the Holy Spirit-Who has been patiently craving for my full attention, just to help me out with my destiny! It was then I understood the awakening of the giant within. It was then I was able to conquer many battles of the mind. I started arriving at the sublime state, such that I understood well that God is always ready to respond to our many requests, and help us with strategies through the mediums of humility that breeds inspirations, to the point of revelations, later to illuminations, then we could advance to creativities at Divine speed. But of what use is speed without direction?
Many people today crave to have speed in their daily dealings, yet forgets to deploy the tools of strategies which could only be powered by sitting down well, humbly- focusing on the Maker, aligning with Him to discovering deep things secrets that your parents, teachers and role models cannot even dare teach you. Not until you sit well, to plan well, you will never discover a passion (that solves problems) to pass on unto the next generation that delivers not just prosperity but posterity!
Fine-tune your mind into the divine frequency to align with your Maker, therein lies the guide to your destiny by the leading of the Word (Scriptures). Meditation on the Word of God powers your vision as revealed in Joshua 1:8. It enables you to see beyond Academics; therein you have access to ‘revelational’ knowledge to solving issues beyond mortal reasoning, and becoming a blessing! You become a god over specific challenges or problems; you become an answer to the prayers of a majority! You become a dream come true.
Back to the above subject, your goals or dreams must be ‘Achievable’, realistic and also accessible in your vision- it must not just be a dream you have never pictured within you. You can only feature in the future that you have pictured within you!
Your dreams must also be ‘Believable’ by you! And to others at least to a reasonable extent. It must be goals that will make the blood run in your veins, which is an indication that you so much believe in it, even if there are oppositions and both ugly and beautiful distractions on your paths.
Lastly, your dreams must be ‘Concrete’- your goals must be rock-solid (that is, it must carry weight and must scare you). If your dreams do not scare you, then it is not a dream! And despite the fact that it is very scary, you must believe in what Ephesians 3: 20 (KJV)says ‘Now unto him that is able to do exceedingly, abundantly and above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.’ That means the power that works within us must be powered or propelled by FAITH! This is where the power of FAITH comes to play; your faith must work; it must align with your dreams!
(To be continued…)
Tolulope A. Adegoke is an acclaimed “globalpreneur”, with the mandate to enrich lives and provide the professional, spiritual, academic and leadership empowerment needed to birth, maximize and sustain possibilities in peoples, corporates and nations. He is a prolific writer, frequent keynote speaker and spoken word poet, among others, having written countless articles in diverse reputable fields and honoured many public invitations. Tolulope is the privileged Founder/ President, TheGlobalSTAGEImpacts (GSI) – wired for delivering possibilities. He is the Founder and Chief Editor, Your Online Celebrity Exhibition Magazine (YOCEM) – a global online platform wired for the continuous showcasing of natural talents, skills and businesses of individuals and corporates. He is the CEO, Beyond Media Consults. He is also a Senior Administrator.
E-mail: adegoketolulope1022@gmail.com
globalstageimpacts@gmail.com
By Henry Ukazu
Dear Destiny Friends,
The ability to speak the ‘language’ people understand is a very important skill, and whoever masters it, has gained a profitable advantage. The ability therefore, to strategically use language can be a game changer in life and business. In all honesty, anyone, who can relate to the act of speaking languages people understand, stands a better chance of attracting more opportunities. Language is a skill; the more the skill a person has, the more resourceful they will be.
Every business, politics, game, religion, relationship/marriage, and art have a language. Even a little child has a language. One must be able to speak the language of that child to work with the child. The ability of one to use it very well can be a game changer.
There’s no field or subject in life that is not governed by its own language. The language is the code or key, which when rightly used or applied, any door opens.
Let’s take a case study of marriage; the truth is there’s no perfect marriage anywhere, the love the couples claim to share notwithstanding. There will come a day when either one of them will lose it, and the hormones will flare up. The ability of one of the couples to speak the language the other person understands can calm the nerves of the other. The inability of one to speak the right language can make things go out of hand.
Certain things work for certain people. Everyone is different and unique; what works for someone might not work for another person. So, the ability to know what works for someone and judiciously use it has the potential of opening doors and opportunity because, according to my late mother, human beings are the most difficult people to work with.
In business, if one is seeking a grant or opportunity from an investor, one must be able to speak or convey his thought in an appealing way in such a way the investor will find it attractive. And that entails putting down certain information that is needed for a proposal to receive a positive recommendation. This is not about trying to fake life, rather, it’s a strategic and wise way of showing how informed and proactive one can be.
Let’s take a case study of human attraction. For any man to successfully woo a lady, he must speak or act in a certain way that the lady finds appealing, and that entails having a good dress sense, having the fear of God, being financially and professionally stable, showing care and empathy, amongst other qualities. The same is applicable to a woman who wants to attract a man, she must be able to ‘speak’ the man’s language.
In politics, the language is loyalty. It’s only an ungrateful master who wouldn’t want to appreciate a loyal servant who has served him faithfully when an opportunity arises.
The importance of language in life cannot be overemphasized. When it comes to spirituality, certain offerings work for certain gods, or God. To benefit from your altar, one must speak the language of their god/God. For instance, those who offer sacrifice to fake deities must continually offer sacrifice in order for their “powers” to be renewed. The same is applicable to those who believe in the one true God, one must continually abstain from immorality and vices in order to receive blessings from Him.
In summary, if you want to succeed in life, endeavour to find out what language works for anyone or any industry. And when it is found, and worked on, the doors must surely open.
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
A State Security Service investigator, on Tuesday, told the Federal High Court in Abuja that Tukur Mamu was offered a N50 million share by Shugaba, leader of the terrorist group, who attacked the Abuja-Kaduna bound train in 2022.
The DSS operative, who testified as 6th prosecution witness (PW-6) in the ongoing terrorism trial of Mamu, the alleged terrorists’ negotiator, told Justice Mohammed Umar while being led in evidence by the DSS lawyer, David Kaswe.
The witness, who gave his testimony behind a witness screen for security reason, said that the group also asked Mamu to teach them how to open website for their terrorist activities.
He stated this while interpreting four voice notes played in the courtroom containing the defendant’s telephone interactions with the terrorists who held the abducted train passengers hostage.
The audio recordings were extracted from Mamu’s mobile telephones during interrogation after he was arrested in Egypt and brought back to Nigeria.
“The first voice note that played was for defendant (Mamu) fixing a date for delivery of ransom.
“The second voice note that played for five minutes was the voice of Shugaba, the leader of the terrorist group.
“In the voice note, he was appreciating the defendant’s effort and ask him to remove N50 million for his personal use from a particular tranche of ransom sent to them.
“The last voice note that played, Baba Adamu, who is their spokesperson, was heard requesting the defendant to help them procure speakers and public address system for their preaching activities and the defendant responded that he was going to look into their request.
“They also requested that the defendant teach them how to open website for their activities,” the witness said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mamu was alleged to have convinced the terrorists to discuss ransom payments with individual families of the hostages of the train attack instead of the Chief of Defense Staff Committee set up by the Federal Government for his personal financial gain.
The defendant was said to have been nominated by the terrorists that attacked the train sometime in March 2022 where scores of passengers were held hostage.
Mamu was alleged to have collected ransoms on behalf of terror group from families of hostages, confirmed the amount and facilitated the delivery of same to them.
The PW-6, while being led in evidence on Tuesday by the prosecuting lawyer, Kaswe, told the court that after Mamu was brought back from Egypt, he submitted his Samsung tablet and two phones to DSS’ officials.
The witness said he was one of those who investigated the case.
He told the court that when the defendant was intercepted in Egypt, he put a call to his in-law, identified as Mubarak Tinja and directed him to move out all his valuables, comprising cash, cars and other items of values, from his house to a safe location, to avoid detection by security agents.
“The defendant was subsequently arrested in Egypt and returned back to Nigeria, where a team of investigators were on ground to receive him.
“A duly endorsed search warrant was duly executed in his property and office in Kaduna, during which cash, in both local and foreign currencies; vehicles and other valuables were recovered.
“In compliance with his directive to his in law, Mubarak Tinja, and the other dependants in the house, some cars and cash were moved out of the house to various locations,” he said.
He said investigators later traced and located some of the items, including about 300,000 US dollars, about seven cars, including Toyota Camry (Muscle); Peugeot 5008, Lexus, Mercedes E350 and a Hyundai car.
Vehicle documents relating to the cars were later tendered by the prosecution through the witness, which the court admitted in evidence.
The witness added that when the defendant was brought back to the country, he “handed his Samsung tablet and two of his phones to our exhibit keeper, who sent them to our forensic department for forensic analysis.
“The outcome of the forensic analysis, included the voice notes of the conversation between the defendant and the terrorists, were part of the content that were presented to the interrogation team and the items recovered from his home.
“He (the defendant) was subsequently interviewed, during which the content of his phones and other items were presented to him.
“During the interview, the defendant admitted giving instruction to Mubarak to move his variables from his house.
“He also admitted communicating with the terrorists, using his voice notes, which were extracted from his two phones and Samsung tablet.”
He added that the defendant also admitted owning a pump action gun, which was recovered from his house, which he claimed was duly licensed.
The witness, however, told the court that investigators later discovered that the licence expired in December 2021, nine months before he was arrested.
The DSS operative said about 98 per cent of the conversation on the voice notes are in Housa Language, some of which were translated to English Language by him, because they were too many.
Kaswe then applied to tender the recorded voice notes stored in compact disk plates and flash drive, which the court admitted, after Mamu’s counsel, Johnson Usman, reserved his objection until the final address.
The recorded conversations were played in the courtroom.
The witness added that in the course of investigation, two victims volunteered written statements in which they recounted their experiences.
He said one of the statements was written in English and the other in Hausa Language.
He, however, said that the victims; a male and female, were no longer available, because they expressed their unwillingness to attend court to testify because of fear and trauma.
The court admitted the statements of the victims in evidence and marked them as exhibits after it was not opposed by Usman.
The court also admitted in evidence eight statements made to investigators by Mamu and video recordings of the statements writing sessions.
Kaswe then informed the court that he would be bringing a formal application for the court to visit where the items recovered from Mamu’s house and office are kept.
Justice Umar adjourned the matter until Nov. 26 at 11am for continuation of trial.
NAN
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Tuesday laid before the Lagos State House of Assembly a N4.237 trillion Appropriation Bill for the 2026 fiscal year, describing it as an ambitious, future-driven financial plan aimed at solidifying his administration’s legacy in its final full year.
Presenting the proposal, titled the “Budget of Shared Prosperity,” the governor said it reflects the collective optimism that Lagos will continue to expand opportunities, strengthen its leadership role, and reinforce its status as Africa’s foremost megacity.
Sanwo-Olu disclosed that the budget projects total revenue of N3,993,774,552,141, comprising N3.12 trillion in Internally Generated Revenue and N874 billion in expected Federal Transfers. The funding structure, he noted, leaves a deficit financing requirement of N243,332,457,167.
For the 2026 fiscal year, capital expenditure is set at N2,185,085,419,495, while recurrent expenditure stands at N2,052,021,589,812. He explained that the recurrent component covers overheads, personnel costs, and debt obligations.
A breakdown of recurrent spending shows total overhead costs of N1,084,245,843,091, including general overheads, subventions and dedicated expenditures, while personnel costs amount to N440,494,339,384. Recurrent debt charges are projected at ₦143,876,701,943, with debt repayments estimated at N383,404,705,394.
Sanwo-Olu also outlined the sectoral distribution of the 2026 budget. General Public Services will receive N847,472,071,966; Public Order and Safety, N147,040,088,897; and Economic Affairs, N1,372,307,808,626. The Environment Ministry is allocated N235,957,235,138, while Housing receives N123,760,310,429.
The Health sector is earmarked N338,449,258,945; Education gets N249,132,921,287; Social Protection, N70,024,171,038; and the Recreation and Culture sector will take N54,682,339,586.
The governor said the year 2026 carries special weight as the last full calendar year of his administration, describing it as a period crucial for consolidating achievements and ensuring a “strong, successful finish.”
He reaffirmed his commitment to completing all ongoing and newly initiated projects, adding that his administration will continue to prioritise citizen engagement to ensure government decisions reflect the needs of Lagosians.
According to him, Lagos is entering a new phase of “accelerated impact,” driven by sustained investment in infrastructure, human capital, social welfare and governance systems that are “intentional, inclusive and future-oriented.”
Sanwo-Olu reiterated his administration’s core mission: “To keep Lagos secure, to keep Lagos working, to keep Lagos growing, and to make sure the prosperity we build is shared by everyone who calls this centre of excellence home.”
He commended the Lagos State House of Assembly for its consistent partnership, describing the lawmakers as steadfast allies in the state’s development journey. He also praised the civil service for its hard work in translating government vision into measurable progress.
DailyPost
