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Under-Rated: The Potential Game-Changer
By Tolulope A. Adegoke
“The ‘Zero’ that isn’t empowered will never Emerge a HERO; Reason being that Opportunities without adequate and necessary preparations would always yield to futility (vice-versa).” – Tolulope A. Adegoke, PhD., MNIM, FIMC, CMC, CMS
The Potential Game-Changer in this context is the number “Zero”. It is used in this context to describe someone who has the potential to cause a massive transformation, despite having the similitude of a failure. It was Abraham Lincoln who said: “Nobody had ever expected me to become president.” He contested and failed severally before eventually becoming the President of the United States of America.
Lincoln aside, the success of Portugal at Euro 2016 football tournament has a powerful message for every one of us, in every sphere of life. That Portugal beat France 1-0 to become the European Football champion in July 2016 is no longer news. The big news however is the fact that it was a substitute player who was not considered fit to start the same game, who scored the winning and history-making goal. Before the game, all eyes had been on the great Cristiano Ronaldo. But just in the 14th minute, he was carried off the field on a stretcher with a knee injury!
Naturally, with Ronaldo, the star player, injured, panic erupted amongst football fans worldwide and the Portuguese team in particular. In all truth, Portugal probably thought their end had come! But Eder, a substitute from the bench, scored an epochal goal during the extra-time, thereby securing Portugal’s first European Championship title.
Interestingly, when the trophy was presented, it was lifted by Cristiano Ronaldo, who had broken down in tears at the final whistle. That day, he and the watching world had learnt an unforgettable lesson: If you desire to see true success and progress, never underrate anyone. If you wish to see outstanding results in every area of life, you must be determined to pursue total unity and team work because a tree cannot make a forest and nobody is indispensable!
Portugal won without King Ronaldo on the field! Never underestimate any man. Don’t despise your zero because it might end up being your HERO, just as Eder proved to be. We also have the biblical example of David, who emerged from being a mere shepherd boy in the wilderness to becoming a military general, and then, the king of Israel!
The other side of the “ball game”
So far, we have considered zero as a positive potential that must be nurtured from dormancy to vibrancy and greatness. However, there is something else that zero could represent and unlike the previous representations of zero, this does not require being nurtured but being neutralised. This is because like other forms of zero, this also has the potential to grow – in this case, though, into something destructive. This zero is the ‘zero of the weak point’
The story of some individuals would only revolve around their weak point, especially how it limited them from fulfilling their purpose and destiny. A weakness is often a behavioural flaw that prevents or limits someone from being (a game changer) fully effective. Whichever way this flaw is handled can result in great consequences. Both the Bible and contemporary history are replete with stories of individuals who had great potentials but did nothing to neuter their weaknesses and thus exposing themselves to failure and regret.
We have the example of Moses who was called by God to the lead the Israelites out of Egypt, their land of slavery. The exceptional grace on his life made him a HERO. The Lord used him to perform many miracles in Egypt. Through him, God afflicted the Egyptians with ten plagues. The Lord also used him in parting the Red Sea and in demonstrating other wonders in the wilderness (Exodus 33:22-23). Yet, his weak point of anger terminated his mission of leading the Israelites to the Promised Land (Exodus 17, Exodus 32:19-20).
As the Bible records, the congregation of children of Israel had journeyed from the wilderness of Sin. Thus, the people began to reproach Moses and Aaron, their leaders. Moses had gone to God to present the complaints of the people and God had instructed him to speak to the rock for water, but he had struck the rock instead, as a result of his anger at the attitude of the Israelites. God was not happy with this. Eventually, Moses only saw Canaan from afar but didn’t get there.
Samson is another good example to be used here to describe the flaws of mighty individuals. In spite of his great strength, he was eventually captured and became a victim. Ironically, he had been born to be a deliverer of the Israelites (Judges 13). Due to the anointing of God upon him, he had become the most powerful man on earth. He could face 10,000 soldiers all alone, and he once killed a lion with his bare hands. At the height of his strength, the Philistines were afraid of Israel. However, he had a character flaw, which he considered to be a zero – that is, an insignificant weakness. That flaw was the love of women, especially wayward women, which was against the conditions given to him by God. That seeming zero would eventually lead to his downfall, when he revealed the secret of his power to Delilah, one of his wayward women (Judges 16). Towards the end of his life, the same Samson who had been a terror to the Philistines ended up as their puppet and slave. They blinded him and turned him to an object of scorn.
In our contemporary times, there are many whose “zero” character and behavioural flaws such as careless use of the tongue, addictions to drinks and drugs, lust for the opposite sex, love of money, uncontrolled temper, have cut short their lives and destinies. The reason being that they did not realise where their unchecked flaws or could lead them until it was too late.
The fact, as has been stated, is that everyone has a weak point which can be easily dismissed as a zero. This means that within every hero, there lies a zero. Or to put it in another way, “there is a kid in every king.” What this requires is for you to tackle your zero so as not to be drowned in the valley of life. Starve your weak point to develop the hero in you, though the journey to achieving it may not be smooth, because it is truly not easy to be easy! Crave for a good change, work on yourself, by allowing the Potter (God Almighty) to break, remould, bake and make very good use of your earthen vessel for His glory; only via this means would you be able to overcome your flaws and emerge a global game-changer in your area(s) of calling(s) or purpose.
Thank you all for reading.
Fresh facts have emerged over the abduction of school pupils and the killing of two teachers alongside an okada rider in Ahoro-Esiele, Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, as investigators uncovered how suspected informants allegedly maintained communication with the abductors through telephone conversations.
The Oyo State Police Command disclosed that investigators tracked the suspects through calls believed to have been exchanged with the bandits during and after the operation.
According to the police, the conversations allegedly contained details on how the criminals could successfully navigate routes within the National Park to hidden locations used as safe havens.
The breakthrough led to the arrest of no fewer than six suspects, who are currently in police custody and assisting security agencies with ongoing investigations into the gruesome incident.
Confirming the development on Tuesday morning, the State Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Olayinka Ayanlade, said the suspects were apprehended during coordinated security operations across different locations in the State.
“We have six suspects in custody and they are assisting the investigation,” Ayanlade said.
He added that preliminary investigations revealed that the suspects allegedly served as informants to the bandits responsible for the abduction and killings.
“Our findings showed that some of the suspects were in contact with the abductors through telephone conversations and investigators are analysing those communications as part of efforts to uncover the full network behind the crime,” he stated.
Ayanlade further disclosed that security agencies uncovered discussions allegedly centred on routes through the National Park and locations believed to have been used by the criminals as hideouts.
“The conversations contained information on how the abductors could move through the National Park undetected and reach safe locations,” he added.
The police spokesman explained that the suspects were arrested during joint operations involving the Nigerian Army, the Nigeria Police Force, the Western Nigeria Security Network codenamed Amotekun, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and Agro-Rangers.
“The arrests were made possible through intelligence-driven operations carried out by joint security operatives working collaboratively to dismantle the criminal network,” Ayanlade said.
He assured residents that security agencies were intensifying efforts to apprehend other fleeing members of the syndicate linked to the attack.
“We are committed to ensuring that every individual connected to this criminal act is identified, arrested and brought to justice. Investigations are still ongoing,” he said.
The incident, which claimed the lives of two teachers and an Okada rider while school pupils were abducted last Friday, has continued to generate concern among residents of the affected communities and neighbouring areas in Oyo State.
Governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde, has confirmed that one of the teachers abducted during the recent terrorist attack on schools in Oriire LGA of the state, has been killed in captivity.
Speaking on Sunday during a press briefing on the incident, Makinde described the situation as “difficult and challenging”, saying the state government is intensifying efforts to rescue the remaining victims.
On Friday, gunmen riding motorcycles invaded communities within the Ahoro-Esiele/Yawota axis of Oriire, Ogbomoso, and abducted students and staff members of Community High School, Ahoro-Esiele, L.A. Primary School, Esiele, and Yawota Baptist Nursery and Primary School.
The attack left an assistant headmaster, identified as Joel Adesiyan, and a commercial motorcyclist dead.
According to Makinde, a video received by the state government confirmed the killing of one of the abductees identified as a mathematics teacher.
“What we know is that seven teachers in all were abducted and unfortunately, we got a video this morning that one of the teachers, the maths teacher, was killed by the terrorists this morning,” Makinde said.
Authorities have yet to confirm the exact number of schoolchildren abducted.
In the aftermath of the incident, videos recorded from captivity began circulating on social media, showing abducted teachers pleading with the government and Nigerians for urgent intervention.
One of the viral videos featured Rachael Alamu, principal of Community High School, Esiele, appealing to the government to help secure the release of the victims before they are killed.
Makinde detailed that six persons had been arrested within the affected locality over alleged links to the attackers, and that another three “persons of interest” were also arrested in connection with the attack.
“The information available from the Commissioner of Police is that six individuals have been arrested within the locality. Some of them were believed to perhaps be informants to people running logistics for the terrorists,” he said.
Following the attack, the Oyo Police Command announced the commencement of an intensive manhunt and rescue operation involving multiple security agencies.
Makinde said personnel of the police, military, the Western Nigeria Security Network codenamed Amotekun, and local hunters were mobilised immediately to pursue the attackers.
The governor said, however, some Amotekun operatives sustained injuries after encountering improvised explosive devices planted by the terrorists during the operation.
“After the incident, Amotekun, the police, military and hunters were mobilised to go after the terrorists and it was along that line that they ran into IEDs and some of the Amotekun operatives were wounded,” he said.
Sources told TheCable that the terrorists had initially opened fire on the security operatives who were approaching the Old Oyo national park on motorcycles, causing them to flee.
“When the shooting subsided, the operatives decided to go for their motorbikes. Unfortunately, a dynamite exploded against one Amotekun corps member and he was wounded. He has been taken to the hospital for medical attention,” a source said.
“Apart from air raid, the Old Oyo National Park Area can’t be easily accessed through infantry. It’s a long distance from the Oowe River which forms a natural landmark boundary for the park. Motorcycles would have to be used for the journey, but the noise of the approaching motorcycles alerted the terrorists.”
Makinde linked the attack to increasing pressure being mounted on terrorist groups in the north-east, warning that fleeing armed groups are moving into other parts of the country, including the south-west.
“With the pressure on the terrorists in the north-east theatre, they will keep moving southwards. Today, the governor of Kwara state has spoken to me. But the problem we have is that when you have pressure in one place, we must be prepared on this side to either repel or neutralise any terrorists fleeing the pressure,” he said.
The governor harped on the need for sustained government and security presence in vulnerable communities, warning that temporary military operations without long-term security measures could leave residents exposed to future attacks.
“If all we can do is clearance operations for a week or two and leave that place, the terrorists will come back and the people will become vulnerable,” he said.
He assured residents that the state government would be deploying military and non-military strategies to secure the release of the abducted victims and tackle the growing security threat.
“We have decided that we will adopt not just the kinetic approach. We have not taken this lightly,” he added.
Makinde also appealed for calm and patience from residents, acknowledging the complexity of the operation.
“I want to appeal to everyone that we are doing everything within our power to ensure that this would be resolved quickly and we bring our children back safely, but it is a very difficult and challenging situation so there may not be quick fixes,” he added.
Source: TheCable
By Henry Ukazu
Dear Destiny Friends,
Complaining is part of human nature. We complain about our health, school, family, friends, work, finances, government, and life in general. Human beings literally complain about everything and anything.
Over time, I have come to discover something about life: complaining doesn’t solve a problem; it adds to it. According to the Book of Life, why worry when you can pray? The moral of this statement is that instead of worrying, why not look for solutions? When you worry, it only accumulates the problems, but when you explore avenues to solve a problem, you’re literally praying.
Complaining is like having a problem and apportioning blame to another person instead of fixing it. One of the hallmarks of great minds is the ability to solve problems, while little minds complain.
In the world of visionary leaders, they don’t complain; rather, they see complaints as challenges of life, while lesser minds see complaints as problems of life. Again, while great leaders see problems as a gateway to make money and succeed by proffering solutions, little minds see problems as obstacles limiting their growth to succeed. Same action but different results and consequences.
As human beings, we tend to focus on what we don’t have instead of focusing on what we have. It’s only when we appreciate what we have that we give room for opportunities and favors to come to us. It’s unfortunate some of fucus on what we are going through instead of what we are becoming.
It’s instructive to note that complaints don’t lead us anywhere, rather it hinders our progress. Nobody likes complainers; complainers are usually seen as energy suckers because all they do is take without giving. Instead of complaining, why not practice gratitude? Gratitude helps to draw and attract opportunities.
In the world of human relations, the ability to manage people is an uncommon skill. One must learn to nurture relationships. Human beings can be difficult to manage. While some exhibit meekness, gratitude, cheerfulness, and loyalty, some exhibit bitterness, frustration, depression, sadness, and sorrow. What most people don’t know is that we have the ability to change how we manage our lives and how we react to what life throws at us through our attitude.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not insinuating that complaining is wrong; rather, I’m insinuating it’s not healthy for our mental health. The only time we can complain about something is when we are proffering a solution; by so doing, we have highlighted the problems and proffered the solution.
Complaints make us blind to see the good in others. As a word of advice, if you focus exclusively on the shortcomings of the people with whom you have to relate and forget that they have a good point, it will be difficult to see the good in them.
According to Yomi Garnett, focus on the good side of people and be intentional in learning about their mindset and inquire what made them who they are. Also, focusing on the good side of people despite their bad or weak side makes them feel valuable as human beings, and by so doing, we show our empathic personality.
In conclusion, resolve today to stop complaining and start appreciating the challenges of life with gratitude.
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
