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Opinion: Thriving in Trying Times (Pt. 1)

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By Tolulope A. Adegoke

“Until you are tried (pushed), you will not strive, if you do not strive, you may not thrive!” – Tolulope A. Adegoke

Until you are tried, you can’t thrive! In the process of being tried, man must strive not to remain on the floor. This period could feature any of the following processes: from crawling to walking, from walking to running, from running to flapping, from flapping to flying, and from flying to soaring. Trying times are periods of struggles, challenges, lockdowns and knockdowns! It could be terrifying, tempting, difficult and annoying but certainly, it’s a period when the challenged person needs to make some life-changing decisions either to be emotionally drawn in the situation (scenario) or get up and fight by maximizing the storm to discover innate potentials and build capacities beyond the ordinary. It is a period of systematically confronting and conquering one’s fears. It could really be energy sapping (exhausting), it’s a period of fighting hard psychologically, spiritually and morally.

It is a period of aligning your psychological, financial, physical and spiritual strengths to find meaning to your existence. Life is a series of peaks and valleys. Sometimes you are up and sometimes down. But our trying times is when we need more supports, push and guidance. We must understand that it is how we respond and confront our challenges that define how strong we are. This tests of times are revealers of those that are true to us. But we become happier in life as we improve on our abilities to navigate this trying period, and we also grow as a being or an entity.

Your trying times might be a serious health challenge, dealing with patients in your (hospital) wards, marriage, children, relationship, career or customers amongst others; trying times are inevitable. Your Spiritual, Physical, Emotional and Mental (SPEM) strength are usually tested during those trying times. And without adequate ‘SPEM’ strength, life’s inevitable challenges are likely to fill you up with self-doubts and anxiety, uncomfortable feelings lending to negative vibes, thoughts which affect or influence your behavioural pattern, which can turn your catastrophic predictions into a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Life comes with different seasons: good times and bad times as unveiled in the Holy Book [Ecclesiastes 3:1] “there is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for events under heaven” (NASB). Every purpose, activity and situation simply reveals what time and stages we are in. But the good news is that the Almighty God is unchanging through all the seasons. He says: “I am the Lord that does not change.” Not His integrity, His mercy, nor His faithfulness. However, to overcome in every changing seasons of life, we must adapt and engage the shield of FAITH as given us by God; because FAITH is the spiritual, psychological and moral weapon for all season. The Holy Book in 1John 5:4 reveals that: “For whatsoever is born of God overcomes the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.”

Currently, the is an ongoing global crisis against humanity, that is the COVID-19 (Coronavirus). We should understand that what is happening today is not new at all; in 1869, 1919 there were pandemics that ravaged the world. Here is where the hope of our victory lies; if God could put a stop to the plagues in times past, He will solve it again; because He alone is the Almighty.

 

Among others are what trying times does:

One. Trying times is a REVEALER; it truly reveals who you are. Everyone can fake that he or she is strong before their trying moments, but when trying times emerges; that is when you know who you truly are and where you truly stand. Many people tend to play the blames on God in their trying times- these categories of persons want to get their crowns without going through CROSS; such people want the testimonies without passing through the TESTS.

Trying moments reveals our true identity, our strength, weaknesses among others- that is why the Holy Book reveals in Proverbs 24:10: “…if you faint in the day of adversity your strength is small (AMP).”

Two. Trying moments gives us the opportunity to put to test all that we have learnt over the years. Every word of God that has been deposited your heart are to prepare you for battles. Your works/ strengths would be tested in trying times. There are messages you have heard some two to four years ago, such that if something happen today, those words would act as weapon which God had given you in advance to prepare you to lead and conquer. Some of us do not know the power we possess until we feature in trying moments.

Three. Trying times should not make us run away from The Maker, God Almighty; but should push us to run to Him: Just as the Holy Book, Proverbs 18:10 reveals “the name of the Lord is a Strong Tower; the righteous runneth into it, and it is safe.” (KJV).

 

WAY FORWARD- in Trying Times

The word of God is the solution to every problem; it is the way out of every challenge of life when applied. God uses life events to shake the trees of our lives so that the rotten fruits and withered leaves can drop off. He is shaking the Heavens and the Earth so that the things that cannot be shaken can stand. If we are very observant to current issues around the world, it is vividly clear that the so-called nations that we think are ‘up there’, the scourge of Covid-19 (Coronavirus) has exposed and humbled virtually all of them, they all now find solace in the power beyond science (Artificial Intelligence), God Almighty. These were the so-called nations that had almost totally rejected the full (gospel of the) existence of God over mankind. In a nutshell, God uses trying times to humble mankind and prove His Supremacy as the Almighty in the affairs of men; in a bid to draw us closer to Him.

The first way forward on your to-do-list is to know what-not-to-do. Many times, we say this is what I will do, it may not be as effective as knowing ‘what not to do’. It is not what you should do that matters, it is what not to do in trying times- that is the wisdom we got from the Almighty God in the Holy Book of Exodus 20 when He was giving the Ten Commandment. He didn’t at first state to them what He needs them (Israelites) to do, but ‘what not to do,’ then at the latter end stated what to do. Exodus 20:3 reveals: “you gods before or besides Me” (AMP). God didn’t say “you must serve Me,” but He is saying: Know what you shouldn’t do, that is, “you shall not have any god besides me, you shall not make for yourself an idol, you shall not bow down yourself to them or serve them. God began to give them a list of what they shouldn’t do.

In your trying times, you must first of all, know what not to do; that will help you to know what you should do.

Seven Things You Shouldn’t Do in Trying Times that Guarantees Our Staying Power to Overcome are:

One. Do not FEAR! The Holy Book in Psalm 91:5 reveals that “thou shall not be afraid…” we could see the covenant of God in that scripture that if God should say do not fear, then why should you be afraid. Put your trust in Him, cast your care unto Him, then follow His full instructions or directions per-time; of what use or need is speed when there is no direction?

Even when everything around us points towards fear, always remember that God has instructed us not to fear, and none of His words would fall to the ground. The word ‘fear not’ is very instructive and important. It is one of the most important and common phrases in the Bible; but why is it so common and important? ‘fear not’ is God’s ‘stability phrase’, it is our shock absorber. Why is it so important- Isaiah 41,43, Genesis 15? A researcher or Bible scholar unveiled that the word ‘fear not’ appears 365 times in the Holy Book which connotes that there is a ‘fear not’ dosage for each day.

‘Fear not’ is our God’s Spiritual First Aid. God will not start a major thing just anyhow. Firstly, He stabilizes you by saying “fear not.”

A classic example was when a man came to Jesus Christ to plead to heal his daughter, as the scripture reveals that Jesus was the only hope the man had. Jesus Christ agreed to follow him to his house to heal the daughter but was later interrupted by the woman with the issue of blood, and Jesus ministered to the woman which slowed down his movement to the man’s house; then, someone brought a piece of sad news to the man that he shouldn’t bother the Master (Jesus) that his daughter is dead, “don’t trouble the master.” But when Jesus Christ heard the news, he told the man “fear not; only believe.” (Luke 8:50) KJV. That is the word of God will come to us not to fear when everything around us is pointing toward the direction of fear. So, in our trying times, the first what not to do is ‘FEAR NOT!’ it is a gentle command from our Maker to us (His Children) as a message of HOPE to help trigger our faith for the delivery of our desires.

Two. We must not be SILENT. A closed mouth is a closed destiny. Almost all the covenant of God in the Bible are voice and word activated, and we saw that throughout the scriptures, starting from Genesis 1, every time God wants to activate His covenant, He speaks! When God wanted to revive the dry-bones nothing happened until the word was spoken- Ezekiel 37 “Can these dry bones live again? Ezekiel replied “only God knows, then, God instructed to prophesy and he said “…so I prophesied as I was commanded when I began to speak, then God began to move.” God activates His covenants by Spoken words, as seen in Psalm 91:2 ‘I will say of the Lord…’ Hebrews 13:5-6 “…He had said, I will never leave you nor forsake you.” “so that we might boldly say, the Lord is my helper and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.” In trying times, know that the covenant of God is word activated and you must not shut your mouth, you must speak! The Book of Genesis 1:2-3 reveals that nothing happened, even when the Spirit of God was moving on the surface of the waters until God said: “let there be light.” We must speak FAITH; we must speak it consistently and we must be cautious of our utterances. Don’t just be silent, and when speaking, avoid negative words- remember what the Holy Book (Ecclesiastes 5:6) says: “say not before an angel that it was an error.” We must know what to say and know how to say it. We must be bold (confident); speak with intensity. When situation refuses to change, change it with your spoken words of faith.

Three. Thou Shall Not Disobey or Ignore Natural Wise Instructions and Guidelines for Your Safety. Most of the time, we over-spiritualize things, so much that we ignore wise counsels and other cautions that are natural. Joshua in the Holy Book was fighting the physical battle while the hand of Moses was raised – Exodus 17:9-11. Kindly ask yourself, what are the spiritual and natural things you are consistently doing. For instance, the case of the Covid-19 has compelled a lockdown in virtually all nations, it will, therefore, be wise to follow laid down guidelines issued by the government and the health bodies in order to prevent or avert further spread of the virus.

Four. You must not stop praying. Holy Bible says, pray without ceasing. We must not stop praying- Luke 18:1. Prayer fortifies and purifies us. It aligns us with divinity, so as to intervene in our humanity.

Five. You must not be slack in your confessions of FAITH. Don’t stop it.

Six. You must not doubt; you must keep believing. The Holy Book reveals that a double-minded person can never receive anything from the Lord. As you are confessing, it is revealed in the Scripture in 2 Corinthians 4:13 “we, having the same Spirit of faith, according to as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken, we also believe, and therefore speak.” If you say it and you do not believe it, it becomes useless and worthless.

Seven. You should not be selfish in trying times. Don’t let your prayer only focus on you. We cannot be praying for our country alone and not remember other countries. If our country is safe and others are not safe, then we are not safe. Do not let your prayers be limited or restricted to only you. Jesus Christ, our great exemplar while on the cross in His trying time was still blessing people and giving them the grace of second chance (a case study of the thief on the right-hand side of his cross). Jesus Christ prayed “Lord do not count this against them, forgive them their sins, for they do not know what they are doing. 2 Corinthians 6:9-10 reveals “As unknown and yet well known, as dying, and, behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed, as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing, as poor, yet making many rich, as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.

In your trying times do not shut down. Always do your best to be productive, and positively inclined. As you do all these things, the Lord will turn the situation around. So, what to do is knowing what not to do. As soon as we begin to focus on the things that we should not do, then we will know the right things to do.

The Book of Isaiah 30:15 reveals: “for thus saith the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel; in returning and rest shall ye be saved, in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not.” God is saying to you to calm down, be still and know that He is God [Psalm 46:10]. God is still on the throne and He will turn things around. He will turn your trying times into thriving times for you, and your testimonies shall be full. He will strengthen your faith and give you a lasting solution.

Stay Safe,

Stay Sane,

Stay Sanctified!

Thank you all for reading.

(Thriving in Trying Times continues next week…)

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.

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Opinion

Tinubu, Beware Of Nyesom Wike

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By Richard Akinnola

Impetuous, garrulous, flippant, compulsively and deliriously narcissistic, that succinctly encapsulates the Nyesom Wike persona. A study of the political trajectory of the FCT Minister shows that he is only loyal to himself and nobody else, irrespective of his feigned allegiance. He may kowtow and genuflect before a political leader, as he is currently doing in Abuja but once he can no longer use you, he goes into a fit of incoherent vituperative verbal assault, denigrating his benefactors.

I watched his recent drama on Channels where he was reeling out his achievements as Governor, he said he built a Cancer Centre and named it after “one man”. He also built a Judicial institute and named it after “one woman”. (Pejoratively referring to Dr Peter Odili and his wife, Justice Mary Odili). His former political leader who he had praised to high heavens is now “one man”. How come his long time political associates suddenly turn enemies? -Rotimi Amaechi, Abiye Sekibo, Celestine Omehia, Austin Opara, Lee Meeba, and now, Dr Peter Odili, among others.

Almost everything that Wike had said in public have been repudiated by him. From the PDP primaries where he vowed to support whosoever emerged as candidate, to his vow not to be minister, to his scathing excoriation of the APC which he likened to a cancerous party, everything Wike supposedly stood for have been repudiated by his fickle mindedness.

Now, he is dancing around PBAT, like an urchin singing nursery rhyme, in his guttural and hoarse voice: “President Tinubu, on your mandate l shall stand”. President Tinubu, Wike is not standing on any mandate. He is standing on his opportunistic position as a minister. Remove him as minister and see if he would still be standing on your mandate. Tomorrow, before the cock crows at night, he would deny you if he is removed as minister and would start lamenting how he supposedly helped you but was used and discarded.

Here was a man who publicly said that Odili saved his political career as Chairman of Obio Akpor local government, leading to his rise in political ascendancy and he used every opportunity to praise and honour Odili and his wife. He followed this up with a public declaration where he was almost swearing thus: “I don’t know the day l would die but l know l would die one day but the truth must be told, any day that l would make Dr Odili and his family cry, may God allow me to go…I would never be alive to make you cry. I will never abandon you and your wife. Where would l have been but for you and your wife? Who am l? From where? My wife would not have been a Magistrate, talk less a Judge but for Mrs Odili. Nobody in this country can make me abandon you and your family. Never. …My wife and l are forever grateful to you for the roles you played in my life”.

This was shown live on CHANNELS. Today, what is Wike doing to the same Odili? Publicly dissing and ridiculing him on same CHANNELS just because Dr Odili refused to queue behind him to decapitate Governor Sim Fubara. As an elder statesman, Odili rather preferred to settle the differences between the duo, which Wike refused. That is Odili’s sin to attract Wike’s “Fatwa”.

He would do same thing to President Tinubu tomorrow if the president does not align with his interest. He doesn’t even understand the dynamics of larger politics to the fact that Odili and PBAT have a long-standing relationship being in the same class of 1999 Governors and that Odili doesn’t even have issues with PBAT. You cannot praise a man to high heavens for eight years in your fit of sycophancy, only to start publicly disrobing him just because he refused to be led by the nose in your ill-conceived political fight with your successor. What that means is that tomorrow, he’ll do same thing to president Tinubu if he doesn’t do his political bidding in Rivers state. That would amount to political self-immolation.

So, if everyone who has assisted you in your political ascendancy are bad, then, something definitely must be wrong with you.

Despite his accomplishments as Governor in terms of project execution which l acknowledge, there is no doubt, Wike has a serious character flaw that only him can cure. But trust me, despite his wealth and “power”, it’s a matter of time, this young man is on his way to political perdition. I pray he doesn’t end that way. Minister Wike, you are an achiever in terms of performance but l pray God grants you wisdom on how to navigate and relate with people who differ from you politically.

Richard Akinnola, a lawyer, activist and public affairs analyst writes from Lagos

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Opinion

Catalyst of Exploits (Pt. 1)

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By Tolulope A. Adegoke

“Look past the exterior, and see that there is so much more within. Then decide to unleash that potential to the fullest” – Lincoln Patz

I have no doubt that you have stepped into a greater realm of inspiration with the discovery of the potentials of the so-called zero. The next question therefore is, how can the possibilities embedded in a perceived nonentity become a reality? The answer, as you may have observed from the various examples that we considered in the previous chapter, is consciousness development. Or simply put, TRAINING.

Training has been rightly described as the process of acquiring the skills needed to succeed in a profession, vocation or venture. It is training or conscious development that turns trash into treasures, just as processing turns raw materials into finished products. Training is an indispensable requirement for bringing out the best in people. Even the most gifted people must go through some form of training to sharpen their innate abilities – how much more those who appear to be deficient!

The interesting truth here is that regardless of a person’s level of natural abilities – whether you consider it zero or zillion – training will always bring about a noticeable transformation in their lives. Take the case of Abraham as an example. Being an exceedingly great man, he had hundreds of servants who had been born in his house by his labourers and domestics. These might have been considered nobodies, having been born by lowly people. Yet, Abraham so trained them that they became valiant soldiers. And they were the ones who accompanied him to wage war against the captors of Lot and his household, and the expedition proved mightily successful (Genesis 14:14).

Two vital truths can be gleaned from the above. One is that you never can tell the true measure of a person’s potential until they have been thoroughly trained. This clearly tallies with our earlier assertion that everyone needs some form of training, whether formally or informally. The second vital truth is that everybody can indeed be trained to thrive.

From Vagabonds to Champions

Here is another proof that there is innate greatness in everyone that can be unlocked through training. 1 Samuel 22:1-3 says, “David therefore departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. So when his brothers and all his father’s house heard it, they went down there to him. And everyone who was in distress, everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered to him. So he became captain over them. And there were about four hundred men with him.”

The first thing to notice here is the deliberate reference to the profile and pedigree of these men who joined themselves to David. I believe that the purpose is to make us see that no one can be rightly written off as a failure or a never-do-well. As subsequent exploits of David would reveal, these average men who enrolled in the military academy of David were soon transformed into mighty men of valour.  2 Samuel 23:8-17 narrates the accomplishments of three of these men:

“These are the names of the mighty men whom David had: Josheb-Basshebeth the Tachmonite, chief among the captains. He was called Adino the Eznite, because he had killed eight hundred men at one time. And after him was Eleazar the son of Dodo, the Ahohite, one of the three mighty men with David when they defied the Philistines who were gathered there for battle, and the men of Israel had retreated. He arose and attacked the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand stuck to the sword. The Lord brought about a great victory that day; and the people returned after him only to plunder. And after him was Shammah the son of Agee the Hararite. The Philistines had gathered together into a troop where there was a piece of ground full of lentils. So the people fled from the Philistines. But he stationed himself in the middle of the field, defended it, and killed the Philistines. So the Lord brought about a great victory.”

Isn’t this amazing! See what a bunch of men that people would have described as “frustrated failures” had become! What was the secret? Someone believed in them enough to train them, and they themselves were humble and disciplined enough to submit themselves to the training process. And the result was that they were transformed from being men of no repute, men of no value (more or less human trash, or simply zero) to history-makers!

Self-Application

So, what’s in all of this for you? What has all that we have discussed so far have to do with you? I’ll unravel it for you shortly. But, first, here is an insightful quote from Bishop David Oyedepo, “We go to school to acquire the literacy skills required to train ourselves most effectively in our fields of choice. Schooling is not the same thing as the real training! That is why there are many certificated, uneducated people! They have degrees but cannot deliver, because they are not trained to deliver!”

This is exactly what I wish to point out here. Everyone must take personal responsibility for being the best that they can be. Success is not an accidental occurrence. You cannot be wasting your precious time on irrelevances and expect to amount to much in life. You must wake up to the task of being positively responsible, deliberately reaching out and taking advantage of opportunities to enhance and deploy your skills.

As the example of the men who placed themselves under David’s tutelage shows, you are the one who must make up your mind not to settle for a worthless, defeated or frustrated life. Regardless of what people say or think of you, it is up to you to decide the direction you want your life to go!

As I earlier observed, training is not only meant for the ignorant or the inexperienced. It is an on-going activity that everyone must actively and constantly engage in, as long as we wish to stay afloat and be ahead. In other words, while schooling is periodic, training is for a lifetime!

The Place of Discipline and Diligence

Let’s face it: Training – whether formal or informal – is never an easy process. Even the Bible admits, “Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful…” (Hebrews 12:11). It is in the fallen nature of man to prefer the comfort of self-indulgence to the stress of self-enhancement. This is why many visions are aborted and many destinies are ruined. It is for this reason that discipline plays a crucial role in being a beneficiary of the power of training. It takes plenty of discipline to maintain a training lifestyle so as to emerge a relevant and dominant force in your generation!

It is possible to waste a whole lifetime if you do not understand the place of discipline and responsibility in achieving greatness in life. So, you must settle it in your mind from the outset that you are undoubtedly a Kingdom treasure that cannot afford to be comfortable with a substandard, mediocre or “trashy” life. The possibilities that God has wired into you must be empowered to find expression. You must therefore be ready to pay whatever price it requires. Let me quote Bishop Oyedepo again, “You belong to dignity, royalty, excellence and you have your excellence in Jesus Christ. Therefore, you have the mind of Christ. You have the creative, intellectual capability of the mind of Christ. You are not an ordinary person; you are a peculiar person in the order of existence!”

Closely attached to discipline is diligence. The two must function together to produce the expected result of excellence. Diligence simply means hard work. Interestingly, “hard work” is a term that many in this generation hate to hear. I often hear youths talk about “soft-work” almost everywhere now. They want the easy route to success. Of course, they may get what seems like success but because such is not built on the solid foundation of diligence, it often crumbles within a short time.

Proverbs 22:29 says, “Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men.” Proverbs 12:24 (NKJV) adds that: “The hand of the diligent will rule, but the lazy man will be put to forced labour.” The revelation here is that it is diligence that establishes enthronement. There is no future for an idle man in the Kingdom. Christ Himself demonstrated this when He said: “My Father worketh hitherto, and I work” (John 5:17).

Make no mistake about it – it is work that defines your worth! In other words, it is how much you work on yourself that will determine your ultimate worth. Work is a must for anybody who desires to take the lead. Even with the abundant favour and grace of God upon your life, you still must work because that is the God-ordained pathway to the top. In fact, the grace of God being upon you to guarantee success in all your ventures should spur you to attempt greater ventures than the average person. Paul the Apostle shares his own experience thus: “But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all…” (1 Corinthians 15:10).

Every successful person (empowered zero) is a product of favour from the factory of labour. You can never take out of life more than what you have invested into it. Galatians 6:7 says it accurately, “Be not deceived…whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” 2 Corinthians 9:6 explains it further, “He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.”

It is only hard workers who become great leaders (heroes)! There is nothing called “luck” in determining leadership or empowering a zero! The harder and smarter you work, the greater the level of your success. This is why someone ironically says, “I’m a great believer in luck and I found that the harder I work, the luckier I become.” So, dear friend, if you can concentrate more on empowering your zero, rather than wasting time lamenting, complaining, regretting, envying others, chatting on social media, listening to irrelevant talks or spending so much time watching the television, you will soon find your circumstances changing on their own. You will not even need to shake the Heavens before your blessings unfold!

Personal Experience

Permit me to use myself as a case study here. There was a time I sowed out my television in order to be on television. There was also a time that, for over a year, I did not subscribe to any cable channel, just to be able to meet up with the demand of delivering possibilities beyond the ordinary frequency. Here is Bishop Oyedepo again: “I have invested an average time of 16 hours a day from the time I stepped into ministry to date, no matter how odd the night may be, I still have my night to work. Seest thou a man diligent in his business, he shall stand before kings and not mere men…Our business that did not look like anything – it was trash when we came into ministry; it had no form of comeliness that anyone should look for it. It is what you invest or put into a trash that will bring forth its treasure! You need to show the world out there that you are on a mission (that is to take the lead in your field). But you cannot take the lead without doing the work to make it happen. So, go on and do the work!”

You can always change your level. It all depends on your level of investment. Just by re-aligning your mentality to believe that you do not belong to mediocrity brings you closer to excellence! Just by evaluating your activities and relationships and severing all unprofitable ties will give your life a sharper focus and clearer direction.

Note it again – hard workers fly higher! Nothing is a substitute for hard work. Be ready to go through the incubation process of becoming a hero. Subject yourself to the diligence and discipline that will transform you to a solution-provider to the people of your generation.

Sacrifice: The “Extra” in Extraordinary

Added to your discipline and diligence is the need for sacrifice, or going the extra mile. Essentially, it is not enough for you to be disciplined and diligent – you must also go the extra mile in doing these. Sacrifice is the scar (or scars) that we bear in the process of carrying our crosses towards getting our crowns.

There is no star without a scar! The scar of every star is sacrifice. It is nothing else! It is simply the ticket towards delivering possibilities. Sacrifice is going the extra mile, paying the extra price and taking the extra steps towards delivering your mandates! Your extraordinary inputs will precede your extraordinary impacts. You must go the extra mile in discipline and diligence – and then the star in you will emerge.

So powerful is sacrifice that it can turn a “dummy” into a genius. It can make a so-called misfit become a maestro. There have been cases of people who had great gifts and potentials but found themselves in fields that were different from what they were meant to do in life. Many of these have had to put themselves through the rigours of returning to their natural passions and getting trained to live out their dreams.

See, you cannot have your cake and eat it! You cannot make omelette without breaking eggs! Not even faith is a substitute for sacrifice. Vision is not a substitute for sacrifice! Sacrifice is a covenant requirement of every Kingdom star! Apostle Paul again says, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians1:21). The apostle is simply saying, “I’d rather die than allow anyone despise my glory in Christ”. This is a classic portrayal of what sacrifice entailsBeing crucified with Jesus Christ is sacrifice!

Every star has a story of sacrifice to tell. It is a must for you to rouse yourself from slumber and invest your time in creating the future that you desire! Until you do what others do not do, you will still remain on the same spot as others! You must therefore wake up and tell yourself the bitter truth and design for yourself an enviable destiny. Never let a year end without preparing a schedule of accomplishments for the following year. This will show that you are really on a mission to deliver your world from its aches!

Jesus Christ, the most anointed Achiever, says in Luke12:49-50: “I am come to send fire on the earth…But I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished!” That was someone who had a clear picture of His mission and what it would take to accomplish it.  Anyone who desires to have a “global impact” must pay a “global price”. Yes, you cannot accomplish that glorious dream of yours without understanding its true worth and paying the necessary price!

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Enhancing Food Security: Governor Umo Eno’s Worthy Interventions

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By Michael Effiong

 

Today, the biggest threat to the survival of mankind is food security. Indeed, the phenomenon has taken a global dimension and is not confined to the borders of any nation.

 

Growing hunger has been fueled by a toxic mix of climate change, insecurity and a global economic crisis that has exacerbated poverty and inequality, affecting the ability of many families and communities to cope.

 

In Nigeria, at least in the last few months, there is no topic that has been more discussed than that of the rising cost of food stuff and the hunger in the land.

 

As US President John F. Kennedy once said, “The war against hunger is truly mankind’s war of liberation.” This is a war that must be fought with vigor and won.

 

On his visit to Niger State on Tuesday, March 12, 2024, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu called on states to support the federal government’s effort in the area of agriculture and food security.

Interestingly, long before this call by Mr. President, Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno has already taken action.

 

How? Well, you can call him the modern day Nostradamus and will not be wrong. It was not that he was clairvoyant but we can adduce it to his power of vision because agriculture was one of his focus areas even before his overwhelming victory at the polls on March 18, 2023.

 

The then candidate Umo Eno had developed an economic blueprint for his campaign dubbed the ARISE Agenda. A of the A-R-I-S-E stands for Agricultural Revolution.

 

Having had this as part of his economic blueprint, it is no wonder that the Umo Eno administration had already hit the ground running and has been laying out plans, programmes and projects that are worthy of emulation in a bid to stem the tide of the current national crisis.

Perhaps what can be described as the most impactful and innovative intervention in the area of food sufficiency and sustainability in the country at the moment was signed into law on Thursday, March 14, 2023 as the Akwa Ibom State Bulk Purchase Agency which aims at ensuring that staple foods are available, accessible and affordable to the most vulnerable in the state.

 

Everyone knows that implementing this kind of programme can be herculean, but the government set up a committee with a well-laid out plan to ensure this works efficiently.

 

This programme, like others the Governor has initiated, would be devoid of any political coloration. Already, government has met with traders and market associations. Foodstuff agents will be selected and trained.  They would all sign an agreement with government and would be the ones to operate branded shops and redemption centres that will be located in selected markets and points across the 31 LGAs.

 

The Agency would use a voucher system akin to the Food Stamps now known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in the United States.

 

The Akwa Ibom equivalent when deployed, will operate in a similar fashion because it would be strictly for vulnerable indigenes who will exchange the monthly vouchers for staple food items.

 

The beneficiaries would get direct subsidies as they would pay well-discounted prices to the agents for the value of the food item on each voucher. The accredited agents would later present these vouchers to government for reconciliation and reimbursement.

 

Furthermore, the Governor’s 368 Personal Assistants in the wards are to help implement the programme at the grassroots while names of all agents and beneficiaries ( drawn from the state social register which had recently been updated) would be published.

 

It is expected that from this arrangement and involvement of many stakeholders, the Agency’s mandate would be delivered within a short period of time.

 

Knowing full well that the Agency’s work is a short term measure, Governor Eno is also thinking long term and has started preaching the “Back-To-Farm” message. His goal is to inspire Akwa Ibomites from all walks of life to see the benefits of farming.

 

In his words: “Please everybody, no matter how small your land is even if it is just behind or beside your house, sow something. We must return to the farm”

 

Let us cast our minds back to what used to be the norm back in the day. Our parents and grandparents used to have little farms around the house where green vegetables, tomatoes, pepper, okra, maize, yams, cassava e.t.c. were grown. Some even reared chickens and goats too.

Governor Umo Eno signing an MOU with Prof. Godfrey Nzamujo of Songhai Farms Initiatives Nigeria

 

Many may see this as a call to subsistence farming in today’s technologically-advanced world, but in truth, if we are able to grow a few of what we eat, it will not only reduce the hunger in the land in a matter of months, but it will free up funds for people to use for other things.

 

This initiative by the Governor for rural and urban dwellers to go back to the farm is already being practiced by other countries to boost their food supply. It is called urban farming.

 

Countries such as Argentina, Australia, Canada and China are way ahead and have incorporated this into their urban planning and city regeneration projects.

 

A good example of the success of this initiative is the city of Rosario in Argentina. Rosario’s Urban Agriculture Programme (Programa de Agricultura Urbana, or PAU) started small, but now grows nearly 2,500 tons of food each year. What started as a means of feeding the population in the wake of an economy in tatters is now a cornerstone of the city’s food sustainability initiative. This shows that the Governor’s call is a much needed step in the right direction.

Also, the government has commenced Phase II of the AK Cares Programme. Beneficiaries across the 31 LGAs would get farm implements, seedlings, poultry birds or fish juveniles and adequate training.

The Ministry of Agriculture is also being galvanized to distribute improved seedlings and support agriculture cooperatives to help increase their productivity. And the Ibom FADAMA Microfinance Bank has been restructured in line with the present realities.

That is not all, the Governor who takes the welfare of the citizens seriously also signed the Akwa Ibom State Agricultural Loans Law (Amendment) Bill, a private member bill sponsored by Hon. Mfon Idung. The law has increased the amount to be granted as loans to individual farmers, corporate entities and cooperative societies  and would enable them expand their operations, embrace modern farming techniques, boost productivity and ultimately, drive economic transformation.

 

It is worth mentioning also that Governor Eno’s people-centred intervention strategy also includes a rejuvenation of the rural communities through construction of rural roads and provision of key amenities. This idea is well captured in R (Rural Development) of the ARISE Agenda. The nexus between rural development and agriculture are as inseparable as a set of conjoined twins!

This school of thought concerning the importance of rural development as a way of boosting agriculture is also held by former Agriculture & Rural Development Minister and current President, African Development Bank (AfDB), Dr. Akinwunmi Adeshina.

He expressed these sentiments most succinctly while delivering his acceptance speech on his conferment with the Obafemi Awolowo Prize for Leadership in Lagos recently.

According to him “Nigeria must completely transform its rural economies to ensure food security for all. A better Africa must start with the transformation of rural economies. That is because some 70% of the population live there. Rural poverty is extremely high. At the heart of transforming rural economies is agriculture, the main source of livelihoods.

“As a young student who attended high school in the village, I witnessed the high correlation of agricultural performance with education. “It was common then to hear the phrase “Agbe lo ba” . (farmers are kings), uttered with great pride

“The transformation of rural economies must therefore be structural, systemic, strategic and comprehensive. Doing so, means agriculture must be turned into a wealth creating sector. Sound public policies transform the lives of people”.

No one can dispute the need for sound policies as enunciated by Dr. Adeshina and this is reason as an ardent advocate of agribusiness and with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2 in mind, the Governor’s earliest move in the agricultural sector on assumption of office was to sign an MOU with Songhai Farms for the development of Ibom Model Farms.

 

This long-term partnership is aimed at driving a technologically-driven agricultural revolution that will boost food production, tourism, youth development, knowledge transfer and job creation.

 

While construction has already begun at the first farm located in Nsit Ubium LGA (others will spring up when LGAs make land available), the Governor has shown his seriousness for this project by sponsoring some youths on training programmes in preparation for the Farm’s take off.

With all hands already on deck and machinery put in motion to operationalize the multi-layered approach initiated by the Gov. Umo Eno-led administration, the indigenes of Akwa Ibom State are soon going to heave a sigh of relief. Not only would the issue of high cost of foodstuff be history but food sufficiency would become the new normal in the state.

 

 

.Effiong, a journalist, is Senior Special Assistant (Lagos Liaison) to Governor Umo Eno

 

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