Opinion

Seeds of Greatness By Henry Ukazu

Published

7 years ago

October 19, 2018

Eric

Greetings my esteemed friends. It’s always a pleasure sharing any little information at my disposal. I will like to say that I’m not smarter than anyone, rather I’m smart by association in addition to having a burning desire to share something that’s inside of me. You may be wondering what I have inside of me. If you care to know, I have a motivational and inspirational seed to inspire and empower humanity. It is this seed that inspires me every week to share with my esteemed tribe any topic of interest that comes to my mind. Everyone has a seed waiting to be explored. It is quite unfortunate that many of us don’t allow this seed to germinate and even when we do, we do not take the time to nurture it very well. It is this seed that I call seeds of greatness.

It is an unassailable fact that the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step in the right direction. Every great achievement in business, academic, family and government started with a single decision or choice to do the right thing. It is that single decision that gives birth to other success that may come afterwards. Seeds are the most powerful and potent force in life if properly nurtured. A single seed can metamorphose into a tree, and that tree can also metamorphose into a forest. I likened seeds to a sperm. A single sperm is capable of giving birth to a full fledge human being and from there it can multiply to form a family or generation as the case maybe. For a better society to thrive, we need to look back to the family. The family is a vital component of the society. When a child is properly trained in the family, the society lives by dictates of decency and integrity. Therefore, it will be fair to say that the family is the seed for a better society.

Each and every one of us is blessed to have a seed in us, but it’s quite unfortunate a lot us die without producing or utilizing or maximizing this seed. These seeds are like packages which needs to be opened and explored. These seeds are like batteries in a radio that is never played and therefore may die. We all have seeds in us. This seeds can be ideas, songs, vision, dreams, art works, skills, talents, or whatever you may have. But many of us fail into look inwards to see how we can develop ourselves. When you know what seed you have inside of you, you won’t be bothered by what other people say or think about you. The Book of life says in 1 John 4:4 “He that is in you is greater than he that is in the world”. According to Myles Munroe in his book “Living with Purpose”, “It is a tragedy to know that with over five billion people on this planet today, only a minute percentage will experience a significant fraction of their potential”. To understand the true potential of a seed, if you are given a seed and asked what do you hold in your hand? You may say a seed, but an insightful mind with vision will say, I have a forest in my hand. This is because in every seed, there is a tree, and in every tree there is a fruit with seeds in them. And these seeds have trees that have fruit that have seeds in them. We all have potentials of success in us and the key to maximizing this potentials is to discover our purpose and work hard to nurture it. Once you conceive an idea, you should be able to bring it to a fruitful end. According to Napoleon Hill in his book “Think and Grow Rich” he said, whatsoever the mind can conceive, believe it can achieve it. It’s not enough to think about it, you must take the bold step to bring your thoughts, ideas and imagination into reality. It should be noted that your potential is not determined by your size, what you look like, what people think about you, your degrees, or the school you attended, neither is it determined by amount of money in your bank account, your family name, or any association you belong. Your potential is determined by what you have in your hands, your creativity and your ability to visualize and conceptualize a great idea, imagination, or innovation with little or nothing.

Every human being is uniquely created by God and we have inherent abilities deposited in us, for some people, it takes an outside influence to prod or help us to discover our capabilities. “To buttress this point, let’s see the “Parable of the Talents”. “For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away.He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money.Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here, I have made two talents more.’His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.’ But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest.So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents.For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away”. This story illustrates that the servant who produce more money with what he was given is a shrewd businessman. Sometimes we complain of not having money, opportunities, etc forgetting that what we have internally is more than what we don’t have.

Your seed is what lives in you. Your seed is your identity, your DNA and your brand. To inspire the world you must know your seed. Your seed is your secret to the world. That is why Aristotle Onassis said, “The secret of business is knowing something that nobody else knows”. Therefore, to make a change in the world, you really need to know what you are good at, you need to know that thing that gives you joy just by mere thinking about it. Quick question: What is that one thing you can do which others find difficult? If you find it, that is your potential seed for success.

With the little knowledge and understanding of the legal profession, we have a latin saying Nemo dat quod non heabet (You cannot give what you don’t have). Same theory is applicable for fruits, a mango tree cannot produce orange neither can rice produce corn. Your seed is not based on Intelligence Quotient (IQ). Quotient is what people think about you, for example, your degree of intelligence can be based on some test you take. These test measure your skills, your thinking ability, and assimilative ability. It is based on this test you might be graded as an A or E student. That is the perception people have about you, but is that who you are? You may agree with me there are thousands of people in the world today who were put off and cast out as misfits, later they turned out to be some of the worlds greatest leaders. A great example is Oprah Winfrey. Your seed and potential is based on your on what you have inside of you and the belief you have about yourself. Let me share a story with you. You may have read or heard about Kelvin Doe from Sierra Leone who was born in October 26 1996. He had no formal knowledge in engineering training. He started scavenging for fragments of electronic parts that he would eventually use one day for his invention. At age 18, he invented a broadcast radio machine. He was also able to create a mixer and amplifier to run a successful radio station where he became known as DJ Focus. Another of his innovation is battery to light up homes in his neighborhood. Because of his many innovations, Kelvin Doe has had the rare opportunity of speaking at various conferences. He was a speaker at Google Conference held in Tel Avi, Israel. In 2013 he was a speaker at USAID Powering Agriculture in Washington D.C., USA. The following year he addressed over 20,000 delegates in a business software conference in Orlando, United States. It was at that conference he revealed his plan to build a shoe charging device. It is interesting to note that this young man has had the opportunity of meeting with former US president Bill Clinton and his daughter Chelsea Clinton. He has also lectured undergraduate engineering students at Harvard College. This is a typical example of what a seed can do if you believe in your innate ability. The moral of this exposition is that Your seed is your intuitive knowledge.

In the pursuit of success, you might experience some challenges, but then your desire to succeed should always outweigh your fear for failure. It doesn’t matter how many times you fail when you are chasing your passion, dream or vision. Always remember, passion is stronger than power. When you fail, don’t give up, try and try again, the only time you should stop trying is when you succeed. You must always have the gut to pursue your dreams. Nobody will do it for you. According to Ruth Gordon “Courage is very important, like a muscle, it must be strengthened by use and the strength you need to accomplish this is perseverance”. Julie Andrews defined perseverance as “failing nineteen times and succeeding the twentieth”.

So my question to you today is, what is your seed? What voice are you listening to you? The only voice you should be listening to is your spirit because it can never deceive you. Once you have a great thought or idea that has been sown in your mind, don’t allow it to perish. Don’t even share it to the world because we have destiny killers who can either discourage you, kill your dreams or even steal your ideas and reprogram it for their own use. That is why it’s always better to share your ideas with like- minded beings.

Dreams come to us in different style and this dream can be seeds that is being planted in our mind. What you do with yours is up to you. I will conclude this article with two great quotes from Harriet Tubam and Frank Outlaw: Per Harriet Tubam “ Every great dream begins with a dreamer, always remember you have within, the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach the starts to change the world”. Per Franks Outlaw Watch your thoughts; for they become words. Watch your words; for they become actions. Watch your actions; for they become habits. Watch your habits; for they become character. Watch your character for it will become your destiny.

Again I ask you, what seed do you have in your hands?

Henry Ukazu writes from New York. He works with the New York City Department of Correction as the Legal Coordinator. He can be reached via henrous@gmail.com

Opinion

From Chibok Girls to Christian Genocide: How 2015’s U.S Script is Replaying in 2027

Published

4 days ago

November 3, 2025

Eric

By Dr. Sani Sa’idu Baba

In my own opinion, history is on the verge of repeating itself, this time, in a more dangerous and manipulative form. When U.S. President Donald Trump recently made his provocative remarks about “Christian genocide” in Nigeria, many around the world interpreted them as a moral call to defend persecuted Christians. But to the politically conscious, Trump’s words are not just about faith, they are about power, influence, and attention seeking.

Trump’s sudden interest in Nigeria’s internal affairs is neither noble nor spontaneous. It mirrors a familiar conspiracy, one that Nigeria painfully witnessed in 2014/2015, when then U.S. President Barack Obama and his administration turned world opinion against the innocent President Goodluck Jonathan under the emotional shadow of the Chibok girls’ abduction. That global outrage was cleverly used to weaken a sitting government and shape Nigeria’s political direction.

Today, the same playbook is being dusted off, but with a new slogan. In 2015, the rallying cry was “Bring Back Our Girls.” In 2027, it’s “Stop Christian Genocide.” Different words, same machinery and the same foreign interest in controlling Nigeria’s political outcome.

At the center of this new narrative lies Nigeria’s Muslim–Muslim presidential ticket, a decision that has stirred deep unease among many Christians. For a nation long divided by religion and ethnicity, having both the president and vice president share the same faith inevitably triggered distrust, especially among Christians who form the country’s second-largest population bloc. This sentiment, amplified through social media and Western lenses, has given birth to the idea of an orchestrated “Christian persecution” under the current administration.

However, what many foreign commentators fail or refuse to acknowledge is that both Christians and Muslims are victims of terrorism in Nigeria. Research and on-ground realities have shown that Muslim communities in the North-East, North-West and parts of North-Central have actually suffered even more from terrorist attacks, displacement, and loss of livelihood. The killing fields of Borno, Yobe, Zamfara, Katsina, Niger, parts of Sokoto and Plateau States all in the North are filled with innocent Muslims who have lost everything to the same extremists who disguised as Muslims and now being branded as “defenders of Islam.”

Let’s be clear: terrorism has no religion. Those who kill in the name of any faith are not followers of that faith. Terrorism is not the monopoly of Islam, Christianity, or any religion, it is a global cancer that thrives on hatred, poverty, and manipulation. Around the world, from the Middle East to Europe, Asia to Africa, criminals and terrorists exist in every society. They have no true religious identity, only political and ideological motives. Linking terrorism with Islam is not only misleading, it is blackmail, and it fuels further division in a world that desperately needs understanding.

And this is where Trump’s rhetoric becomes politically dangerous. By invoking religion, he taps into global sympathy while subtly positioning himself as the “defender of Christians”, a role that serves his conservative political base in the United States and simultaneously destabilizes Nigeria’s government ahead of the 2027 elections. His statement, therefore, is not just moral posturing; it’s a strategic geopolitical move disguised as compassion.

Let me be clear: I am not defending the Tinubu administration. I am not a member of the ruling APC, nor am I blind to the country’s economic challenges, insecurity, and social discontent. But as a Nigerian who leans more toward the opposition, I cannot pretend not to see the dangerous manipulation of our nation’s religious fault lines by foreign interests for political gain.

When Obama’s America turned against Jonathan in 2015, it claimed to stand for human rights and accountability. But what followed that “moral intervention”? The Chibok girls were not rescued. Insecurity spread across new regions. The country became more polarized. And yet, the world simply moved on.

Now, Trump’s America seems to be rebranding the same agenda. The “Christian genocide” narrative has become the new international weapon used to portray Nigeria as a failed state and its government as morally illegitimate. The risk is enormous: such a narrative not only undermines Nigeria’s sovereignty but could ignite new religious tensions between Muslims and Christians, who have coexisted, however imperfectly for decades.

What’s even more troubling is the deafening silence of the African Union (AU).
Where is the AU’s collective voice in defense of Nigeria, one of its largest and most influential member states? Why is there no statement condemning Trump’s reckless rhetoric? Africa cannot afford to sit idly by while its most populous nation is once again drawn into the web of Western political manipulation.

The AU’s silence is not neutrality, it is complicity. It sends a dangerous message that Africa’s sovereignty can still be traded cheaply on the altar of Western approval.

Nigerians must remember the lessons of 2015.
The Chibok tragedy was real, but it was also exploited. The world’s sympathy helped unseat a president, but it did not solve Nigeria’s problems. Today, the “Christian genocide” narrative risks repeating that same cycle using religion as a weapon of influence and elections as collateral damage.

We must be wiser this time.
Whether you stand with Tinubu or the opposition, Nigeria’s dignity and independence must come first. The African Union must break its silence. African leaders must speak with one voice to reject any external interference under the guise of humanitarian concern.

Because if history repeats itself in 2027 as it is beginning to do, the consequences will not only be political. They could shatter the fragile threads that hold this nation together.

Dr. Sani Sa’idu Baba can be reached via drssbaba@yahoo.com

Opinion

Nigeria’s Oil Sector and the Q3 Shock

Published

5 days ago

November 3, 2025

Eric

By Michael Abimboye

If Q3 2025 taught us anything, it’s this: Nigeria’s oil sector is in survival mode.

From the state-owned NNPC Limited to big private players like Oando, TotalEnergies, and Eterna, everyone took a hit, and the numbers tell a story that’s bigger than any single company.

Let’s break it down

Oando Plc — one of Nigeria’s leading integrated energy brands posted an operating loss of ₦109.7 billion for the nine months ending September 30, 2025. That’s a major reversal from the profit it recorded last year.
The culprits? Forex volatility, trading losses, and ballooning finance costs.

TotalEnergies Marketing Nigeria Plc — usually a strong player downstream recorded a ₦10.23 billion pre-tax loss in Q3 alone, with nine-month losses rising to ₦14.1 billion. Revenue and sales volumes? Both down, crushed by inflation and weaker consumer demand.

Eterna Plc saw its gross profit crash by almost 67%, dropping from ₦30.13 billion to ₦9.94 billion in the same nine-month period. A bit of foreign exchange gain and smart debt restructuring saved it from deeper losses, but the strain is clear.

Conoil Plc — one of Nigeria’s oldest downstream players recorded a revenue dip of 12%.

Even NNPC Limited, the restructured state oil firm that once seemed untouchable, wasn’t spared. Its profit after tax dropped to ₦216 billion by September 2025, a steep slide that signals just how far the cracks have spread.

Now, here’s the real story

These aren’t failures of leadership or competence. These are symptoms of a system struggling to breathe.

Oando’s ₦109.7 billion loss, TotalEnergies’ ₦14 billion deficit, Eterna’s profit squeeze, and NNPC’s slide all echo the same truth: the problem isn’t the companies, it’s the environment.

No business, no matter how well-run, can win in a system that punishes consistency. Until Nigeria fixes its policy framework, stabilises the naira, and restores oil production reliability, this story will keep repeating itself.

Let’s talk data 📊

Nigeria’s crude oil output has been stuck around 1.4 million barrels per day through most of 2025, far below its OPEC quota.

The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) estimates we’ve lost about 93.7 million barrels between January and August 2025, valued at $6.8 billion.

For marketers like Oando, and TotalEnergies, that means erratic supply, higher landing costs, and shrinking margins.

And while the fuel subsidy removal was fiscally sound, it left downstream players in limbo, operating without a clear pricing framework while navigating consumer pushback on rising pump prices.

Add to that inconsistent monetary policy, delayed fiscal reforms, and mixed regulatory signals, and you have an industry operating in fog. Long-term planning? It’s become guesswork.

What Q3 2025 revealed isn’t a “bad quarter.” It’s a broken system. The companies haven’t failed; they’ve survived shocks that would’ve crushed many others.

But when the rules keep changing and the ground keeps shifting, survival itself becomes the miracle.

Nigeria’s oil sector isn’t asking for rescue. It’s asking for reform. Because until the system changes, even the strongest players will keep fighting just to stand still.

Opinion

Groan to Glory: The Leader’s Sacred Journey of Unlocking Possibilities

Published

7 days ago

November 1, 2025

Eric

By Tolulope A. Adegoke, PhD

“Leadership is the sacred stewardship of the groan—the courage to lean into the tension of today to midwife the glory of tomorrow for people, corporations, and nations” – Tolulope A. Adegoke, PhD

Introduction: The Universal Sound of Growth

If you have ever led anything—a team, a project, a family, a company, or even a personal dream—you are intimately familiar with the sound. It is not a scream of terror, nor a shout of victory. It is something deeper, more primordial. It is the groan.

It is the late-night sigh over a spreadsheet that refuses to balance. It is the fervent debate in a boardroom about a risky new direction. It is the quiet frustration of a community leader facing systemic injustice. It is the personal cost of upholding integrity when compromise would be easier.

For too long, we have mislabeled this groan as failure, burnout, or a sign to quit. But what if we have it all wrong? What if the groan is not the signal of an ending, but the essential, non-negotiable birth pang of a new beginning?

This profound leadership pattern is revealed in the ancient text of Romans 8:18: “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”

This passage reframes our struggle. The “groan” is the present suffering; the “glory” is the future revealed. The space between them is where true leadership lives. This is not a passive hope, but an active, gritty, and strategic journey of midwifing possibility into reality for people, corporations, and nations—all as an act of stewardship to God Almighty.

Part 1: Deconstructing “The Groan” – The Leadership Crucible

The groan is the pressure that forms the pearl. It is the tension between vision and current reality. For a leader, ignoring the groan is negligence; understanding it is wisdom; and navigating it is mastery.

A. The Personal Groan: The Weight of the Self
Before we lead others, we must lead ourselves, and this is where the first groans are heard.

· The Groan of Discipline: The 5 a.m. alarm to invest in personal development when comfort beckons.

· The Groan of Failure: The sting of a missed opportunity or a flawed decision that becomes the crucible of resilience.

· The Groan of Loneliness: The burden of confidential decisions that cannot be shared, borne alone in the quiet of one’s office.

· The Glory: This personal groan forges character, wisdom, and resilience. The leader emerges not just smarter, but wiser; not just skilled, but grounded. They become a source of stability for others because they have been refined in their own fire.

B. The Organizational Groan: The Birth Pangs of Innovation
Corporations and institutions do not transform through comfort. They evolve through necessary, and often painful, strain.

· The Groan of Innovation: The financial drain and uncertainty of R&D, where countless ideas die so that one might change the world.

· The Groan of Restructuring: The difficult, people-centric process of dismantling outdated systems to build more agile, future-proof models.

· The Groan of Cultural Shift: The exhausting, long-term work of rooting out toxicity and fostering a culture of trust, accountability, and empowerment.

· The Glory: This organizational groan yields market leadership, sustainable profitability, and a legacy brand. The company transitions from being a mere participant in the market to a shaper of it, creating products and cultures that define excellence.

C. The Societal Groan: The Labor Pains of a Nation
The most complex groans are those of nations and communities. They are collective, historic, and deeply felt.

· The Groan of Justice: The relentless, multi-generational struggle against corruption, inequality, and systemic oppression.

· The Groan of Reform: The short-term political and economic pain endured for long-term national benefit—be it in education, infrastructure, or economic policy.

· The Groan of Unity: The challenging work of forging a common identity and shared purpose out of diverse, and often divided, peoples.

· The Glory: This societal groan builds prosperous, just, and stable nations. It results in a legacy of peace, a high quality of life, and a society where human potential can flourish for generations to come.

Part 2: The Global Landscape: Groans Heard Around the World

This “Groan to Glory” framework is not theoretical; it is actively unfolding on the global stage.

· Local Context (Example: A Community Leader): A small-town mayor groans under the weight of a dying main street and youth exodus. The “glory” is not achieved by a single grant, but through the grueling work of rallying local businesses, attracting new investment, and revitalizing community pride—a glory seen in a thriving, vibrant town a decade later.

· Corporate Context (Example: The Tech Industry): The entire tech sector is in a prolonged “groan” over ethical AI. The tension between breakneck innovation and societal safety is immense. The “glory” will belong to the leaders and corporations who navigate this groan successfully, establishing a new paradigm for responsible and transformative technology.

· Global Context (Example: The Energy Transition): Nations worldwide are groaning through the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy. This involves economic disruption, geopolitical shifts, and technological hurdles. The “glory” will be a sustainable planet, energy independence, and new frontiers of economic opportunity for those nations that lead the way.

Part 3: The Leader as a Midwife of Glory: A Sacred Stewardship

Our role as leaders in every sector is not to avoid the groan, but to lean into it with purpose and perspective. We are, in the most sacred sense, midwives of possibilities.

Our core function is to “deliver possibilities.” This means:

1. Seeing the Potential: Visioneering the “glory” hidden within the present struggle.

2. Creating the Space: Building cultures and systems where the groan is acknowledged as part of the process, not a sign of failure.

3. Providing the Resources: Equipping our people and our organizations with the tools, trust, and time to persevere.

4. Guiding the Process: Steering the tension with wisdom, making the tough calls, and protecting the vision from short-sighted compromises.

And all of this is “to the glory of God Almighty.”

This is the ultimate “Why” that redefines success. When we lead with this mindset:

· Our ambition is purified. Success is no longer about our ego but about our stewardship. The thriving corporation becomes a testament to God’s principles of order, creativity, and excellence.

· Our endurance is fortified. Knowing that our labor in the Lord is not in vain (1 Corinthians 15:58) provides a resilience that worldly motivation cannot match.

· Our legacy is eternal. The “glory” we help reveal—a transformed life, a righteous organization, and a flourishing nation—becomes part of a story far bigger than our own.

Conclusion: Embracing the Sacred Tension

The journey from groan to glory is not a straight line. It is a cycle, a spiral of continuous growth and challenge. The glory of one achievement simply reveals the next horizon, and with it, a new, necessary groan.

Do not despise the groan. Do not fear it. Name it. Honor it. Lead through it.

For it is in this sacred tension that true leadership is forged. It is here that we partner with the Divine in the holy work of unlocking the God-given possibilities buried within our people, our organizations, and our nations.

The world is waiting for leaders who are not afraid to groan, for they are the only ones who will ever truly see the glory.

Let us lead accordingly.

Dr. Tolulope A. Adegoke, AMBP-UN is a Recipient of the Nigerian Role Models Award (2024), and a Distinguished Ambassador For World Peace (AMBP-UN). He has also gained inclusion in the prestigious compendium, “Nigeria @65: Leaders of Distinction”.