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Adding Value

Adding Value: The Man, Ebuka Obi by Henry Ukazu

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Dear Destiny Friends,

The man, Ebuka Obi, means several things to different people. To some, he is an evangelist, prophet and man of God, while to others, he is the controversial prophet. Some others see him as the Elijah of our time, just as many others call him our daddy in the Lord. But because he is regarded as a prophet, he is called so many names with many of the names reflecting the numerous anointing gifts and talent God has bestowed on him. Again, some of his ardent followers see him as the son of Omecharafancha, Okworuhancha and Ohuruhancha. What these three different names suggest is that the prophet is the son of the God that does everything, says everything and sees everything.

Evangelist Ebuka Obi is an uncommon man of God, who has transformed many lives, families and businesses. A man, whose humility speaks volumes. A man, who will for no reason at all ascribe honour to himself, but consistently honours God through whose power he affects people. And of course, no one has ever had an encounter with Evangelist Ebuka Obi and remains the same.

In a society littered with many ‘fake’ prosperity-pastors, who also wear the fake toga of anointing, and claiming many names such as healing ministers, prophets, trained and ordained pastors and men of God, the interesting thing about Evangelist Ebuka Obi is that he was called and ordained to be a prophet right from his mother’s womb. He would always say, he never attended Bible School, and that he was not trained to be a pastor, evangelist or minister by anybody. According to him, whatever he is doing started when he was eight years old.

The big question therefore, is who is Evangelist Ebuka Obi? Evangelist Ebuka Obi, is a Nigerian Catholic preacher, prophet and the Founder and Spiritual Director of Zion Prayer Movement Outreach (ZPMO), a non-denominational prayer ministry, located at Ago-Okota, Lagos, Nigeria.

His ministry is said to have grown to 170 branches worldwide. He is also the founder of Seraphic Home Foundation which caters for poor people and widows, and facilitates payment of school fees for indigent students.

In 2009, Obi founded the Zion Prayer Movement Outreach in Lagos. Not intending it as a church, he refuses to collect tithes, perform baptisms, weddings, or bazaars. He also welcomes everyone of any religion to the prayer ground.

A little background story about Evangelist Ebuka Obi. According to Evangelist Ebuka, his mother was barren for eleven years, and she cried to God like Hannah did begging God if he gives him a son, she will dedicate him to God and as God will have it, God blessed her with twins (two boys). According to Evangelist Ebuka Obi’s mother, when she was pregnant, she was in a trance and she heard a voice telling her she will give birth to two boys and the second child will be called Chukwuebuka, which means God is great. She was also told God will use him to deliver his people who have been held in bondage.

Truth to the message she received, when Evangelist Ebuka was born, there was no single hair on his hair. As a matter of fact, he started hearing from God when he was eight years old. According to Evangelist Ebuka Obi, when he was a little boy pregnant women would ask him what about the gender of their child and his response would be unmistaken true. Even in primary school, he always tells his teachers what will happen, and his answer is always accurate. In some cases, they do consult him, and his response was unmistaken.

According to Evangelist Ebuka Obi, he always preaches the word of God in his village until one day his father felt uncomfortable with this preaching because he felt he was doing too much. He tried to stop, but Reverend Fr. Luke Odinkemere advised me not to discourage Evangelist Ebuka Obi from preaching the word of God. He further told him, God will use Ebuka Obi to set free his people and families who have been held in bondage.

Revered Father Luke Odinkamere was seen as the spiritual leader who groomed Evangelist Ebuka Obi to be the man of God he is today. Rev. Father Luke Odinkemere   normally takes Evangelist Ebuka Obi to do deliverance on families and perform exorcisms, because even as a little boy, Ebuka Obi has an uncommon ability by the grace of God to locate buried diabolical objects, which Father Odinkemere verified through digging.

At the age of 12, Reverend Fr. Luke Odinkamere took Evangelist Ebuka Obi to the altar to make a vow. These  vows included commitments to remain chaste until marriage, stay within the Catholic Church, and avoid being driven by materialism. As a result, Ebuka Obi was careful to uphold this vow, even avoiding interactions with women, including his sisters. These three covenants according to Evangelist Obi he has kept them.

There’s no doubt no matter how good someone is, he must surely have detractors who would like to see his downfall, and this is where the enemies of progress converge to discuss Evangelist Ebuka Obi. of course, what do you expect, it is the man with the ball everyone is attacking. If you are nothing, nobody will talk about you. According to Bill Cosby, “the only way to avoid criticism is to say nothing, do nothing and be nothing”. It’s not possible for anyone to be in this world without saying anything, doing anything and being nothing.

 Even Jeus Christ was not accepted in his town. It’s said, a prophet is not honored in his home. These ungrateful people won’t see the great work this great man is doing; they will look for any slight opportunity to paint him black. Some say he’s a making up prophecy, some say all his preaching is centered on sex, some say he’s not polished and civil the way he preaches and speaks to people.

Even Catholic Priests, Pastors and other ministers of the gospel are not left out. This set of preachers are personally pained because of the anointing on Ebuka Obi, while some Catholic congregations are not happy simply because they don’t know where his powers come from. For instance, some catholic priests and the laity would like the ministry to be managed by the church. Some of them are not happy with his style of preaching, but Evangelist Ebuka Obi has always said he’s a radical preacher. He described himself as an end time preacher, who preaches what other men of God are afraid to preach because they feel they will lose members.

But on the contrary, in Zion Ministry, the more Evangelist Ebuka Obi preaches against social vices and immorality, the more he attracts members to his ministry. Evangelist Obi always says the reason why people come to Zion is simply because of the anointing. After all, he’s not the most educated, but because he has what many people don’t have, they are attracted by the anointing on his head.

In our society, it’s easy to see people accusing and criticizing people, but they find it hard to appreciate or acknowledge the good work of the person. Anyone who has encountered Evangelist Obi can testify he’s indeed a gifted prophet who was ordained from the womb. His prophecies are 100% correct. He will always say, I don’t say what I don’t hear from God. indeed he’s blessed with the gift of healing, singing, preaching, vision and prophecy.

I have personally experienced his blessings spiritually and physically. I had the opportunity of presenting my two books and proposal to him and he prayed for it. I saw the hand of God upon the book and the program when my proposal was accepted by one of the New York City Department of Correction in New York. It may interest you to know that I have been working on this program for the last 5years, and have experiences of near success syndrome, but it took Evangelist Ebuka Obi one minute to lay his hand on the proposal, and the rest is history.

One may be wondering how he has been able to maintain and grow big like an institution, he always says he lives a life of sacrifice. According to Evangelist Obi, he barely sleeps two hours every night, rarely eats nor takes alcohol. He lives a life of sacrifice because according to him, it takes sacrifice to get to the top, but it takes a greater service to remain at the top.

I don’t really know if there’s any negative part of Ebuka Obi, if at all there’s any, it’s the fact that he’s too kind to a fault. Here’s a man who has built orphanage homes, Seraphic hospitals, sponsored hundreds and thousands of pupils and students in High School (secondary schools) and colleges. Here’s a man who has reconciled families and supported the less privileged. Where are we going to start from? Evangelist Ebuka Obi is a selfless man of God. He derives joy seeing people and being converted to God. There are numerous testimonies of his philanthropic gifts to those in need.  Sometimes, I wonder if some of his haters don’t see how he’s restoring marriages and restoring families that have been held in bondage.

Just to let you know how authentic Evangelist Ebuka is, when he gives a prophecy, he’s so specific that he’ll call the subject’s name, date of birth, and an unmistaken specific incident that will give one a clear example of the case being mentioned.

What I don’t really understand is why some people will say he’s a ‘fake’ man of God; but each time I hear such ridiculous statements, the statement by Abraham Lincoln always comes to my mind, “you can deceive some people sometime, but you can’t deceive everyone at the same time”. The healing of Professor Arinze Chinwuba of the Anambra State University in which he threw away the double crutches which aided him to walk  and the testimony of a former member of the National Assembly (Nigeria), Hon. Dr. Uche Nwole, endorsing the validity of Obi’s miracles, oppose accusations that some miracles performed at the Zion ministry may be faux. These are verifiable information.

How can one man make people travel all over the world on a daily, weekly, monthly and yearly basis just to attend his programs. I have been privileged to attend some of his programs in Nigeria and Ireland, and I can personally testify to the goodness of God upon his life. I saw people healed instantly.

I can go on and on to speak about this great man of God, but as a sage would say, ‘a word is enough for the wise’.

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

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Adding Value

Adding Value: Confidence and Succces by Henry Ukazu

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Dear Destiny Friends,

Did you know confidence is a currency? Confidence is not about one’s strength, but about one’s ability, capacity, capability and competence. When someone is confident, it can be felt. One doesn’t have to say much because their work will speak for them.

Confidence works in all fields of life. A man who wants to talk to a lady must have a level of confidence; a prospective employee must have confidence to pass his examination, and a public speaker must have a decent amount of confidence to speak.

In the legal world, a Latin maxim suggests, “Res Ipsa Loquitur,” meaning that the fact speaks for itself. For the sake of clarity, the maxim means that one doesn’t have to provide much explanation to prove a point in the court of law. For instance, white is white and black is black. So, when one is confident about their work, they don’t need to speak too much about because the work will speak for itself.

To further understand how confidence works, consider Walter Payton’s exposition on knowing the difference between Good and Great; “when you are good at something, you tell everyone, when you’re great at something, they’ll tell you. Isn’t it true that noise is loud while creation is silent? Sometimes, I do wonder why people have the urge to boast about their achievements as opposed to allowing other people to sing their praises. Please, don’t misunderstand me, it’s good to speak about oneself in addition to having high self-esteem; however, the balance is having moderation.

Confidence always stays in the family of humility; they are opposed to pride and arrogance, and those who always feel entitled and sarcastic. Most great leaders who know their worth are humble and charitable in their relationship with those who are inferior, as against arrogant leaders.

Confidence works in different ways.

Whether you are preparing for an examination, a career promotion, soccer, or an athletic competition, you need confidence, because that’s what will set you apart from your contemporaries. That’s why it’s always and generally good to prepare before you begin any major task; failure to do this can lead to disaster because failing to prepare is preparing to fail.

Imagine being called upon to speak or lead an organization; if you don’t do your homework diligently, you are setting yourself up for failure. Contrast the case to a scenario where you could meet President Trump, Elon Musk, or even your idol who has inspired you to become great, and you came prepared with your questions.

Trust me, at the end of the time, if my thinking is right, you might not remain the same again because a lot of mental transformation may have taken place. As a matter of fact, lots of opportunities might open for you to explore simply because you made yourself available and have the confidence to speak up.

Inasmuch as it is generally good for one to prepare, in some cases, one just has to swim inside the oceans because there’s little or no time for preparation. This is an exception to the general rule of life which advocates preparation. I can relate to this rule because I was a victim.

I can vividly remember when I arrived the United States of America and joined the Nigerian Lawyers Association as a graduate student. During the election, I picked up the form for Public Relations Officer; no one contested for the position, so I won unopposed. The interesting thing about this position was that I wasn’t prepared to assume the position; I felt it was like one of those organizations I could handle like I did while in Nigeria. However, one thing is certain: I had subtle confidence in my ability even though I knew the journey would be challenging. The result and experience were totally different.

Confidence doesn’t come easily; it has to be nurtured with preparation, just like gold has to go through fire in the furnace to become refined.

In conclusion, I would like to ask you, what gives you strength, what makes you happy, and what do you do with relative ease? When you figure it out, please focus on it and build it. By the time you are done, you will be amazed at what you have accomplished by applying confidence to your personality.

In conclusion, as your journey in life, please note that foundations are critical in life. They can either mar or make you. So, please pay attention to the foundation you are laying down because at the end of the day, the way you make your bed is the way you will lie on it.

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Adding Value

Adding Value: Build the Right Foundation by Henry Ukazu

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Dear Destiny Friends,

If you are asked, what your foundation is, what would be your response? In case, you are wondering the kind of foundation meant, consider the following. Foundation means different things to different people and even different organizations. A student’s foundation may be linked to how their parents trained them, through elementary, High school and college. A Christian foundation might be linked to their knowledge of the Bible and encounter with God. The formidability of a house or structure is traceable to its foundation just as an employee’s or Chief Executive Officer’s work ethic can be linked to their foundational years in service.

Foundations are very critical in life. When the foundation is not right, there is bound to be a problem. It is rightly said the journey of a thousand miles begins with a step in the right direction. Did you know that foundation can affect one’s business, education, faith, career, development if success, if not properly aligned.

Let’s take a case study of an entrepreneur who is trying to develop or market a product. Initially, there will be challenge, especially when he has not been able to do his background check very well in addition to adding value to his life. But when he finally gets it right, it will be easy for him to sell the product. Even at that, most people will be concerned to know what inspired the person to develop the product and their trajectory in life, and that’s where foundation comes in.

Furthermore, if anyone wants to contest for an elective position, the electorate will be concerned about what their track record in leadership is, and emphasis will be placed on the relative professional experience that will make anyone vote for them. The same principle is applicable to anyone interested in furthering their education.

Let’s take another case study of anyone interested in earning a Ph.D. The student would have had a background in bachelor’s and master’s degrees, which is relative to the Ph.D. Failure to do this might pose a challenge to the admission process. When a student lacks the requisite educational training, they will be advised to get a post graduate diploma.

When it relates to friends, family and business associates, the ability to select the right people will set the right tone for success. For example, if you have a business, your ability to hire the right people who are more knowledgeable in addition to having expertise will be a great asset to your business. When you hire the wrong people, you are setting yourself up for failure.

It’s instructive to note that every family has a secret they are built on. Yes, every family has a secret which only the family knows. These family secrets serve as the nucleus and foundation upon which the family is built. A family built with a strong value system like prayer, love, patience, and respect stands stronger than families without a value system. That alone is a recipe for disaster in the society.

For married couples to work together, they must share similar values, interests, goals, values, religion, in addition to other related alignments to make the marriage work. Amidst all these interests, it’s instructive to note that what binds them together is more than what separates them. One may be wondering what that means. Well, one of the hallmarks that has sustained a good marriage/relationship is friendship. When two good friends marry, the union is literally blissful because what binds them together is more than what separates them.  Imagine, where two friends dated for about three or five years, they would have understood each other very well, and that would be a strong basis for both to always look back on how they started when friction arises.

Every business has an ideology, value, mission and values they hold in high esteem. These ideologies serve as the foundation and inspiration for the business. In some cases, these foundations serve as the stories of why the organization or founding fathers established the organization. The same principle is applicable when it comes to picking a business partner. Both parties must share similar interests and alignments in the business.

Do you have a foundation? If yes, what is it? On a personal note, I am bold to tell anyone who cares to know, God is my foundation. I am very unapologetic about it. Most people believe in other powers, humans or even themselves, but that’s not me. My help comes from God who made the Heaven and earth. I can’t take the glory of God.

Sometimes, when I look at the trajectory of my life, and how far I have come in life, all I can say is glory be to God because I literally know my foundation, strength and limitations. To have reached this stage in life can be attributed to nothing else but God. Yes, I worked hard, I networked well with the right people in addition to being in the right places at the right times because of strategic relationships. I can go on and on, but I know there are people who have done hundred times more than me and yet can’t get the level of result I have produced overtime.

If not for the grace and mercy of God, I don’t know what I would say. For the sake of clarity let me share a few instances. I have been humbled to be interviewed by New York Times, interviewed at least three times on the television by News12, published two books with the third one in view, partnered with United Nations Development Programme in addition to having one of the best talented minds on earth to work with in my organization. I can go on and on. But as a sage will say, a word is enough for the wise.

What’s interesting about these achievements is that none is a result of human factors. They all happened in a way one will attribute the feat to God. So, why will I be ashamed of giving God the glory?

Some may not have the right foundation in life, but that is not a problem. Foundation can be learned. When you meet people or work in a certain environment, please pay attention to their values, lifestyle and more importantly the culture, and pick the right information.

In conclusion, as your journey through life, please note that foundations are critical in life. They can either mar or make you. So, please pay attention to the foundation you are laying down because at the end of the day, the way you make your bed is the way you will lie on it.

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Adding Value

Adding Value: Be Intentional in Carrying Your Cross by Henry Ukazu

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Dear Destiny Friends,

Cross is a word that means several things to several people. For Christians, apart from serving as symbol of their faith, it refers to the agony Jesus Christ had to experience for the salvation of mankind. For a married couple, it refers to their partner’s excesses. For a grown man, it means the various endeavours required to provide for the family. For the woman, it can mean carrying a child for nine months, while for parents, it can be training and providing for their children, and for business people, it means developing, investing and growing their businesses. For employees on the other hand, it means doing the needful for the collective growth of the firm. On a general note, cross can refer to the burden or process one has to bear or undergo to be successful.

What therefore, is your cross? Yes, there’s no human being on earth without a cross. The crosses we carry however, vary. Cross is like pain. We all experience it differently. Just like it’s usually said in some social parlance, one man’s meat is another’s poison. Someone’s pain might be someone’s gain, and what might appear heavy for someone might be fun for another.

We can easily juxtapose the case of a wealthy man without a child with a poor man with children. They want what the other doesn’t have.  Another scenario is where someone with enough wealth, but the children are not responsive to tutelage. Now contrast that to a case where someone might have just one or two children who are very responsible, but does not have money to support their needs and training.

Another scenario is where a student might have money, but lacks understanding to pass a subject unlike another student who might be poor, but he’s extremely intelligent. I can go on and on, but as a sage would say, a word is enough for the wise.

In the journey of life, everyone carries a cross at a particular point in time. This cross appears in various stages. The newly born child must undergo the process of crawling, walking and running. At each stage, the child carried a cross. In the same way, when the child is two years, the interest of the child changes. And it is when he becomes four years, six years, eight years, 10 years, 15 years, 20 years, 25 years, 30 years, 35 years, 40 years 50 years and 60 years, and continues to change as the years add. A closer look will explain that the child will definitely carry a cross at each stage of their life until they leave this world. The cross never ends, it just changes.

The same principle is applicable to relationships. During dating or courtship, the way partners relate is quite different from when they are married. When they are married, their love language hits different, and when the kids begin to come in, it’s a different story. When their marriage hits five, 10, 15, 20, and 30 years, it’s a different ball game entirely. The interesting thing here is that, what ordinarily might not be a problem during their first three years might threaten their marriage in five or ten years because the cross they carry has shifted.

Everyone has a cross irrespective if the profession or leaning. I call this cross “secret frustration”. What makes the ultimate difference is how we manage the pain or frustration. If the pain, challenge or cross is properly managed, one will not appear burnt, however, if the pain takes a toil on you, one will pay the price and if not properly managed it can have an adverse repercussion.

Furthermore, carrying one’s cross involves carrying one’s responsibility and vision. Nobody will carry it for you. Imagine, having a vision and giving it to someone else, nobody will carry your vision for you, neither will anyone do the work for you.

In my personal experience in life, I have always searched for men who can pour into me whether financially, academically, mentally, spiritually and health-wise. One may wonder what I gained during the period, I was disappointed on several occasions. It was the moment I realized my life and success was entirely in my hands, I became intentional in carrying my cross and results began to trickle in. The moral of my experience is that nobody will save you, you must save yourself. The best anybody can do is to assist you to save you.

One of the surprising things I have discovered when people carry their crosses is that others appear to be spectators; they observe with reservation to see how life will unfold for you. By the time one succeeds, these observers appear like flies to grab their own share of largesse they didn’t invest in. Suddenly, they become entitled to your hard-earned money and opportunities which they didn’t contribute to making. As one of my mentors will say, you are allowed to do the work, but you are not permitted to eat alone. These sets of ignorant minds fail to understand the importance of taking risks, sacrificing and building strategic relationships. These are the strong pillars which separate an ordinary mind from an extraordinary man.

The moral of this analysis is that the extra-ordinary man was intentional in carrying his cross by taking strategic risks, experiencing failures and building and investing in strategic relationships which culminated to their success, but the ordinary man was merely concerned in staying in their comfort zones.

It’s instructive to note that it’s not easy for anyone; everyone is dealing with something. Sometimes, people make foolish mistakes and take poor decisions which cause them a fortune and they expect someone who they consider as a Lamb of God to take away their sins, but life doesn’t work that way. If you ask someone for assistance and they say they can’t afford it, please don’t be mad, because if you can, you wouldn’t ask them.

In conclusion, I don’t know what your situation is, but I’m here to tell you, your cross is valid, and your cross will not only design your destiny, but it will unleash your destiny which will ultimately set you apart. So, don’t be hard on yourself when you are carrying your cross, it’s part of life’s journey and process to fashion and unleash you to the world.

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

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