Ask Chuka

My friend told me recently that their new employee resigned after her probationary period was extended because of her performance. HR had a conversation with her and pointed out areas where she needed improvement. She was given a one-month extension to work on those areas, but instead of taking the opportunity to grow, she chose to resign. A few days earlier, I also spoke with my mentor. He struggled to relax during our conversation because he had just come out of an argument with a Gen Z employee regarding expectations on a task he had been assigned. These days, you hear many stories about what it is like working with Gen Z. It often feels as though a new generation is trying to redefine how work, commitment and responsibility should look in this era. The challenge is that everywhere you turn, someone is saying, “Things are no longer done that way.” The message seems simple: accept the new way things are done or insist on your values even if you have to stand alone. To be honest, I ha...

About three weeks ago, I became tired of constantly searching for pencils and pens whenever I wanted to study with my children. It felt like a small issue, but it was costing us time, money and discipline. So I stopped tolerating it. I drove to Jewel Multiservices at Area 1 and bought pencils, pens, erasers, rulers and a proper stationery container. I placed it close to the dining area where we study. Then I gave clear instructions: Every item taken must be returned immediately after use. Replacements will only happen when the ink finishes or the pencil lead is exhausted. If I check and anything is missing, everyone answers. Day one: a pen and pencil were missing. Blame game started. Eventually, they were found and returned. Day two: same thing. Day three and four: nothing missing. It has now been three weeks. Only one pencil is gone, the lead finished. One pen is missing, perhaps a visitor who did not know our rule. Inspection changed behaviour. A few days ago, while reviewing why sa...

 We had the privilege of printing the T-shirts and brochure for the Service of Songs held in honour of Ifunanya Nwangene , a prolific young soloist whose life was cut short following an unfortunate snake-bite incident . Since her passing, the internet has been abuzz. In my opinion, this is not merely because of the tragic incident itself, but because Ifunanya lived a phenomenal life , however short it may seem. Many people have passed following snake bites without drawing the attention of their communities, let alone the media. Others have lived such unimpactful lives that the world silently wished they had come and gone unnoticed. But Ifunanya’s life was different. Her presence mattered. Her voice counted. Her impact lingered. The Bible says in Psalm 90:12 : “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” No one knows when life will end, but Ifunanya’s passing, despite her young age, reminded me of two profound truths: 1. LIVE PURPOSEFULLY If the purpose of a t...

A few years ago, some of my friends got into trouble while trying to defend themselves from a man who attempted to bully them. Because they were more in number, they subdued him and left that evening. The following day, the police arrested all of them and accused them of assault. Every apology they offered fell on deaf ears. The man simply could not believe that people as young as they looked could overpower him in any way. They called me to intervene when he insisted on pressing charges. As I listened, I noticed his real problem. Over and over again he kept saying, “Do you know how old I am? And you had the effrontery to do what you did? I swear you will not get away with this.” When he finally finished and turned to me, expecting whatever argument he thought I would make as their “elder brother”, I did something unexpected. I went down on my knees. I did not mind that I was dressed in crystal-white attire. I simply knelt and tried to say, “Please forgive us.” Before I could finish my...

  𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐁𝐄𝐇𝐀𝐕𝐈𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐒 𝐒𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐏𝐄𝐎𝐏𝐋𝐄 𝐖𝐇𝐎 𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐊 𝐔𝐏 𝐓𝐎 𝐔𝐒: 𝐀 𝐋𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐇𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐟 A man named Ahmed admired an Arabian horse owned by a Caliph and was determined to buy it. He offered the Caliph many camels, yet the Caliph refused because he had no intention of selling the horse at any price. Angered by the refusal, Ahmed declared, “Since you have rejected my fair offer, I will get this horse from you even if it is through foul means.” One day, Ahmed disguised himself as a beggar and lay in the desert pretending to be gravely ill. He knew the Caliph often passed that route and that he was a kind and compassionate ruler. As expected, the Caliph noticed the weak beggar, dismounted from his horse, and attempted to help him. Seeing that the beggar could not walk, the Caliph placed him gently on the horse and walked beside it. In that moment, Ahmed revealed his true identity, seized the opportunity, and ...

  A few weeks ago, I was at Anglican Girls Grammar School Abuja for the sweetest Harvest Thanksgiving service for year 2025. The only downside was the amount of time we spent, perhaps because we were all too excited. At some point during the programme, the Chaplain asked the audience if he could have a few more minutes to round up a section. The students thundered 𝐍𝐎! While everyone laughed because parents were obviously ready to agree with the Chaplain, I saw something entirely different. I saw a new generation of young people who will be bold enough to transform Nigeria. This morning while studying scripture, I landed on Luke 19:41 to 44: Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace. But now they are hidden from your eyes… While reflecting on this scripture, I concluded that many of us in Nigeria and in different facets of life do not like peace. We may not even desir...

 When we launched a small grocery store in our community, we employed people through ads on our WhatsApp status and simply agreed on terms for them to commence work. Because we were dealing mostly with FMCGs , we asked them to submit ID cards of guarantors, but there was nothing formally written regarding the responsibilities of those guarantors. A few months after we commenced operations, missing goods became the talk of our small shop. We started penalising them, but what went missing in some months became higher than their wages. The moment their guarantors were notified, voom, the staff disappeared. When we got the police involved, they requested engagement letters to know how to wade into the matter. Since there was none, the case lingered until we lost interest in pursuing it further. Learning from that experience, we decided to issue engagement letters and a few forms to new staff, clearly stating their responsibilities and what was expected if they wished to resign. They ...

  Before you think this story is about marriage, it’s not 😊. It’s about choosing the right person to help rebuild a struggling business. When Kevin (not his real name) engaged me to evaluate his small retail business, things were in decline. My first instinct was to sack everyone, hire new people, train them, and restart the process. It’s a radical approach, but one that works, I’ve used it before. My philosophy has always been: when something becomes stagnant, replace it with something new. It’s a law of growth, though I’ve also learned how much pain it can cause when applied without wisdom. I asked for six months and suggested installing cameras in all three store locations. Kevin agreed, and ordered the cameras from Jewel Multiservices 😊. I began visiting the stores daily, sometimes twice a day. I’d come early to check punctuality, then return before closing to ask two simple questions: “How much sales did we make today?” and “What did you do to achieve it?” By the second w...

The story Nightingales in Grey tells of a king who wanted to choose a successor for his throne. Since he had no heir, he decided to conduct an unusual test. In a room near his throne, the king kept two birds, a beautiful, brightly coloured parrot and a small grey nightingale with a lovely voice. From time to time, the king invited princes from neighbouring kingdoms to listen to the sweet sounds coming from the room. When the birds went silent, he would ask them to guess which bird made the sound. Most of the princes pointed at the parrot, convinced that something so colourful must be the source of such beauty. Only one prince chose the small, grey nightingale, and he was the one the king appointed as his successor. When I read that story, I couldn’t help but think about how often we misjudge people based on appearance. I remember when my colleague, Stanley , came to Jewel Publishers for his interview. The waiting room was filled with candidates in shiny suits and skirts, speakin...

 Yesterday, the anchor scripture on the YouVersion app was Jeremiah 29:13 : “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” In our home, Saturdays are usually our rest days. We don’t insist on a family prayer time because everyone deserves to sleep in after a long week of early mornings. But since it was the first day of November, I requested a general devotion once everyone was awake. We began by exploring what it truly means to seek God with all our heart. Each of us shared experiences of times when we desperately called on God for help. The children spoke honestly, and soon the conversation shifted to our daily lives and the things we want to achieve. My daughter started by sharing her battle with mathematics,  a subject that once terrified her. She laughed as she confessed that she used to cry whenever the maths teacher entered the class because everything sounded like gibberish. Thankfully, at Anglican Girls' Grammar School, Abuja where she studi...

  A Hard Beginning In a small town in India, Neelish’s dog was stolen and killed. The pain deepened when a policeman arrested him and accused him of being the culprit. When he tried to defend himself, he was tortured. His mother, a respected community leader, stepped in. She was slapped and humiliated, but she persisted and engaged a lawyer through an NGO. That decision secured her son’s release. Choosing Purpose Over Prestige Years later, as university approached, Neelish weighed courses that could bring a strong salary. His mother guided him to think about usefulness to the community. He chose Law. He remembered the NGO lawyer who showed up when it mattered. He wanted to stand up for others who suffer injustice and to make justice accessible. A November Reset for Business Owners We are in the penultimate month of 2025. It is a good time to reassess purpose. If your work has become only a pursuit of income, pause and revisit the original problem you wanted to solve. Pu...

  A few years ago, during a period when I travelled frequently for work, my driver and I were involved in a serious accident. The cause? Large stones used as roadblocks by security operatives were left unattended on the road long after duty hours. Even those living in that community didn't find a need to take it out.  That experience reminded me of an old story titled “A Good Deed Rewarded.” The King’s Experiment King Arund had grown tired of his people’s constant complaints. They wanted the government to handle everything, even the most trivial tasks. To teach them a lasting lesson, he secretly ordered that a large stone be placed in the centre of the City Square one night. The next morning, people began to pass by. A merchant, annoyed at the obstruction, refused to move the stone. He insisted it was the government’s responsibility. Others also complained, cursed, or found ways to manoeuvre around it, but no one made an effort to remove it. The Farmer Who Chose Action Hours...

There was a blind man called Bart. Some people in his community said he was born blind, while others believed he became blind at a very young age. Whatever the true account was, everyone who knew Bart knew him as the blind man. Bart was loved by many in his community. He enjoyed the support of his friends, especially whenever he became curious about his surroundings. When they visited the beach or the riverside, he would ask how clean the water was, whether it was blue, green, or turquoise. Other times, he wanted to know the colour of the sky, what kind of birds flew above, and even what his friends looked like. Because Bart absorbed so much information, his friends created a blindfold game called “No Cheats.” They would ask questions about their environment, such as “What colour is the sky?” or “What bird is flying up there?” Most times, Bart won, because when his friends told him the sky was blue, or named a bird, he could identify it by the sound it made or the feeling in the air. T...

  Midlife Crisis Is Real. It’s either you accept it and do something about it, or live in denial and face consequences you cannot deny.  I’m almost certain that, for the past month, I have declined to take a lot of phone calls; business, personal, even intimate ones from my mum and a few others. The bad part was, I knew the consequences: lost business, strained relationships, and growing distance from people I care about. But I didn’t care. To make sure I wasn’t sliding into depression, I threw myself into lawn tennis. I’m usually regarded as someone without great stamina on the court, but I played harder than usual, sometimes twice a day, because tennis became my escape. My driver even asked if I was training for an amateur tournament! 😊 For those wondering what a midlife crisis is, Gemini defines it as a period of self-reflection and emotional turmoil, typically occurring between ages 40 and 60, when one begins to question their identity, life choices, and accomplishments....

  Lately, I’ve been worried that I might be getting soft, especially after these two experiences. The first was from my son. He sent me a message that began, “Daddy, you remember you taught us from Scripture to ask if we want to receive, seek if we want to find, and knock if we want doors to be opened to us. Please, Daddy, we need you to get us some ice cream when you’re coming back.” Omooo! After smiling at the message, I almost replied, “Those were the words of Jesus, not mine.” But then I remembered that teachers will be judged more strictly, and before I knew it, my fingers had already typed “Okay 😊” in response. A few days later, Stanley came to my office at Jewel Publishers to talk about one of our favourite book clients, Rev. Father Anthony, who wanted two of his books published before the end of October. As usual, we discussed the cost, which is often what stops many writers from publishing their work. Stanley said, “Father said this cost is quite expensive for him, oh. He...

  Sober while I read, I stumbled on two stories this morning on my way to work. The first was about two men crossing a narrow stairway. Both could not walk through at the same time, meaning one person had to make way for the other. For a while, they stared at each other, neither willing to give way. The first man, in anger, asked the other to go back so he could pass. “I was about to ask you to do the same thing,” replied the second man politely, clearly amused by the outburst. “I never make way for a fool,” the first man snapped, visibly angry. The calm second man simply said, “I do,” and moved aside to let him pass. The second story, Battle on the Cliff, was about two goats that met on the edge of a mountain path. They were heading in opposite directions, and there was no way to cross or turn back. They tried to agree on how to move around each other. Like the first man, the first goat shouted, “Get out of my way!” “How can I?” replied the other. “You know it’s easier for you to ...

  A few months ago, I came across a story online about a pharmacist who invested in cryptocurrency and, overnight, believed he had become a billionaire. Perhaps it was friends who told him the coins he bought for a few cents had suddenly risen by over 5,000%. Without verifying, he quickly handed in a resignation letter, rudely too, ready to live the “new rich life” he thought awaited him. Only hours later, the coin collapsed and became worthless. Imagine waking up to the reality that your “fortune” had vanished, and the only thing on your mind was how to beg the same boss you had insulted publicly to take you back. Stories like this remind us why many people lose faith in planning. After all, don’t we hear that “plans hardly succeed”? Mike Tyson once said, “Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face.” Many take that as an excuse to live without structure, just taking life as it comes. But I believe differently: we must plan . And as Nick points out in one of the devot...

While waiting in the conference room for a scheduled meeting with the MD, I overheard a small argument between Ayo and Ola. Ayo was complaining about how Ola kept leaving most of the departmental work for him to handle. He said he had reported the situation to HR in the past, and though things briefly improved, they soon relapsed. But his greatest frustration was how other managers made him feel like a snitch, an unsupportive colleague trying to get Ola into trouble, even though the department was expected to deliver top-notch work within tight deadlines. This time, Ayo had decided to take it up with the MD directly. He couldn't take it anymore and was already job-hunting, hoping for a drastic change. As I listened to the MD’s intervention and warning to Ola, I quietly wondered: Why do some people feel comfortable not carrying out their responsibilities? Their discussion reminded me of a talented pianist I met at a Catholic church in Port Harcourt. Every time he played, the music d...