I have been following the conflict between the United States, Israel, and Iran. It is frightening. It is sickening. I do not want to go into the details of the conflict now. Instead, I want to talk about something that fascinates me in life—precision.
Whenever I travel overseas, what fascinates me most is precision. You are in a plane, and there is a map showing the exact route the aircraft is taking. At every point, you know where you are. You know the time you left Nigeria and the time remaining before you reach your destination.
What amazes me is that the sky has no landmarks. It is vast and vague. Yet the plane knows exactly where it is going, sometimes on autopilot. When it is time to land, they tell you how many minutes remain. Then the landing gear comes down, the tyres come out, and there is touchdown.
In parts of Eastern Europe—Romania in particular—when pilots land smoothly, passengers clap. That is precision.
Precision is the peak of human intellectual development.
Precision means exactness.
Sometimes I feel sad that I did not go into engineering or design. Even basic engineering is extremely creative. Medicine itself is structured engineering. Precision is exactness at its highest level.
Now, think about this: how did Israel know where to strike? How did they know where the Ayatollah’s house was? We will talk about intelligence gathering in another video. But the point is this—they knew when meetings were taking place. Missiles were launched. Photographs were taken. About 200 aircraft reportedly flew from Israel. Missiles were fired from American ships and aerial platforms. There was coordination. There was no friendly fire.
Precision.
Even aerial refuelling—fuel tanker planes stationed mid-air, connecting nozzles to aircraft at high speed without spilling fuel. That is precision.
And I ask myself: what produces precision?
Let me mention a few factors.
1. Perspective
What kind of society do you want to build? A society that desires orderliness and functional efficiency will pursue precision.
Stand in a train station in the UK. The trains are listed. The times are displayed. They arrive when scheduled. When I visited Barcelona, the underground system was like another city beneath the city. London has layers underground. In Adelaide, Australia, the trains move with precision. Doors open. Doors close. Timing is exact.
Precision.
But in underdeveloped societies, disorder is tolerated. Chaotic situations often benefit irresponsible people. Orderly societies frustrate them.
2. Predictability
Societies that want predictable outcomes, predictable services, and predictable timing go for precision.
Time matters.
When I give someone 12:00 noon to call me and the person calls at 2:00 p.m., that is a problem. People say I am harsh or erratic. Maybe I am. But I feel bad when I do not keep to time. If a programme is by 10:00 a.m., I will stand at the pulpit at 10:00 a.m.
Precision requires predictability.
3. Practice
We trust too much in God without realising that God expects us to put in effort. “Be ye imitators of God.” We put in very little effort and pray very loud prayers.
Prayer without effort is noise.
If you fast for 100 days and nothing changes in your nation, you must question your strategy. Pray, yes—but put in corresponding effort. Precision requires discipline and repetition.
4. Planning
We do not plan. We outsource responsibility to God and expect Him to execute what we have not prepared for.
When you do not plan, you have no landmarks. No key performance indicators. No measurable goals.
A vehicle breaks down on the road, and instead of clearing it immediately to ensure free flow of traffic, officials check fire extinguishers. No systems thinking.
Precision requires planning before action.
5. Personnel
The quality of people you put in sensitive positions determines outcomes. If tribalism, regionalism, religion, or party loyalty determine appointments instead of competence, failure is inevitable.
Peter’s Law says that if you keep promoting a person, eventually you promote them to their level of incompetence.
Precision requires competence.
6. Punishment
There must be consequences for misbehaviour and failure. When there is no accountability, mediocrity thrives.
Precision demands standards—and enforcement of those standards.
When I look at architecture in Europe—even complex designs like the Sagrada FamĂlia in Barcelona—I see precision. Intricate. Detailed. Intentional.
Precision.
Let me say this clearly: prayer alone will not help you. Use your brain as you pray. Prayer without thinking paralyses development.
Precision is exactness.
Precision is discipline.
Precision is planning.
Precision is intellectual maturity.
If we do not embrace precision, we will continue to associate ourselves with mediocrity.
Use your brain.
Dr. Charles Apoki is my name.
God bless you.
