To ascertain whether having a godfather is right or bad, we need to understand what it means to have a godfather, and who's a godfather.

I've heard lots of Christians speak against the idea of having godfathers.

The irony is, as I watched those people's lives closely, I realized they're people who even abuse the concept and practice of godfather. 

For instance, it's a common practice among us that when people get into position of leadership, they often do things to favor people they consider their "boys" within the organization.

These are godfathers, but in an abusive way. 

You see, a godfather is close to a mentor. But I feel a mentor plays a broader and bigger role than a godfather.

Isaac Newton is reputed to have said that if he ever succeeded, that's because he had people upon whose shoulders he stood.

A godfather is that person upon whose shoulders we stand tall.

We may go farther than them in life. We may achieve more. We may succeed better than them. But that's because they've given us their shoulders so we could stand on. 

In a work organization, a godfather is that senior or superior officer who shows you the ropes, teaches you the politics of the organization, shares his experiences with you so you may learn, corrects or rebukes you when you're treading the wrong path, cautions you against bad association, shows you the right track, guides you with the right counsel, creates opportunities for you to put your skills and potentials into use, recommends you for tasks he knows you can do, deters you from taking up tasks that you may not be good at, and lots more.

Generally in life, godfathers are experienced people who allow others to learn and grow from their experiences.

I may say more about this subsequently. But let me pause here for now.

Let me point you to Christine Ishanpepe Vihishima. She does a good job at this.

She's a godmother to many. She too has godfathers. When you get close to her, you understand this better.

With my whole heart, I can boldly tell you that I have godfathers. And I'm glad that God has given me the right godfathers who are genuinely interested in my growth and progress in life. 

I'm learning and growing under them.

Please, get yourself at least, a godfather. And commit yourself to being one to others. 

Thank you.

PARTICIPATION IN SOCIETAL POLITICS

Politics is done at different levels. Generally, nobody is capable of avoiding politics at the personal and domestic level. However, when it gets to politics in the wider society, some people, for many reasons, try to shy away from it.

My task in this book is to give Christians reasons to intentionally participate in the political activities of the society globally.

I'll like to share few biblical reasons that makes participation in societal politics a desideratum for Christians.

1- The God of the Bible is a political God.

2- Humans are intrinsically political beings.

3- Jesus Christ carries many political titles.

4- The missional mandate of the church has political imperative and implications.

5- The concept of the Kingdom of God is a political concept.

6- One of the areas of man's operational system is the political.

7- The church is set as the conscience of the society.

8- The Decalogue is perfect for every civic, sane and humane society.

9- Christians are light in darkness.

10- YAHWEH is sovereign.

My desire is to give my fellow Christians  the right motivation for engaging in the politics worldwide.

Of course, you may have other reasons that serve your personal interests. But then, no matter how personally beneficial a reason can be, there's no right motivation for engaging in politics (or doing any other thing in life) as biblical reasons.

Conclusion

Finally, you may not find any Bible references attached to these ten reasons. It's deliberate. It's my intention to provoke you unto searching the Scriptures to find biblical references for these reasons. But be sure of this: All of them are grounded in the Holy Scripture.

Thank you. Remain blessed as you commit yourself to making Nigerian politics not just better, but godly.