You Definitely Need A “Godperson” Somewhere To Live Your Dreams Easily In Nigeria

Opinion:

By Olukayode Salako

Traditionally, to attain high level of success or achievement in anything in Nigeria, it is most times always about who you know; where you belong and the high level of your socio-political connections.

Nigeria is a ‘man-no- man’ culturally inclined system. If you don’t want to know the man or allow the man to use his influence to know or push you, then you don’t want to achieve anything yet from the system.

However, you would just keep on waiting or struggling on your own and you won’t ever get there in time; on time or ever at all!

You would just keep watching or rigmaroling, while other people in your social class and cadre are climbing the ladder of achievements easily and making it big miraculously, and you would keep on watching them or wasting your own time away against the tide, except luck shines on you or may be destiny remembers to do it for you by itself someday.

On this note, you will definitely always need a ‘godfather’ or ‘mother’ somewhere, or in whatever name you like to call it, to be able to make it easily and at the nick of time here in Nigeria. Or else, you would just continue to be waiting, looking or eventually wasting!

That is just the way it operates here. That is just the tradition of how the socio-economic and political system works here in Nigeria. In fact, in most societies around the world.

If you keep on shouting ‘I hate godfatherism! I hate godmotherism!!’ ‘I hate goduncleism!!!’ Or ‘I hate that man, because I won’t allow him to godfather me!’ , then, if care is not taken, you would keep on waiting, looking or wasting for too long in Nigeria.

I insist, no human being is hardly a self made man or woman, including Dangote et al, somebody somewhere is behind it …”

How do I mean?
Some people have been there, running it; playing the game or operating in it, before you decided you want to go into it. So, they are the established people you would meet in the system and who would use their own experiential influence or investment stakeholdership might to show you the way or help you to grow at the nick of time in that system. They are in every system!

They are in Police, Army, Zenith Bank, RCCG, Politics, Aso Rock, PDP, First Bank, APC, Winners Chapel church, NURTW, NPA, Edo State politics and most families.

They are everywhere in every society.
These are the people some of us naively refer to as the evil ‘godfathers’ or ‘godmothers’ in today’s Nigerian politics, all because it is democracy!

Little did we know that democracy itself is an investment and personal interest cum ambition system, created by human beings and not spirits.

Or, how many of us would use our personal resources to create or build a venture or social institution and would not want to exercise the rights and influences of our investments and funding-father stakeholdership whenever it is necessary or on the opportunity demands it?!

Making it easily in Nigeria without struggling too hard or waiting for so long in any sector of the economy of our country, is always about who you know and where you belong in the ‘Man-no-man’ socio-political and economic system – Whether some of us like it or not, that is the way it runs in every human society.

When the Edo man was in the ruling party; in the right place and with the so-called ‘evil godfathers’ of progressive politics in Nigeria as he is now labeling them, he became the governor of his state easily and without hassles, even against the chances of others, in the same party with him. He even achieved it faster that many people he met in the party.

But afterwards, he said ‘godfatherism’ was evil – He ungratefully and mischievously left the place. But today, we all can see how very easy it is becoming for him to go for another term as the governor of his state on his own.

We will all just continue to deceive ourselves, if we keep saying we do not need the influence of anybody to achieve success or greatness in our lives. Not even in Nigeria here. We all need one. We all have enjoyed the influence and benefits of one person or another somewhere like that in our endeavors at a time before. And we would continue to need the help of someone to grow into our places of greatness in life. It is an inevitable reality!

Don’t tell me that to enjoy the influential connection of a benefactor ‘godfather’ is evil. He might be the person God Himself has sent to help you attain your destiny and purpose here on earth. The only thing is, politically, don’t go into it, if you won’t be able to cope with the contents and terms of the dealing agreement.

Besides, that may be your own definition for it. Or how did you get to that present place of achievement or job elevation you are right now in your work place or in your career?! Without the help or influence of anybody?! Of course somebody somewhere is behind it.

You can’t be born on your own; grow on your own; work on your own and achieve it all on your own. Somebody somewhere would definitely be behind it.

You definitely need a God sent person to make it easily and good as a Nigerian. That is the ‘godperson’ or the ‘godfather’ you need to survive ideally here in Nigeria.

That is the way it runs here. That is the tradition in every human society!

You don’t like or want it?!
Then, you would keep on waiting, looking and might be wasting.

Democracy is about the ‘people’, you have to keep consulting and relating with the ‘people’ for the influences of their supports for you to be able to achieve it on time in it.

The might of that ‘people’ is the connection and that ‘connection’ is probably the element of that ‘godfatherism’ you would always need to achieve it quickly and without hassles here in Nigeria.

If ‘godfatherism’ is all that a bad phenomenon as some Nigerians are trying to paint it right now, then many of those notable Nigerians we see in high places of greatness in today’s Nigeria or on the continent of Africa, might never, ever be there yet or at all.

In whatever name or form he is going to come into your life, I pray your own Godsent helper locates you on time or before it is too late, lest you continue to be among those who are going to be waiting, looking, lamenting or eventually wasting away their time here on earth”

*Olukayode Salako is a public activist.