Books
Book: God’s Kind of Leader
Author: Dr. C.C. Mbadinuju
Publishers: Chinwoke Mbadinuju Foundation
First Edition: 1988 (Reprinted – 2023)
Reviewer: Paul Nwosu
IN a country plagued with the lack of reading culture, it is worthy of celebration to encounter a leader that authors books. Dr. Chinwoke Clement Mbadinuju who governed Anambra State from 1999 to 2023 excelled in his eventful lifetime as an author of books. His 1988 book, God’s Kind of Leader , bears the subtitle “The Righteous & Responsible Man”. The book has been reprinted posthumously in 2023 by the Chinwoke Mbadinuju Foundation (CMF), Asokoro, Abuja FCT.
The 15-chapter book of 73 pages opens with a Foreword written by the son of the former Governor, Cheta Chinwoke Mbadinuju, Esq, the Principal Curator of Chinwoke Mbadinuju Foundation. Cheta Mbadinuju writes of the book God’s Kind of Leader thusly: “Though written before the advent of the 3rd Republic and 11 years before Dr. Mbadinuju was sworn in as the Anambra State Governor, the book remains relevant today as it highlights the irreconcilable challenges a righteous and responsible Leader would face in seeking for elective office in Nigeria, and the inevitable frustrations and travails he would encounter in the course of his public service”.
In the Preface to God’s Kind of Leader, Dr. C.C, Mbadinuju iterates: “The subject of righteousness and responsibility of leadership in Nigeria is crucial to the very survival of this nation. But very often a good man is mistaken to be a righteous person. The two are not the same”. Mbadinuju stresses that a good man can just be good in himself but the righteous man must have the righteousness of Jesus Christ imputed to him.
The book started out as a paper he presented on the subject of “Transition Programme – The Search for Righteous and Responsible Leadership” that was the theme of the Annual Conference of Christian Lawyers Fellowship of Nigeria which held in Onitsha.
According to Mbadinuju, “There has almost been a complete lack of accountability and responsibility of leaders to the led. And few leaders have ever thought that they owe any responsibility to God in the discharge of their public functions”.
He elucidates his argument this way: “Many leaders live a life of compromise with sin and evil because they fear men. Fear of men is a dangerous thing as well, and is a sin for a righteous man”.
He predicts ominously that if the country allows the “new-breed” politicians to run the affairs, “the Third Republic shall fall faster than the First and Second”.
For Mbadinuju, Christians who oppose politics depose that politics is worldly and evil; that politics leads to compromise in the life of a Christian; that Christians should rather prepare to meet their soon coming King; and that the Lords Kingdom is not of this world.
On the other hand, Christians who favour politics offer the following reasons: that Christians are in the world but not of the world; render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s; no power but of God; heirs of the kingdom; teaching unbelievers how to rule; “faith worketh by works”; and that its because Christians dont show interest in ruling that God raises Pharaohs. He cites the Biblical examples of Daniel in the lion’s den, of Esther, of Shadrach, Meshack and Abednego, of Moses, and of what her terms “Esau Mentality” whereby there is a growing tendency whereby Christians renounce their faith whenever there is material benefit.
The Mbadinuju testament runs thus: “One of the reasons our leaders do not generally feel responsible to God is because they feel they got to power without Him. And it makes sense because if the leaders rig themselves into power, why would they owe any responsibility to the electorate, and why would they hold themselves accountable to God? They therefore behave without restraint when once they succeed to manoeuvre themselves into rulership or leadership positions”.
Mbadinuju comes to this conclusion: “It is important that this nation as a people return to God, and those who profess themselves as followers of the Lord Jesus Christ should stop living their lives in compromises because as between the Lord and the devil, there will never be reconciliation.”
It is indeed noteworthy that Mbadinuju fulfilled his destiny by getting elected as Anambra State Governor in 1999, and served a four-year tenure. He had over the years authored about 22 books, namely: False Men & True Christians (1986); Living By Every Word Of God (1986); Israel & Event Marking The End Of The World (1987); Law And Religion In Nigeria (1987); God’s Kind Of Leader (1988); Continuing Steadfastly In The Apostles’ Doctrine & Fellowship (1990); The Voice Of One Crying (1990); Beyond Pentecostal Ministry (1992); Visitation Of God (1993); Spiritual Worship (1996); Spiritual Foundation For Good Governance Vols 1&2 (2002); The Present Truth (2008); The Agenda For Church Reforms (2009); The Restored Church (2010); The Restored Church : A Wake-up Call (2010); The Restored Church: Book Summary/Review (2010); Pastor Adeboye On Three Persons Of God (2011); Mbadinuju: How I Governed Anambra State (2012); How I Governed Anambra State: Book Summary (2013); Who Then Is This Jesus (2014); Who Then Is This Jesus: Book Summary (2014); Journey Into The Past: Ordeal Of A State Governor (2015).
Dr Mbadinuju can be rightly described as one of the remarkable religious authors of our time.
SIR PAUL NWOSU
Commissioner for Information,
Anambra State
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November 18, 2023 @ 19:44 GMT|
Tags: Dr. Chinwoke Clement Mbadinuju
