Tribute To My Father-In-Law
You probably don’t see many of these kind of tributes. In this day and era, it is more common to trash in-laws and put down the extended family than to thank God for them. But, today, I want to thank God for my father-in-law, Rt. Hon. Chief. Atoza Ihindan MFR. He won’t be able to read it. He’s home in heaven with God, but I want God and others to know of my appreciation for him. I’m thinking about him today more than most other days.
I thank God for him for many reasons. First and foremost I thank God because he was an authentic believer in Jesus, and a Christian father. He lived his faith in the way he treated people, in the way he did family, in the way he did politics, the way he articulated the Tiv agenda, the Benue project with such historical anecdotes.
I thank God for the way he led his family. I spent a lot of time in his home. He led his family in the right way. He loved his wives’ deeply, and it showed in the way he treated them. He cared for his thirteen children and six grand children far beyond the ordinary. He loved them, disciplined them firmly (tough dad though) yet gently, worked hard to provide for them, had fun with them, taught them, laughed with them, modeled the Christian faith to them, and played games like long tennis with them. He was the best possible dad and a great example to me.
I thank God that his love was not limited to his own family. Most of the times I was a guest in his home, there were others present like The politicians of all class, famers, widows, students, community mobilizes, men with good intentions and the ones with bad intentions too, like your Killers (Assassins), We were fed, loved, and treated as part of the family.
I thank God for the way he treated me. I’m his son-in-law; probably the only but you can essentially drop the “in-law” part. He treated me as a son and accepted me into the family.
When I had intentions of contesting for the Benue State House of Assembly seat in my constituency in Gboko west (Gbemacha), this is what Mallan (as his fondly called by some of children) said to me: Go on Son, in politics it’s a win or lose game, but for sure you will always be remembered. He loved us both, continued to treat me as a son, and encouraged us (wife) to work things out.
I don’t want you to think he was a perfect man; only Jesus has lived a perfect life. But when he made a mistake, he admits. I admired him for his honesty and integrity even when he made a mistake.
And, mostly, I thank God because of the daughter he raised. She is in many ways like her father. From him (and from her mom), she learned honesty, integrity, gentleness, the value of hard work, the importance of family, and the need to live life as a Christian in all ways. I am benefiting every day from Rt. Hon. Chief. Atoza Ihindan MFR, contribution as a father, because I can see his many characteristics in my wife.
I can’t tell him this today, because he’s not here. But I can and do thank God for him!
Adieu Rt. Hon. Chief. Atoza Ihindan MFR.
