And you, son of man, do not be afraid of them or their words. Do not be afraid, though briers and thorns are all around you and you live among scorpions. Do not be afraid of what they say or be terrified by them, though they are a rebellious people. - Ezekiel 2:6

As I reflect upon the hostile, horrendous, and uncertain times in which we live, I remain deeply convinced that the greatest need of our time is finding and developing godly leaders – authentic, wise, compassionate, and courageous leaders.

I have no doubt that lack of courageous and compassionate leaders is the root cause of most societal problems and the primary cause for poverty and the travails of our society.

Since the beginning of this century, we have seen the rise of Islamic fundamentalism and Jihadist terrorism. The world was astonished by the dastardly terrorist attacks in New York City on September 11, 2001, that brought down the twin towers and killed more than three thousand innocent people. Since the past decade, we have seen ethnic, religious, economic and political motivated wars and killings that decimated thousands of lives in Senegal, Sudan, Afghanistan, and Iraq; the US insurgency against terrorist groups like al-Qaeda, Talibans, and other terrorist groups from Iran and Syria, and against the Somali Hornets Nest, the so-called Talibans of Africa, and the threat of nuclear weapons by Iran and North Korea.

In the other nations – like the U.S., we have seen political violence and killings motivated by hateful political rhetoric by conservative radio talk shows like Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Shawn Hannity, the conservative religious right and so-called Tea party movement, civil disobedience in Greece, Italy, Britain, France, Germany, etc., the so-called Arab Spring or Middle-east revolution, which is simply a call for change and a quest for freedom, and of course the “Occupy Wall Street” in New York City, which has spread to many cities and has become a global movement, which began following the political deadlock in Washington's White House and the Republican political muddle.

In Africa - the story is not different either. In Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Kenya and other places in Africa, we have seen abuse of power and tyranny where majority of the citizens are ravaged by poverty, crime, corruption, lawlessness, injustice, religious intolerance and ignorance, ethnic hatred and tribal killings, spiritual blindness, political instability, poor infrastructure and disease epidemics. We have seen religious, economic, and political motivated killings, massacres and wars that have decimated thousands of lives in Senegal, Sudan, Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia, Nigeria, Philippines, Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Middle East, Israel, United States, and many other places around the world.

In Nigeria, we have witnessed series of violent Islamist insurgency by Boko-Haram in Northern Nigeria - including the 50th Independence Day anniversary bomb blasts at the Eagle Square, Abuja on October 1, 2010. Since then, we have witnessed the rampant and senseless killings of lawful citizens in the Northern region of Nigeria - especially in the rural communities and villages in the Borno, Plateau, Niger and Yobe states, where common folks are defenseless – including the massive bomb blasts of the U.N. headquarters, Abuja, last August and the deadly suicide bomb massacres at St. Theresa's Catholic Church, Madalla, Niger State on Christmas Day. These spate of bomb blasts and killings of innocent citizens are without doubt motivated by ethnic hatred, religious intolerance and political thuggery. The lecherous destruction of human lives, their businesses and means of livelihood of innocent citizens are not just abhorrent but a total disrespect of the Rule of Law and disregard of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

The issue of insecurity must be addressed quickly by President Jonathan - otherwise Nigeria risks total disorder, chaos and anarchy, which is the desire of a few greedy and power intoxicated politicians in the North. The radical Islamic fanaticism must be stopped now. These are ominous signs of anarchy and chaos. These are uncertain times that require strong and courageous leadership - and that's why President Jonathan must use his powers as the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Commander of the Armed Forces now. President Jonathan must use the powers of his incumbency now, because so far, the Federal Government has acted weakly towards Boko-Haram mayhem and the imperceptible political corruption going on abated in the country.

There is incontrovertible evidence that a number of Northern politicians are behind Boko Haram terrorist sect. Since October 2010, despite the series of bomb blasts, no one has been arrested and charged with these acts of impunity, peevish and wanton destruction of human lives and means of livelihood of hard working innocent citizens. So far, the Federal Government has not nipped the bud at the head. Recently, the Boko Haram spokesperson, Ali Sauda Umar Konduga, also known as Usman al Zawahiri, named Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume, who represents Borno South in the Senate, for allegedly sponsoring the Boko Haram. Even though, Senator Ndume is still being detained, he has not been properly interrogated or charged with any crimes. In fact the Boko-Haram spokesperson who was sentenced to three years was granted bail and now he is a free man. What a travesty! This is a total failure on the part of the judiciary and Federal Government. President Jonathan must exercise the authority and power that was invested upon him by the people of Nigeria as the Chief of the Armed Forces and President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. It is time for the president to use his slingshots.

One of the primary obligations of government is to provide security and enabling condition for peaceful co-existence of its citizens. The ultimate responsibility of any government is to protect its citizens and provide a peaceful environment for citizens to pursue their God-given dreams and desires, which is the pursuit of life, liberty, happiness and prosperity. Government has the divine duty to provide the welfare of all of its citizen and protect innocent people from reappraisal attacks and violence. Security is tantamount to pure and genuine leadership - and no form of government should shirk from such responsibility.

President Jonathan must understand that conflict and challenges are inevitable in the affairs of a leader. In times of crisis and adversity, a leader must seek for godly courage and divine strength from God. He must also seek advice from wise and trusted confidants. No leader can succeed in times of conflict and challenges without godly courage, divine strength and wise advice in order to make the tough calls and difficult decisions. Such decisions must be made with fairness and absolute integrity. A wise and courageous leader must also handle conflict with care, caution, courage, and compassion. Great leaders do not compromise during times of conflicts and challenges – rather a courageous leader confronts challenges, crises and conflicts with courage and compassion. Adversity is a great test of courage. Any leader with little courage will fail in the face of adversity while a leader with great courage find his or her courage magnified when confronted with tough situations. Anyone can lead in good times, but it tackles courage to lead in difficult times.

Godly courage is one of the sterling ingredients of great leadership. No one can truly lead without godly character and strong courage. One of the great examples of biblical leaders with godly courage and divine strength is the biblical account of Israel's leader, Joshua and how he faced a daunting task of taking the nomadic troops of Israelites into battle against the fortified cities of Canaan. After the death of the great Jewish leader Moses, Joshua, his protégé was overwhelmed with the enormity of the task of taking more than 3 million Israelites into the fortified cities of Canaan, a land flowing with milk and honey. God commanded Joshua to be strong and courageous because he will lead the children of Israel into the land of Canaan (Joshua 1: 6-8). God promised to give the Israelites victory despite the overwhelming odds against them.

President Goodluck Jonathan – Time To Use Your Slingshot