by Bayo Oluwasanmi

A man can be no bigger than the number of people from whom he genuinely cares.

If Jonny Nash was the embedded musician to boost morale of Nigerian troops in the ongoing campaign against Boko Haram insurgents, his choice of song would have been his all time classic “I can see clearly now the rain is gone …”

But Nash’s special one for the troops would have been: “Mr. Jonathan, can you see clearly now the smoke is coming …? Can you see clearly now the dialogue is dead …? Can you see clearly now the amnesty is dead …? It’s dead, dead, dead … and it’s too little … and too late … It’s dead, dead, dead … the war is on…”

For the first time in his three-year old presidency, Mr. Jonathan as a new Commander-in-Chief (sort of) emerged from the trenches as it were, to take charge.

In his prime time live TV address to the nation, Mr. Jonathan told weary Nigerians that he had declared emergency in Yobe, Borno, and Adamawa states to stem the killing of innocent victims hacked down like trees by Boko Haram loonies.

When the ram’s horn blows a warning shouldn’t the president be alarmed? Against the advice and pleadings of well-meaning Nigerians, the self-satisfied president rejected all common sense and tactical approach to the problem.

The Boko Haram terrorists snuffed life from both the dead and the living. Our people staggered from town to town, and village to village. They are like a man who runs from a lion only to meet a bear. The stench of death filled the air. Those who survived were like charred sticks pulled from a fire.

The president, turned into a ping-pong ball by the Haramists, was being battered from one end to the other.

At last, Mr. Jonathan realized that he would have to change his leadership style and shift his paradigms to effectively mount the cockpit of fire in order to put out the fire.

How many lives was Mr. Jonathan willing to sacrifice to the Haramists in order to appease them? Why did it take Mr. Jonathan so long to turn off the blood tap of defenseless victims of the barbarians?

Why did the Commander-in-Chief choose dialogue and amnesty as the best counter terrorists’ attack?  What do we make of his eccentric offer of olive branch to the animals? What was the Commander-in-Chief thinking?

If Mr. Jonathan could not command his troops to halt killings by domestic terrorists, what happens if Nigeria were to be invaded by a foreign army? No doubt, the Commander-in-Chief is neither battle tested nor battle ready!

The last minute presidential decree of emergency issued  by Mr. Jonathan is like a shepherd who tries to rescue a sheep from a lion’s mouth but recover only two legs or a piece of an ear. Mr. Jonathan’s action is too little, too late!

The Boko Haram terrorists present two parts to any military conquests – the initial assault and the “mopping up” operation that deals with any lingering resistance. This principle holds true both in military and in politics.

Study the life of some dictators and you’ll quickly detect some pockets of resistance in their respective administrations: insensitive to the needs of the people, the cruelty that surpassed that of Abacha and ignoring the message of God’s prophets (not necessarily pastors).

Pockets of resistance if left unchallenged, can lead to rebellion. Dealing with those pockets is not optional, it is essential if victory is to be achieved.

Problems present a leader to his people as a worthy leader. Problems make the people build trust and confidence in the man.

Mr. Jonathan magnified and sustained the butchery visited on our people by the Boko Harams by running away from his problems instead of making the problems his friend and plunge into it like a true statesman.

Mr. Jonathan’s too little too late response to the insurgent’s hold on Nigeria widens the gap between the people and his administration. As a result, the people felt betrayed and disconnected.

No one is surprised that Mr. Jonathan’s handling of the nation’s problems erodes the remnant trust and confidence Nigerians have in his leadership. We’re confused as to where we came from and where we’re going.

If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll end up spinning your wheels – or worse, you could spend years heading in the wrong direction.

The question on everyone’s lip is: Does Mr. Jonathan knows the way?  As if adding insult to injury, Mr. Jonathan did not show any concern or feelings. Rather, in one or two instances the president was having a good time somewhere overseas.

When you know where you should be headed, your priorities become clearer and your actions take on significance.

Mr. Jonathan’s signature governing style is failure to quickly recognize when a course of action needs to be taken promptly and how to get the job done.

Two leadership flaws have become the Siamese twins of the Jonathan administration: lack of will and commitment.

So far, in dealing with our national problems, Mr. Jonathan has amply demonstrated that he lacks commitment and suffers from a scattered focus.

He looks for excuses, he forgets the big picture, he goes public with private thoughts, he adopts the motto “That’s good enough,” he behaves inconsistently, he creates poor relationships, and he avoids changes.

Commitment moves past the mind and emotions and goes straight to the will. The ancient Chinese said that “the will of a man is like a cart pulled by two horses: the mind and the emotions.” You must get both horses moving in the same direction to move the cart.

It is abundantly clear that Mr. Jonathan lacks the will and commitment to govern Nigeria in a more responsive and responsible fashion.

Commitment is when your mind and emotions move forward, whatever the cost. Commitment starts from the heart. Commitment is tested by action. The only real measure of commitment is action. Talk is cheap, action is expensive!

Commitment opens the door for accomplishments. Commitment enables a leader to make decisions. A leader must determine what’s worth dying for, and then make that the basis for decisions.

Commitment flourishes with public accountability.

Consider the stark contrast between the commitments of two leaders – in fighting terrorism – Presidents Obama and Jonathan. While Obama remained resolutely committed to his course and his people, Jonathan was AWOL!

Mr. Jonathan’s commitment drains away; he follows the path of regression. He followed at a distance and he’s torn between the apathetic and the committed. He’s a man without a country!

Take a look at a partial list of content analysis of stories carried by Nigerian newspapers and other media outlets on Mr. Jonathan’s “vows” to root out Boko Haram terrorists.

Mr. Jonathan has for ever been fighting the terrorists with verbal missiles instead of ballistic missiles. Take a look at misguided and misfired verbal missiles by the Commander-in-Chief:

• Jonathan Vows to Prosecute Those Behind Violence (AllAfrica, April 15, 2011).
• Jonathan Vows to end Boko Haram menace (AFP, April 19, 2012).
• Jonathan Vows to Return Nation to Order (Vanguard, April 21, 2011).
• Nigerian President vows to bring terrorism under Control, go after group that bombed UN building. (Associated Press, August 27, 2011.
• UN Building Bombing- Jonathan Vows to Track Down Bombers (Daily Trust, August 28, 2011).
• Jonathan Vows To Crush Terror Groups, Says Sponsors of Terror groups now unveiled (Nigeria Tribune, Sep. 23, 2011).
• President Jonathan Vows to Combat Security as Nigeria Celebrates its 51^st Independence Day. (IQ4News, October 1, 2011).
• Jonathan Vows to get bombers (Vanguard, October 2, 2010) .
• As Boko Haram changes gear, Mars Eid-El-Kabir celebrations in North, Jonathan vows to protect Nigerians (national Daily Newspaper, November 6, 2011).
• Christmas carnage in Nigeria, Nigeria’s president vows to bring those responsible to justice. (CNN, Dec., 25, 2011).
• President Jonathan Vows To Exterminate Boko Haram (blanknewsonline, December 26, 2011).
• Jonathan vows to “crush terrorists” (Reuters, Dec. 31, 2011).
• Jonathan vows to protect Nigerians (National Daily, Nov. 6, 2011).
• Jonathan vows vengeance to “crush the terrorists” who set off a series of bombs across Nigeria on Christmas Day (Mail & Guardian, South Africa, Dec 31, 2011).
• “…It’s fight to finish, Jonathan vows (The Punch, January 1, 2012).
• Jonathan Vows to Check Destabilization Plot (ThisDay, Jan 17, 2012).
• We’ll wipe out Boko Haram – Jonathan (The Punch, January 23, 2012).
• Revenge attacks follow Nigeria Church blasts, Goodluck Jonathan …vows to end the spate of mindless attacks and killings” Al Jazeera (March 12, 2012).
• Jonathan Vows to End Boko Haram Menace in June (Yonhap News Agency, South Korea, March 28, 2012).
• I will deal with Boko Haram, Jonathan vows (April 13, 2012).
• Jonathan vows to end Boko Haram Menace (AFP News, April 19, 2012).

It is evident from President Jonathan’s vows of verbal missiles that all he has been doing is whitewashing the pump which will not purify the water.

Mr. President, to overwork one’s own fault is to miss a valuable free education!

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Op-ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija.