Lagos — Christian students should exercise their leadership skills for the benefit of the society and not for their personal gains, wife of the Archbishop of Lagos Anglican Diocese, Mrs. Oluranti Ademowo, has said.

She said this at a leadership training conference with the theme, 'Leading in the Light of His Coming', organised by the Lagos zone of the Nigeria Fellowship of Evangelical Students (NIFES) in Lagos. The conference is an annual event organised for members to identify and develop their leadership potentials.

Ademowo said students could not lead without the knowledge of God and that they should not see leadership as a means to wealth or popularity, rather, they should operate within God's will and wisdom and be selfless.

As leaders of tomorrow, she said their mandate was to preserve and purify the world. "Be at peace with God so as to lead effectively. People assume that they are Christians because they are in the midst of Christian, but be sure of salvation and you must have personal relationship with Jesus Christ before you can be good leaders."

She admonished them to always be on the alert and set standards for themselves, as well as lead others in the light of God.

The Zonal President, Mr. Emmanuel Eto-Abasi said the quality of the lives of leaders was a key factor to the growth of the church and the nation at large.

He advised participants to get the best out of the conference, network with as many people that would better their lives and to come out of their shell and lead in the light of God .

The Zonal Chairman, Mr. Chukwuka Ohagwasi said this was a time for God's children to be mutually encouraged because the world was in crisis. "The systems and structures that support our politics, economy, education, governments and social life are severely shaken. Within these complexities, the believer is in a constant fight for the faith handed down."

The Training Secretary, Mr. Akin Alabi said leadership is creating opportunities and taking initiative and that these could become effective by responding to the needs of people in far away lands, or as students, making a stand for Christ in a society where there are unbelievers. "Whatever the circumstances, we know our world needs the moral compass Christians can provide; it needs the revolution that we can set in motion by an unflinching pursuit of God and His will for our lives."