THE UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA, NSUKKA

FACULTY OF ARTS

DEPARTMENT OF MUSIC

A PRESENTATION SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL

FULFILMENT FOR THE REQUIRED COURSE
BASIC CONCEPT AND THEORY OF PEACE AND
CONFLICT (GSP201)

TOPIC: ETHICS AND LEADERSHIP ISSUES IN AFRICA

BY:
TYOKASA FANEN DAVID 2020/247343
OMALE, GABRIEL .O. UNN/2019/DIPF/0000216
EKONG ENO-OBONG OKWARA 2019/245360
AMBROSE CHIAMAKA MARY 2020/DPA/1231429

LECTURER: MR. UFON-OBONG DAVID

 INTRODUCTION
Leadership and leadership skill, has attracted the attention of many societies in
Nigeria and the world at large. Leadership started in the Stone Age where the oldest
male in the clan assumed leadership position and more emphasis was made on
spiritual and physical strength just as aggression was an acceptable means of relating
to followers.
The importance of leadership make necessary the attention paid to it by all known
societies. To this effect, this very chapter focused on leadership. It is intended to
expose the reader to basic knowledge on the subject Leadership

We define ethical leadership here as the demonstration of normative appropriate

conduct through personal actions and interpersonal relationships, and the promotion
of such conduct to followers through two-way communication, reinforcement, and
decision-making. The first component of this constitutive definition, “demonstration
of normative appropriate conduct through personal actions and interpersonal
relationships.
 SUMMARY OF THE CONTENT
THE NATURE OF ETHICS
Ethics is one of the core branches of philosophy. So the concept has attracted several
definitions from different philosophers. This is so because the discipline of which
ethics is a branch suffers greatly from lack of uni-vocal definition.
The Nature of Ethics refers to the normative standards of behaviour pertaining to the
ideal code of conduct of human beings. This is substantially different from that of our
feeling. The ethical choices get affected significantly by our feelings.

Ethics is used both in its singular and plural forms. In its singular from, it means
“custom”, in its plural it means “character”. Thus when used in its plural sense, ethics
means “a social, religious, or civil code of conduct considered correct, especially of a
particular individual, group or profession. When used in its singular sense, ethics is
the philosophical study of the moral value of a human intentional act and of the rules
and principles that ought to govern it
According to Udoidem (1992), the term ‘ethics’, technically speaking is often used
with reference to the study of the principles of human action. Where the study
concerns itself with the definition and clarification of ethical concepts and terms like
‘good’, ‘bad’, ‘right’, ‘wrong’, etc., the approach is meta-ethical. Where the study of
human actions is the description of ethical concepts and of how human beings should
or should not act, the study is known as descriptive ethics (Udoidem, 1992).

THE NATURE OF LEADERSHIP

Leadership is a particular type of human relationship, It signifies a relation between a
leader and his followers within a situational and organizational context. According to
Ladkin, leadership cannot exist in the absence of individuals who are engaged and
involved in a leadership dynamics.
Ladkin developed a model which he called “the leadership moment” to conceptualize
the interactive and context-dependent nature of leadership.
Leadership

The Leadership
Moment
Context The Leadership moment Purpose

Followers
 TYPES OF LEADERSHIP.
The term "source of authority" refers to the origin or basis from which power, control,
or influence is derived in a particular context. It can be a person, document,
organization, or set of principles that is recognized as having the legitimate right to
make decisions or enforce rules within a given system.
Imagine you're playing a game with some friends. There needs to be someone or
something that everyone agrees has the final say on the rules. This person or thing is
the "source of authority." They decide what's allowed and what's not. It's like the boss
or the rulebook that everyone listens to.
 Traditional Leadership:Traditional leadership refers to a style of leading or
managing that is based on established norms, customs, and practices.
The source of authorities are Customs, Tradition, Habit, Precedent, and then
relationship between rulers and ruled is Master and Subject.
 Charismatic Leadership: Charismatic leadership is a style of leadership in
which the leader possesses a magnetic personality and exceptional
communication skills. They have the ability to inspire and motivate followers
through their strong presence, enthusiasm, and compelling vision.
Source of Authorities IS Extraordinary Personal Qualities- Gift of Grace, and the
relationship between Rulers and Ruled is Prophet and disciple.
 Legalistic Leadership: Legalistic leadership is a style of leadership characterized
by a strict adherence to rules, regulations, and established procedures. Leaders
who employ this approach place a strong emphasis on following existing laws,
policies, and formal guidelines, often without much room for interpretation or
flexibility.
Source of Authorities are Law, formal rules and the relationship between Rulers
and ruled is Government official and citizen.
 Entrepreneurial Leadership: Entrepreneurial leadership refers to a style of
leadership characterized by an innovative, risk-taking, and proactive approach to
business or organizational challenges. It involves taking on qualities typically
associated with entrepreneurs, such as creativity, adaptability, and a willingness
to take calculated risks.
Source of Authorities and Tangible Payoffs, concrete benefits, mutual gains and
the relationship between Rulers and Ruled is Seller and Buyer.
 Technocratic Leadership:Technocratic leadership is a style of leadership that
emphasizes the application of technical expertise and specialized knowledge in
decision-making and problem-solving.
 Expertise, Technical Knowledge, Specialization and the relationship between
Rulers is Expert and Amateur.

THEORIES OF LEADERSHIP
There have been many attempts at explaining the phenomenon leadership. These have
led to the emergence of many theories. However, many scholars prefer to categorize
these theories. It is argued that the umbrella theories capture the many attempts at
explaining leadership. These theories are: -
 The Great Man Theory: It is based on the view that leaders are exceptional
people, who are born with innate qualities and destined to lead. The popular
statement “leaders are born”, is a notion that probably aligns with this theory.
 Trait Theories: Trait theory, in the context of psychology and leadership studies,
is a perspective that suggests that certain personality traits are characteristic of
effective leaders. It proposes that individuals possess inherent qualities or traits
that predispose them to be successful leaders.
According to this theory, people are born with certain enduring personality
characteristics that influence their leadership potential
Trait theories are an extension of great man theory because they argue that there
are many traits or qualities associated with leadership. These traits are numerous
and include all such adjective that set the individual ahead of others.
 Contingency Theory: The central thesis of the contingency theory is that
leadership is a function of environmental variables which determines the
leadership approach best suitable for a specific situation. The theory assumes that
leadership success is dependent on leadership style, character of followership,
and the qualities of the leader.
 Situational Theories: This explains leadership as a function of situational
variables and circumstance.
Behaviorist Theories: - This is a leadership theory pays attention to the actions of
leaders not mental qualities or internal states.
 Participatory Theory: It purposes that the ideal leadership style respects the
view of others. It contends that a participative leader encourages followers to
contribute to the decision-making process and it leads to more quality decision
that could enhance corporate goals and objectives.
 Management Theory: It focuses on the aspects of supervision, organization
performance, and leader-follower interactions. It explains leadership as a system
of rewards and punishment; the leader rewards success and reprimands failures.
 And it holds that the leader’s central task is to create structures for followers. This
theory is also referred to as transactional.

APPROACHES TO LEADERSHIP

Approaches or leadership styles are the ways in which the functions of leadership are
carried out: the ways in which leaders typically behave toward followers. The
attention given to this is based on the assumption that subordinate are more likely to
work effectively with leaders who adopt a certain style of leadership than for those
who adopt alternative styles.

There are broad frameworks of leadership style. There are many possible ways of
describing leadership styles. Literature on leadership styles varies such as
Transactional, transformational and servant leadership styles which are being treated
as leadership theories. Some scholars consider such approaches as styles because their
expositional contents do not identify them as theories. Other leadership styles include:
exploitative/ authoritarian/autocratic, laissez-faire, and democratic etc.

✓ The authoritarian (Exploitative, autocratic) leadership style is a power structure

where the focus is on the leader, and all interactions within the group move towards
the leader. The leader is autocratic, exercises decision-making and authority in
somany areas thereby making motivation to be solely by fear and punishment (Ikpe,
2010).

✓ The Democratic leadership style refers to where the focus of power is more with
the group as a whole and there is greater interaction withing the group. The leadership
functions are shared with members of the group and the leader is more part of a team.
The group members have a greater say in decision-making, determination of policy,
implementation of systems and procedures (Nduka & Stuckelberger, 2013). The
democratic leader believes that everyone should have the opportunity to contribute his
might towards the wholesomeness of the group (Ikpe, 2010)

✓ A Laissez-faire leadership style refers to where the leader observes that members
of the group are working well on their own. The leader consciously makes a decision
to pass the focus of power to members, to allow them freedom of action 'to do as they
think best', and not to interfere; but is readily available if help is needed (Nduku &
Stuckelberger, 2013). Here, the leader adopts the 'hands-off' approach by
concentrating on his direct responsibilities while allowing members freedom to handle
their assignments their own ways.

✓ A transactional leadership style is based on legitimate authority within the

bureaucratic structure of the organisation. Transactional leadership appeals to the self-
interest of followers. It is based on a relationship of mutual dependence and an
exchange process of "I will give you this, if you do that" (Myers, Spenser, & Jordan,
2009).

✓ Transformational leadership style, by contrast, is a process of engendering higher

levels of motivation and commitment among followers. The emphasis is on
generating a vision for the organisation and the leader's ability to appeal to higher
ideals and values of followers, and creating a feeling of justice, loyalty and trust. In
the organisational sense, transformational leadership is about transforming the
performance or fortunes of a business (Myers et al., 2009)

✓ Servant leadership was largely developed by Robert K. Greenleaf (Please and

Maak, 2011). The approach focuses on the leader's responsibility to his/her
constituency, the followers. Greenleaf argues that the servant leader whose primary
passion is to lead first, probably because of other externalities such as power and
material gains. In contrast, the servant leader only aspires to lead because he or she
wants to serve. Thus, the leader-first and the servant first present two extreme
approaches to leadership (Bolden, Golden, Marturado, and Dennison, 2003). In other
words, servant leadership is an approach that considers the "other" as against self.

Brown and Trevino (2005) explain ethical leadership as the manifestation of the right
norms through the personal actions and interpersonal relationships, and
encouragement of such behaviour in followers through communication,
reinforcement, and decision making. Ethical leadership aims at influencing the
conduct of followers towards doing the right thing in any given situation.

ISSUES IN ETHICAL LEADERSHIP IN AFRICA

Leadership is a crucial issue for the success of any group, organization, and
society. It is more so when such society is going through experiences of failure that
threatens it's survival.
As a continent, Africa has evolved from both sides of the story. We have had the
"good", the "bad", and the "ugly" sides of leadership since colonialism. That Africa
has since been marked out as an underdeveloped continent is largely a function of
leadership or the lack of it. Poor leadership inevitably engenders underdevelopment
(Okoye, 2013).
But what are the challenges in ethical leadership in Africa that had or are robbing us
of good leadership?
Afegbua and Adejuwon (2012) identify the failure in political leadership to be the
most serious problem in ethical leadership studies in Africa. Ethical leadership as a
field of study helps to answer the question; what are the ethical challenges that are
distinctive to leaders and the practice of leadership; or how are leaders different from
non-leaders? There's need to understand the difference between the noun 'leader' and
the verb 'leadership' (Ciulla, 2005). Ciulla demands that the noun "leader" be broken
down to someone who is a leader and Someone who holds the position of a leader
such as a president or chief executive officer (CEO). The point however, is that some
people who hold positions of leadership do not lead, whereas some people lead but do
not hold positions of leadership. A person has to lead to be a leader, just as we expect
people who hold the position of a leader to exercise leadership.
This issue on ethical leadership is one of the most serious challenges the leadership
question in Africa is confronted with. Most African states have not been so
advantaged to be led by leaders or have leaders as their presidents; rather, the reverse
has been prevalent. Leadership devoid of political will, where 'political will' is the
compelling force for sound leadership quality, the ability to do what is right, what is
relevant and what is attainable within the context of patriotic nationalism, is the
experience of majority of African states (Ake & Onoge cited in Afegbua &
Adejuwon, 2012). Political will very often means personal or group sacrifices. It
implies the ability to implement policies that have nationalistic importance. This is
very much absent in the political leadership equation of Africa. Political Leadership in
Africa, according to Afegbua and Adejuwon (2012), is parochial rather than national;
it corruptly converts national resources into its project of primitive accumulation.

Okoye (2013) traces this African leadership problem to greed and corruption of such
leaders, this raising the moral question on the integrity of African Leaders. One of the
traits most cited as required in order to exercise an effective leadership is integrity.
The leaders that demonstrate integrity are honest with themselves and others. They
lead by example and expect as much of others as they do themselves. The leader must
be the chief ethics officer of the state or organisation.
Finally, issues in ethical leadership are not one-sided. In Africa, just as in other
continents of the world, both the leader and the follower form the fulcrum of
leadership.

According to Albert (2003, p. 3), "leadership is not just about the actions of leaders
but about the combined efforts of leaders and followers". The 'led' equally, is to be
guided by the same moral rules that provide sense of direction to the leader.
He explains that followers, who aid their leaders in election rigging, encouraging
them to privatize public property; office and treasury, steal, under-develop their
communities, and who sing the praises of bad leaders do not have the moral right to
blame this leaders when they turn around to treat them with contempt.

Another set of followers that are implicated in how a society comes under the scourge
of bad leadership are the "bystanders" (Albert, 2003). According to Albert, this set if
people comprises the highly respected people in the society, such as the traditional
and religious leaders, moulders of public opinion etc., who choose not to get involved
but to watch things as they go bad, even though they have the capacity to positively
influence leadership in their society.

CONCLUSION
In conclusion, Ethical leadership in Africa plays a vital role in promoting integrity,
accountability, and good governance. It involves leaders who prioritize the well-being
of their communities, uphold moral values, and make decisions that benefit the greater
good. By practicing transparency, fairness, and inclusivity, ethical leaders inspire trust
and foster positive change. They serve as role models, encouraging others to follow
ethical standards and contribute to the development of their societies. Ethical
leadership in Africa is essential for sustainable growth, social justice, and the
advancement of the continent.
 REFERENCE
Afegbua, S. I., & Adejuwon, K,D (2012). the challenges of leadership and governance
in Africa. International journal Academic Research in Business and social sciences, 2
(9), 141-157.
Ikpe, U.B. (2010). State-society interactions: A conceptual and comparative
introduction to political sociology. Lagos: concept publications.

Ladkin, D. (2010). Rethinking leadership: A new look at old leadership questions.

Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishers.