American Journal Of Multidisciplinary Research & Review (AJMRR) 2022

American Journal of Multidisciplinary Research & Review (AJMRR)

Volume-01, Issue-03, pp-01-09

www.ajmrr.com

Research Paper Open Access

LEADERSHIP AND GOVERNANCE: NIGERIA’S

EXPERIENCE
Chinwe Mariaceline Eze
Department of Political Science, Faculty of Social Sciences, Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka, Anambra State-
Nigeria

Abstract: Leadership and governance is a drive for responsibility and clearness which brings excellent
administration. A good leader sets the conduct and standard for governance; the quality of a leader invariably
affects the political, economic and the social wellbeing of the citizens. Leadership plays an essential role in the
governance while governance is the institution by which the leadership authority is exercised in a Nation. This
work aims at the leadership and governance in Nigeria. The elite theory of power is in use as propounded by
Pareto (1848-1923) and Mosca (1858-1941), the study relied on the extensive use of secondary data and the
experiences of the researcher which was targeted on identifying the leadership practices of the Nigerian leaders.
It has been revealed that the political leaders had in one-way lack vision, and are engrossed with corruption; they
continually influenced the populaces and the administrative procedures to progress their self-seeking interest,
resulting in the citizens to stumble in wretched poverty. The study concludes that leadership and governance as
practiced in Nigeria has not yielded a preferred product to the absence of leaders being servants to the people but
remain lords to the ruled. Leadership and governance in Nigeria has been mishandled and the rights of citizens
are abused. The study among others recommends;in other to achieve efficient and good governance, Nigeria
leaders must be made accountable and transparent, and the political leaders must adhere to the constitution
which is a guarding principle for good governance.

Keywords: Leadership, Governance, Accountability, Corruption, Nigeria

I. Introduction
Historically, there is no Nation of the world that grew and enjoyed steady development without
experiencing a good and selfless political leadership (Ogbeidi, 2012). This is because growth and development
is an outcome of a good and dedicated leadership. Governments exist to serve the needs of the citizens, and
good governance ensures that those needs are served, therefore governance must be seen as a tool to solve social
problem of the society. A good leader helps to strengthen democracy, promote economic growth and reduce
poverty (United Nations, 2007).
It is pertinent to state that Nigeria with diverse resources in both mineral and humanresources still has
more than 80% of her population living below the poverty line (World Bank, 2011). The failure of the political
leadership overseeing the affairs of the Nation would invariably bring severe misery to many voiceless and
helpless citizens. Obasanjo once believed that leadership deficit in Nigeria had robbed it of a meaningful
development and it has become a clog on the Nations wheel of progress, ‘we have so many Nigerians, but there
are not many good leaders in Nigeria’ (Alechenu, 2013).
Nigerians quest for the most developed and best-educated minds, men and women of good judgment
who will take the country to the pinnacle level of proper administration has stayed slippery. Countries have
ultimate ownership and responsibility for self-development (Majekodunmi, 2012).
The achievement of any leadership and good governance is resident upon these significant standards:
administrative efficiency which actions of the country should reflectandtheir changes being ardently followed
for some reasonable length of time;the officials and the administration of the country’s economy and the
eagerness to allow much-reverenced strategy of comprehensiveness to the participant dynamically in the daily
administration of the Nation (Majekodunmi, 2012).
The quality of the leadership in a country affects the country positively or negatively and it is often said
that no country can develop beyond the level of its leadership (Nicholas-Omoregbe, Kehinde & Evbuoma,
2016). Leadership is important to demonstrating better-quality governance, which enhances societal

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development, because leadership is a process of influencing the actions of a structured group towards the setting
and attainment of goals (Nicholas-Omoregbe et al., 2016). It is on this that Nnablife states that the survival of
any system rests on the leadership style of any administration, and a good leadership sets tone and standard of
governance (Nnablife, 2010).
Leadership efficiency and effectiveness is a navigation that drives a Nation to a height of growth and
productivity by the application of good governance (Folarin, 2010). The inability of the leaders to harness the
Nations numerous resources towards realization of socio-economic growths constantly calls for questioning.Any
society that lacks a good leadership and governance is fundamentallycategorized byadministrative uncertainty,
political cabals, national crisis and economic entanglement. These could bring about joblessness of all kinds,
abject poverty and hunger and all manners of societal criminality (Mohammed, 2008). Lack of rule by any
leadership can lead to social disorder, daunt public cohesiveness and hinders good advanced ideas. Laws are
vital and essential for effective governing of any country without obedience and adherence to the regulations as
stipulated in the constitution (Arowolo & Aluko, 2012). Leaders should act based on the guiding principles of
the constitution, irrespective of who is involved.
Democracy stimulates development and with the mineral and human resources one would expect
Nigeria to soar high in consonance with the economic giant of the world yet her members wallow in socio-
economic, political and infrastructural decadence (World Bank, 2011). The way that most Nation stays a
slowpoke in social, economic and politicaladvancement despitethe entire social and the monetary approaches
executed by progressive administration had not ideally conveyed the profits of good governance (Omotola,
2007).
It is against this background this article reflects on the leadership and governance in the Nigerian experience.

II. Leadership and Governance: A Nexus

Leadership and governance are critical for the establishment of democracy and for democratic
consolidation of any society or country. World Bank, (2002) sees governance as the manner in which power is
exercised in the management of a country’s economic and social resources for the development ofa Nation.
They went ahead to identify three key elements in governance as: the structure of a political regime; the capacity
of government to design, formulate and implement policies and to discharge their functions and the process by
which authority is exercised in the management of the country’s social and economic resources (World Bank,
2002).
From the view of the World Bank governance are largely about problem identification and solving and
the extent to which the society’s problem is solved or not depended on how good or bad a political system is.
Babawale, (2007) sees governance as the exercise of political power to promote the welfare of the citizens, he
further state that good governance is the presence of accountability and transparency, lack of corruption and
political oppression, and respect for the fundamental human rights. Good governance is the only assurance for
peace, progress, stability, free and fair elections; it is only the means to delivering the dividend of democracy.
Governance encompasses the chance to take an interest in dynamic procedure of the general public.The practice
of good governance includes accountability and transparency in government procedures, a high expectation
from the citizens, predictability in government dealings, responsive and openness in all spheres of the Nation,
free flow of information, respect for the rule of law and protection of the citizen’s life (Babawale, 2007).
From the above, governance as an administration is to affect a comparatively large fraction of the
whole country which means to include every member of a society by given an opportunity to experience the
dynamic procedure of the society. Good governance ensures that political, social and economic priorities of the
people should be based on broad consensus within the society and that the voices of the poor and the down
trodden are heard in decision that concerns the Nation. The primary reason for creating a Nation is to improve
the living state of affairs of its citizens which makes development a fundamental national objective
(Mohammed, 2008).
The hall mark of governance in any given society or Nation is accountability, transparency and
responsiveness on the part of the government which is vital for the protection of rights of the citizenry and for
the advancement of economic and social development. The purpose of government existence is to create an
enabling environment for political and socio-economic advancement of the citizens.
Good governance seeks to improve the capacity of the state, encompassing a variety of strategies to
increase the effectiveness and the efficiency of the actions of the government (Omona, 2010). Governance
extends beyond government action to address the role of the citizens and the way groups and communities
within the society organize to make and implement decisions on matters of general concern (Brinkerhoff, 2005).
Governance is exercise of economic, political and the administrative authority to manage the Nations affairs at
all level. It encompasses the mechanisms and the processes, through which citizens articulate their interests,
exercise their legal rights, meet their obligation and mediate their differences (UNDP,1997).

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Kaufmann, Kraay & Mastruzzi (2006) views governance as the traditions and institutions by which authority in
the Nation is exercised. This includes the process by which the governments are selected, monitored and
replaced; the capacity of the government to effectively formulate and implement a sound and lasting policies;
and the respect of the citizens and the state for the institutions that governed economic and social interactions
amongst them.
Soludo (2007) viewed governance as the traditions of institutions by which authority is exercised and
through leadership that authority is exercised. Governance referred to as the traditions as well as institutions that
define how authority is exercised in a given country. It entails the process through which governments are
elected, monitored and has the ability to manage resources well, formulate, implement and enforce good policies
and regulations; and to respect the citizens and the state and the institutions that govern them Salman (2009).
Governance recognizes that all the segments of the community will get their due offer, and the minority interest
is duly protected, all the open workplaces madeopen to everybody,and involvingthe majority in decision making
processes and there should be open rivalry on which each qualified citizens hasto take an interest. Citizens
should have the chance to oversee or to be part of the government, the rulers are to be made responsible to the
guidelines, and the rulers are to be elected by the electorates and more substantial part reserve the privilege to
conclude who will manage them.
Leadership and governance are so intricately related that one circumscribes the other. Leadership is
very critical to providing better governance and good governance has been perceived as the most significant
factor in eradicating poverty, inequality and other negative vises in any given society (Nicholas-Omoregbe et
al., 2016).Leadership entails the ability of one or more persons who are at the helm of authority to make others
do what ordinary they cannot do (Blondel, 1987). Blondel view is supported by Okadigbo (1987) who avers that
leadership is the process through which one individual consistently exerts more influence than others in the
pursuit of people’s behaviour.
Leadership is one of the notions that are hard to be quantified an all-inclusive definition since it is
fitting to the consistent aspect of life. Leadership hinged on the interface of structure and behaviour, it suggests
characters that make, execute or interpret the law that isrequired on the existing social organizations, and
itassumes the role of the state (Oladele, David, & Idowu, 2016).
Therefore, leadership is seen as a privileged for a person within a gathering to lead and is followed by others
who are involved in the group, leadershipis anadvantage to serve and is ought to be seen in that capacity and is
not a presentation of influence or a road to amass riches.
Nicholas-Omoregbe et al.,(2016) characterizes leadership as the capacity to oversee, facilitates and
influence others to the achievement of administrative goals. Aleader shows the way for people to follow,
leadership start with self as connote by Mamora (2012)‘If you cannot lead yourself, you cannot lead others’.
From the discussions above leadership connotes that a blind man cannot lead a group of people who sees; he can
only drive through a collective effort of those blind with a guide to directingthem all. A leader generates activity
among individuals and aids the exercises and joins actions towards aggregate objectives. Leaders are born not
made, which implies that a leadershould or ought to havethe force or impact to changing difficult situations to
better conditions, throughthe majority actions.
Governance has an essential element of proper administration, is the ability to change the capacity to
draw out the best in others for more noteworthy benefits of all. It means that leaders should have inspiration and
illumination, guiding others through personal example and charisma, defining and designing a direction and
then enabling others to reach the goal.A leader is one who inspires others to achieve an objective and guides the
group in a manner that makes it more organized and understandable.
Northouse (2003) view on leadership is one that cannot be ignored; he considered it to be a procedure whereby a
person is to impact a gathering of people to accomplish a shared goal. From this, we can sum leadership to mean
a process by which individual influences others to achievinga shared goal through the responsibility and the
ability of the leader and the supporters.
Gardner(1978)described a leader as one who comprehends the difficulties that all in the general public
face, to aid in the arrangement of objectives and necessities, to work with others in discovering paths to those
objectives chosen, keeping up public morale, motivation and nurturing workable open solidarity. Leaderships
entail accountability, honesty, transparency, and diplomatic in dealing with issues that concern the governed
which invariably leads to good governance. There cannot be a good governance without good leaderships as
both compliments one another. A good leadership begets a good governance. A leader leads people in a
direction to accomplish the maximum goal for the betterment of the citizens.
A good leadership connotesgood governance. Leadership and governance are intertwined. For
leadership to be effective and efficient in governance, he/she mustpossess the qualities or attributes of a leader
which according to Sarmad (2019)will makea leader to achieve the greatness this includes: positive and
trustworthiness, confidence, responsibility, duty and enthusiasm, excellentcommunication, emotional
intelligence, vision, purpose, humility, inventiveness and advancement, appointment, strengthening,

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compassion, transparency, resilience, decision-making capabilities, etc. Above all, being transparent is the most
essential trait of an effective leadership.
A good Leadership shapes a Nation, a community and an organization, a good leader should have the
option to be a wellspring of motivation, and be a spark towards the necessary activity and cause, communicate
appropriately and motivate others significantly (Mohammed, 2004).
From the above discussions, it will therefore mean that to foster positive change leadership and
governance is based on inherently accepted values, attaining government that is participatory, accountable,
transparent, responsiveness, respect for the fundamental human rights and the guiding principles, this is because
the mandate of leadership is given by the citizens, therefore they must be carried along in the various stages of
administration. Leadership and governance are saddled with the responsibility to lead people in a direction to
accomplish a maximum goal for the betterment of all, by this it implies that there should be all round
improvements in material well-being of all the citizens, not the most powerful and the rich but the entire Nation.

III. Theoretical Analysis

This paper is anchored on the Elite theory of power as propounded by Pareto (1848-1923) and Mosca
(1858-1941). The approach is the arrangement of the state that seeks to express and tries to portray and clarify
power connections in contemporary society. The elite been the uppermost echelon within an organization is
poised of that personnel who are acknowledged as outstanding and are well-thought-out leaders in a given pitch
of capability, these class are classified into an administering first class and the non-overseeing tip top. The
governing class directly play some considerably part in government; they represent the political officers who are
the leaders while the non-governing class are those people, not connected with the government activities but
generally represents the masses.
The elites are the ring bearers in the general public whose influences isn’t liable to control by some
other body in the general public; they have unparalleled access to the critical situations in the general public and
seem to use power over necessary arrangements. The elite approach comprises of those distinct individuals who
exerts powers and grasp the principal positions in the tactical aspect of the social order.
Leadership and governance in Nigeria of today is ruled by the few individuals who exerts powers and holds
principal positions while the large part just obeys, controlled and administered by them. The elites turn into a
Centre gathering of individuals who holds key positions of intensity in the general public and they impact and
set the bearing for the entire society. Most of the political leaders, who emerged through the democratic political
process, are portrayed as ‘lacking political will’. They often lack the willingness to fight for the common masses
instead they based and focused their interest and action in their personal ‘selfish’ interest. Such leadership lacks
the courage to confront the socio-economic and political upheavals that assails their people.
The perception that the elites, in practice, do not really incorporate only the right and best individual,
but are merely the individuals from specific families, which does not represent good leadership and governance.
The elite approach of power explains leadership and governance as practiced in Nigeria. The way Nigeria is
swaying between leadership staleness and administration backwardness is reflexive of the tip-top theory quest
for individual aggrandizement and advancement of egocentrism. They look to impact governmental issues by
‘contributing’ in the ideological groups and projects they bolster other than occupied with the populace and
serve the enthusiasm of the entire country of whom they represent.

IV. Leadership and Absence of Galvanizing Scares Human and Material Resources in
Nigeria
The nature of the Nigeria state and the entire society is fundamentally anarchical, because of the
multiplicity of its ethnic groupings and its mono-product economy super-planned by a distorted federal structure
(Omoleke & Olaiya, 2015). The Nigerian political structure has been distorted since 1960 by colonialists,
ethicized political class and ‘military politicians’, all these have continued to shape the structure and
thedynamics of the Nigerian state (Ologbenla, 2007).
The survival of a Nation is rest with the leadership qualities and good governance. One of the duty of a
government is to ensure that the scares human and material resources are effectively and efficiently galvanized
to sustain the people and to ensure development in all areas, but looking at Nigeria one will have to wonder at
the contradiction between the wealth of the Nation and the conditions of majority of her citizen (Asaju &
Akume, 2012). Leadership and governance are saddled with the responsibility to lead people in a direction to
accomplish a maximum goal for the betterment of all.
Governance is hinged on the ability to exercise power and to make sound decisions over a period of time in
economic, social and environmental areas (World Bank, 2005). Leadership is a vital tool for better governance;
advances societal development, as it is a process of influencing the activities of an organized group towards the
setting and attainment of the said goal (Nicholas-Omoregbe et al., 2016).

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Nigeria has existed for more than sixty years with practically no record of socio-economic development as a
result of the leaders failing to be mass committed, patriotic and disciplined. Nigeria leaders had in one-way lack
vision and immersed with debasement and political squabbling by prompting the enthronement of
maladministration and fumble of open assets and financial backwardness of the Nation thereby making
wretched destitution of the Nation (Lawal & Owolabi,2012; Majekodunmi, 2012).
Nigeria leaders have failed the country in various ways mostly through fiscal reforms that are not
feasible, low economic growth, massive unemployment and rising inequality between the rich and the poor, the
rulers and the ruled. Nigeria has been classified by Chika (2004)as one of the poorest country with high
suffering indices. This can be seen by the low levels of Nigerians to access basic facilities, income distribution
which is heavily weighted against majority of the citizens thus depriving the poor the necessities of livelihood.
Most of the leaders see themselves as rulers rather than leaders (Kolade, 2012).
Scholars and Nigerians of all works of life have commented on the leadership crises that have eluded
the Nation. They believed that poor leadership is at the roots of the Nation’s failure to translate its vast
potentials into tremendous prosperity for its teeming population. Nigeria had been robbed it meaningful
development and has become a clog on the wheel of the Nation progress. ‘We have so many Nigerians, but there
are no many good and dedicated leaders’(Alechenu, 2013).
The Nigeria state has been continually battling between the essences of ‘vote base system’ and
‘tyranny’,thestruggle for advancement and the draw for underdevelopment, the weight of open degradation and
the importance of responsibility. The Nigeria state has neglected to hitch the tremendous human and material
assets available to break the pattern of neediness and tyranny.Babalola, (2010) asserted that Nigeria leadership
deficit is the root of paradox of poverty in the midst of plenty, he concluded by saying ‘when you see a poor
country, look out for the form of governance there then you will observe leadership challenges’.
As a general rule, Nigeria state has been upon with political pioneers. They do not have the essential
fixings required for successful and proficient leadership, which will turn the country around for good. Achebe
(1984) referred to Nigeria’s primary problem as a failure of leadership and Abdullahi (2012) acclaimed that the
cause of Nigeria’s bad governance could be cause by incompetent leadership, constant political instability,
corruption and all round vulnerability as accomplices.
From evident much could be learned from Nigerians perceptions of leadership and that these
perceptions could prove useful to understanding the country’s social climate. The best administration is one
interpreted as meaning plan and completing of national approach by the entire electorate then it has positively
not existed and is probably not going to live sooner rather than later. The survival of any system rest with the
leadership and the leadership qualities directly or indirectly affects the level of stability and development
(Mohammed, 2008).
Nigeria returned to democratic rule in May 1999 ushered a new stronghold the citizens could cling to
as a way out of the military oppressions (Shanum, 2013). Democracy could offer solutions to poverty,
insecurity, corruption, absence of basic infrastructure and etc., but from the inception of democracy in Nigeria
the citizens are still searching for honest and dedicated leadership and good governance. The Nigerians need a
leadership that will guarantee security, progress, growth and development in the country.Democracy in Nigeria,
interpretedin practice means ‘government of the few, for the few and by the few’.
Leadership and governance in Nigeria, lack respect to the principles of democracy, one of which is the
tenet of the ruling, particularly respect to the legalpronouncements, whichhampered judicially in the discharge
of their responsibilities as stipulated by Nigeria constitution. Even when they intend to follow strictly the
principles of the judicial ruling; the political elites intervene in their interest, this made most of the Nigerian
citizens lack trust in the hope of a common manwhich is the ‘Judicially’. In Nigeria, the judicial arm of
government has become unpredictable; the political elites undermine the judicial independence, which weakens
the system (Agu, 2015).
The leadership of Nigeria lacks the ability to predict issues, they are not committed to the plight of the
citizens, and no pro-active measures put in place in case of any danger. The leadership of Nigeria only waits for
the disaster to occur before proffering solution which in most cases has serious implication for the survival of
the citizens. The leaders whohave the mandate of the citizens are clueless and insensitive, they only crumbs for
the national cake, stealing large chunks of the national wealth for self-preservation (Imhionopi & Ugochukwu,
2013).
The Nigeria political leadership are not committed to the development of the Nigerian society; there is
a complete absence of transparency and lack of accountability among the leaders; the leadership in Nigeria has
enshrined, and institutionalized corruption which seems to be a new nationalculture; the frequent changes and
the absence of trustworthiness and uprightness of the political gladiator have left Nigeria in the hopeless nature
(Nicholas-Omoregbe et al, 2016).
The problem of this country ‘Nigeria’ is ‘selfish interest’ of ‘some’ political leaders if not all who have
deliberately refused to uphold to the principles of governance while in office, most political office holders or

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leaders who are suitable to keep various positions become personalized and politicized, thus paving ways for
unnecessary patronage, which consequently undermines the authority of the practice of a good leadership and a
good governance. This becomes difficult for the state to grow, straightforwardness and responsibility in
administration will, without doubt increment the sense of national turn of events.
The high expectations of the people that democracy would reverse decades of poverty, corruption and
underdevelopment have hardly been met by those in the helm of authority (Obi, 2008). The poverty situation in
Nigeria is quite disturbing and this could be a primary source of human capacity to violence which appears to be
the frustration-aggression mechanism; the anger induces by frustration is a motivating force that disposes men to
aggression, irrespective of its instrumentalities (Gurr, 1970).
Atypical Nigerian consents that elections cannot be legitimatelywon without been rigged. Our leaders
have been the architect of the democratic fraud, no leader wants to test the seat and leave it for another.
Leadership and governance in Nigeria has become a family affair, the leaders in Nigeria wants to become
‘unretirable’, no one wants to confront free and reasonable races to denote the wishes of the larger society which
is what democracy represents.
The trend of violence in the election has led to a situation whereby Nigerians sees elections process
with apprehension and anxiety, with popular confidence being battered in the process and, with the potential
capacity of electoral violence to intrude on the electoral process which undermines the legitimacy and threatens
democratic stability in Nigeria (Arowolo & Aluko, 2012).Democratic government cannot function properly
without a free and a legitimate election butan election meansfor a great many individuals just a popularity based
procedure (Agu, 2015).The election permitsthe choices of decision-makers by the majority of the citizens, thus,
where unrestricted apparatus and other false appointive practices is obtaining, which will in general baffle the
popularity based goals of residents who have cast a vote or would have cast a vote of individuals into office
other than the inevitable camp (Agu,2015). With the polarization of Nigeria politics, electoral violence had
increasingly become regular party strategies of winning elections, Nigeria youths have been paid to coerce and
intimidate electoral opponents during or after voting (Karim & Surajo, 2016).The magnitude of electoral
violence in Nigeria has risen, and the political elites have changed over neediness ridden jobless young people
into prepared make hardware for the execution of discretionary viciousness (Usman, 2015).
Corruption is a plague that is speedily eating up our national innards, subverted our national dreams
and stunted our growth. Corruption has the capacity to impede investments, slow-down social, economic, and
political development, as well as jeopardize democratic values and mistrust among citizens (Dogaci, 2009).
Achebe boldly proclaimed an honest opinion that anybody who can say that corruption in Nigeria has not
become alarming is either a fool, a crook or else does not live in the country (Lipset, 2000).
Corruption is one of the greatest threats to good leadership and governance; it is a social problem that
has rob the citizens of their chances of any meaningful growth and development (Okeyim, Ejue & Ekanem,
2013). Corruption is an endemic problem that has affected the growth and development of the Nigeria economy
(Majekodunmi, 2012).
There seems towards a gradual, but dangerous re-institutionalization of the autocratic and authoritarian
regime in a said democratic setting. Governance in Nigeria therefore becomes an all comer’s affair where the
qualified and the unqualified jostle inordinately for political power (Enyia & Worlu, 2018).
The truth is that leadership and governance in Nigeria to a larger extent have failed the citizens in various
capacities from insecurities to improving the living standard of the citizens. The leaders are unwilling to rise to
their responsibilities and challenges knowing that the survival of any system rest with the leadership qualities
and good governance.

V. Findings and Conclusions

Nigeria is threatenedwith severe challenges from her ‘tyrant’ political structures; the political
administrators are not committed to the enthronement of a genuine leadership and good governance,which will
bring growth and advancement to the citizens. The leader who holds political offices are not prepared to follow
the legal provisions and the appointive act with excellent and committed leadership.
Violence and corruption are repetitive in the Nigeria state, dishonesty and theft is a kind of conduct
showed by the Nigeria political administrators which incorporates a deviation from formal obligations because
of the individual additions to oneself or family members. Corruption is one of the significantthreats to attaining
a good administration; Corruption hinders suitable investments;inactive social, economic and political
advancement just as jeopardize popularity based qualities and create doubt among the populace. Other crisis
facing good leadership and governance in Nigeria includes among others, the weak and dependent judicial
system, poverty and ignorance, absence of internalconsensus, political narrow-mindedness and ‘I should win
disorder’, etc.
Without doubt the faltering of leadership and governance in Nigeria may also be attributed to the fact
that it is not enmeshed so much in the society as it failed in its entirety to pay attention to Nigerians realities and

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peculiarities. The chaotic and corrupt nature of the Nigeria leadership has increased the peoples distrust for
political institutions. The leaders are not committed to the plights of the people and there was never a golden age
of excellent leadership in the history of Nigeria; the leaders in Nigeria lack competence, responsible and
integrity, vision, high moral values and etc.
Leadership is good when it pursues public good and places emphasis on national interest to improve
the living conditions of its citizens above personal interest which makes it a national development(Mohammed,
2008). No country can develop with leaders glorifying corruption; the political leadership in Nigeria
manipulates and monopolizesthe state hardware to keep up their hang on power. The political system has been
so monetized to the degree that a normal, credible Nigerian can’t manage the cost of its extremity, in this way,
all must be in power or among the top decision makers in Nigeria as Ogundiya & Baba(2005) pointed out that
‘Nigerian vote based system has been fierce ridden, described with wanton obliteration of lives and properties.
Individual votes appear not to include in figuring out who oversees as decisions are made and the result
isdetermined before the survey of some political elites, known as godfather’.

1. Recommendations
2. Nigerians should no longer be silent on the bad leaderships and governance in Nigeria, the leaders ‘must’ be
made to live to its constitutional responsibilities. There should be accountability and transparency in
governance.
3. In order to achieve the expected leadership and governance in Nigeria, there is urgent need to provide
‘leadership education’ that strengthens and encourages quality and effective leadership.
4. For the citizens to enjoy and experience sustainable socio-economic development. Nigeria leaders should
have a ‘positive change’ in their attitude. A positive change is all that is needed to end corruption and build
a strong political institution.
5. The leaders and the citizens ‘must’ be encouraged and show respect for cultural differences while at the
same time encouraging the diverse population to work for a common goal.
6. Leadership and governance should be seen as a privilege to serve not a display of power or authority to
amass wealth made for growth and institutional development

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