INTRODUCTION
For many, Nigeria is
a failed country in all ramifications. Quite contradictory to a country richly
blessed with huge human and natural resources. Those placed at the helm of
affairs; whose duty it is to pilot the government has dragged the giant of
Africa to the mud. Since after her independence, two forms of government have
been tasted vis; civilian to military, military civilian, yet none has advanced
the living condition of the citizenry. Significantly, Nigeria is one of the
countries in the world that is richly blessed with huge natural and human
resources. Nigeria has existed for sixty-four years with little or no record of
socio-political and economic development. This ugly trend is not unconnected
with poor leadership. It is logically unbelievable and appalling that despite
the long years of independence, Nigeria the so called “giant” of Africa is
still battling with the problem of good leadership, hence wallowing in poverty.
The caliber of leaders that have attained leadership position since
independence had in one way or the other lacked vision, most of them have been
engrossed with corruption and political bickering leading to the enthronement
of maladministration and mismanagement of public resources, and consequently
economic setback and abject poverty as nation’s heritage.
CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
LEADERSHIP
The modern conception
of leadership emphasizes not only the leader as an individual, but also the
group he influences and joint results, which often determine particular changes
in the internal and external environment of the organization. Leadership is a
set of functions that cover at least three variables: the leader, his followers
and the conditions dictated by the situation. Leadership is a plethora of
combinations formed by these variables. Leadership involves a type of
responsibility aimed at achieving particular ends by applying the available
resources (human and material) and ensuring a cohesive and coherent organization
in the process. Ivancevich, Szilagyi and Wallace (1993), define Leadership as
“the relationship between two or more people in which one attempts to influence
the other toward the accomplishment of some goal or goals.”
THE
PLACE OF LEADERSHIP IN THE SOCIO-POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC CRISIS
Lack of Rule of Law:
The rule of law is a principle or system where a society or nation is governed
by a set of legislation instead of by an individual making the whole decision.
Rule of law makes it impossible for one person to have the unrestrained
exercise of power over a society or nation. It applies and puts a limit or
check to the behavior of everyone including government officials. The level of
poverty and illiteracy in Nigeria is also a limitation to the rule of law. A
lot of people live in ignorance of their constitutional rights which makes it
easy for people to infringe their rights. Nigerian leaders do not show respect
to the rule of law, especially, judicial decisions. This hinders the judiciary
from discharging its duties effectively. The judiciary is so unpredictability
because the political elites still undermine the independence of the judiciary
through patronage appointments, and judicial administration is marked by weak
enforcement capacity.
Absence of Accountability and
Transparency: lack of openness and accountability
remain a frightening legacy of the Nigerian leadership since 1960 to date. A
country where corruption is entrenched can never have a transparent and
accountable system. Transparency and accountability are absent in Nigerian
leadership. An accountable government is one that is responsive to the demands
of the citizen. Accountability is best enforced through the instrument an
independent judiciary and the of rule of law. Citizen can seek redress in the
courts for acts of omission or commission by a government and its officials.
However, Nigeria has not done well in this regard; it has been corruption at
all levels. And this corruption is not unconnected with profuse index of weak
accountability and lack of transparency. Nigerian leaders abuse public office
for private gain.
Corruption Challenges:
Although corruption is a global problem, Nigeria appears to suffer greatly from
this menace. Corruption is a huge problem Nigeria has been fighting with since
independence. It started with government officials and has gradually eaten deep
into every other area of the economy. It’s very rare to see a government
official who isn’t corrupt nowadays. Currently, Nigeria ranks very high in the
league of corrupt nations, and as stated by ex-British Prime Minister David
Cameron, Nigeria is a “fantastically corrupt” country with corrupt leaders.
This problem has been there since independence and has gotten worse. The
countless reforms and lack of honesty by our leaders have left Nigeria poor as
poor can be. Politicians are expunged and later re-admitted into their parties,
then, what hope for good governance when the leadership is deeply entrenched in
corrupt practices. Corruption is one of the greatest threats to good governance
today. It is a social problem which hampers development and robs people of the
chances for any significant economic as well as social advancement. Corruption
slows down economic growth and investment. Economic growth and development in
Nigeria for over twenty years has been soiled with misappropriation and
embezzlement of funds even with the return of democracy, turning the country’s
economy into an underdeveloped nation with least position in international
ratings.
Lack of Ideology:
The lack of ideology is the tragedy of our politics since 1999. An ideology is
a collection of ideas or beliefs shared by a group of people. It may be a
connected set of ideas, or a style of thought, or a world-view. There are two
main types of ideologies: political ideologies, and epistemological ideologies.
Political ideologies are sets of ethical ideas about how a country should be
run. Epistemological ideologies are sets of ideas about the philosophy, the Universe,
and how people should make decisions. In Nigeria, the political elites
constitute a nonproductive class who rely on the control of state structures to
access economic rewards. The over-politicization of the Nigerian state is also
understood in the context of the unmediated struggle for power, influence and
patronage. The nature of political contest ensured the emergence of a local
governing class without ideological commitment. Rather than pursue political
contests within ideological frameworks, politics became a contested terrain for
shallow, self-centered political gains.
Ethnic Politics: Nigeria
comprised of about 166 million people as at 2012 (National Bureau of
Statistics, 2012 cited in Trading Economics, 2014), with over 300 ethnic
groups, has over 1000 dialects, practice several religions, and different
histories and cultures. These perhaps are some of the reasons for the adoption
of federal system of government. Nigeria’s ethnic groups could be broadly
divided into ethnic ‘majorities’ and ethnic ‘minorities’. The majority ethnic
groups are the Hausa-Fulani of the North, the Yoruba of the Southwest, and the
Igbo of the Southeast of which their numerical and hegemonic strength within
the nation gave Nigeria its tripodal ethnic structure. Each of these three
major ethnic groups constitutes a pole in the struggle for political and
economic resources of the nation. There are also ethnic minorities in the
nation who at times with intention of wrestling to have their share of national
cake form alliances to have a formidable force and enough respite against the
three dominant ethnicities. These always generate conflict as the three
hegemonic groups also fortify themselves to ensure its dominance in
governmental activities.
Youth Unemployment: Youth
occupy a prominent place in any society. They are one of the greatest assets
any nation can have. Apart from being the leaders of tomorrow, they outnumber the
middle-aged and the aged. The National Youth Development Policy asserts that
the youth are the foundation of a society; their energies, inventiveness,
character and orientation define the pattern of development and security of a
nation. Through their creative talents and labour power, a nation makes giant
strides. Youth unemployment in Nigeria is generally caused by improper
orientation of the youths, absence of prosperous policy on social welfare by
the federal government such as job creation, infrastructural facilities,
improved life expectancy, proper educational program etc.
Fluctuating Government Policies: Nigeria
faces several hindrances in achieving its economic and developmental goals. But
one of the profound is policy inconsistency and discontinuity. The National
Council on Development Planning (NCDP) recognized the lack of stability and
continuity in programs by succeeding governments as the bane of Nigeria’s
stunted growth and development. Very few policies have stood the test of time.
Most political leaders are entirely focused on getting re-elected rather than
enforcing feasible and viable policies that actually drive long-term growth. As
a result, the frequent change of government after elections often leads to a
complete or partial disruption of the policies enacted by the previous
administration whether good or bad. While it is understandable that the
incoming administration might have an alternative vision and might want to gain
legitimacy by introducing new policies, the intent behind their actions is not
always patriotic. Politicians have a sense of ‘my policy’. The uncertainty and
irregularity of government policies also pose a problem for the macro economy.
Foreign investors are not flooding into Nigeria regardless of the numerous
opportunities in the country. Many investors have identified the lack of
predictable policymaking as one of the reasons for keeping their distance.
The Problem Of Curbing Social Vices: Social
vices are immoral attitudes or deviant behaviors that go against social norms
and values. The rate of social vices in Nigeria as it concerns the youth cannot
be gainsayer. It is no longer news that the youth of today engage so much in
social vices that apparently affects the society negatively They engage in such
vices as wanton drug abuse, sexual immorality, excessive brutality, thuggery,
vulgarity, inordinate desire for wealth and so forth. The role of the federal
government is to enact and enforce laws against such activities, provision of
social programs to address its root causes like poverty and unemployment,
promotion of public awareness campaigns and coordinating efforts with state and
local governments to tackle social issues across the country. However, the
continuation of social vices in the country showed that the aforementioned
roles are not well played by the federal government in tackling the effect of
social vices in the country due to their embezzling motive, limited resources
etc.
CONCLUSION
To
truly eradicate the socio-political and economic crisis in the state, Nigeria
needs sound ethical leadership that is rooted in respect, service, justice,
honesty and community. Leaders who place fairness at the center of decision
making, including the challenging task of being fair to individuals as well as
to the common interest of the community they serve. The country needs people
who are educated, and sincere and honest both in administration and leadership
styles. In the Nigerian leadership situation, self-less and charismatic leaders
are needed to amend the wrong. The most fundamental measure required in
confronting the crisis, and averting the Nigerian state from failure and
collapse is strategic and progressive leadership.
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