The Challenge of Leadership and Governance in Nigeria

Abstract

The paper examined the dichotomy of leadership and some selected regimes in Nigerian political system. It identifies the origin, challenges of leadership and the prospects of the search for a nationalist governing class towards building a viable country. The paper relied on secondary data and method of content analysis. Generally, it argued that poor leadership has stymied the nation’s enormous, economics and political potentials. In other words, it contended that as a result of leadership failure in Nigerian political system which has caused acute poverty, political instability, insurgence, collapse of governmental institutions. The identified issues have erupt a call for resources control by those in the South-South, secession and state of Biafra by those in South-East, Oduduwa state by those in the South-West and; fiscal federalism premised on population and institutionalisation of Sharia law in Nigeria by those in the North in Nigeria. All these demands have been weaved and collapsed into one demand popularly known as ‘restructuring’. Recently, the call for restructuring has intensified from Nigerians perhaps due to the economic hardship and the failure of the current ruling political parties especially the All Progress Congress (APC) in fulfilling their electoral promises and manifestos. However, it recommended and advance that genuine leadership will need an honest, courageous and credible followership, which is less vulnerable to the manipulation politics of the ruling elite. It should possess knowledge, sound judgment and committed to specific cause and ideas. The pursuit of people based economic programmes has the potential to foster democratic governance within the context of quality followership. This class should secure democratized access to economic resources and political objects to foster trust, confidence and commitment. The leadership discourse should include the private domain as a viable means of leadership recruitment and consolidation within the system.

Keywords: Leadership, Leadership failure, Challenges of Leadership, Governance