LEADERSHIP CRISIS AND ITS IMPLICATION ON NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

The interplay of leadership, crisis, governance, nation building and development administration is intricate and inseparable. This is so because the context of leadership, both theoretically and practically, the impacts of governance reflects on national development processes. Warren Bennis, a leading authority on leadership, once stated  that ‘leadership is like beauty: it’s hard to define, but you know it when you see it.’ That could not be further from the truth.

In Nigeria, the public sector has become an epitome of all that is corrupt, fraudulent and self-egoistic. Self-egoistic is preferred to national interest and leadership crisis prevalent at all levels of decision-making has further deepened the imbroglio. Leadership is the exercise of power or influence in social collectivities such as groups, organizations, communities or nation. As a pattern of behavior, leadership is the influence exerted by an individual or group over a large body to organise or direct its efforts towards the achievement of desired goals. As a personal attitude, leadership refers to the character traits which enable the leader to exert influence over others. Leadership is thus equated with charisma which is the personal charm or power to lead.

Bad leadership lead to undesired outcome like it concentrates power and can thus lead to corruption and tyranny, hence the democratic demand that leadership be checked by accountability; it creates a situation of subservience and difference which may discourage people from participating in issues that concern them and thus lead to failure to take responsibility for their own. A one-time female Senator from Ogun State was quizzed by EFCC for receiving $100,000 stolen from the Ministry of Health as well as the Health Minister and her deputy quizzed for stealing over N30 million from the Ministry’s unspent funds from the previous year. The oil subsidy and the police pension scam are the latest manifestations of wanton corruption traceable to attitudinal recklessness of Nigerian leadership (Ayodele, B. & Olu-Adeyemi, L. 2015).

Challenges such as the elusiveness of a national leaders, corruption and mismanagement, lack of proper accountability on the part of Nigerian leaders, religious crisis, ethnicity, socio-economic inequalities, terrorism,threat of secession by ethnic groups and corrupted process of recruitment of leaders, among other factors has contributed to the dilemma of leadership crisis. The implication of the totality of all these factors has the effect of partly contributing to Nigeria perambulating at the same spot or even dancing backward rather than progressing, thereby making stability, true nation building and development elusive to the Nigerian as country. Therefore it is upon this premise that this research is set to examine Leadership crisis and its implication on nation building.

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Nigeria has had a long history of democratic experiment but never getting it right. Authoritarian role by an institutionalized oligarchy set of people that constituted the main structural obstacle to actualizing democratic leadership in Nigeria.

Adefarasin (2015) asserts that Nigeria is blessed with both human and natural resources; yet, it quite evident today that political independence has failed to match with economic independence. Nigeria has refused to develop and join comity of Nations, simply because of lack of effective leadership. It is gratifying to note that the majority of the leaders that have emerged in Nigeria after independence have exhibited poor leadership quality thus this leads too little or no development at their end of their tenure. The leaders are not concerned about the development of our country, as corruption, bad democratic principles and mediocrity have become the norms and direct negations of law and order, good governance, economic justice and democracy. He explained further that despite Nigeria’s enormous resources and huge potentialities, Nigeria remains underdeveloped, embellished in abject poverty, unemployment with the majority unified; high crime rate and insecurity with its attendant terrorism as well as the nagging issues of favouritism and ethnicity in resource distribution. Most Nigerian leaders have used their political position to embezzle economic resources that is a process that often involved thee mass pauperization of the “subjects” and the deepening of their dependence on the patrimonial favours of the “ruler” (Agboola T. Olumuyiwa, Lamidi K. & Shiyanbade B.2017). Thus it only effective leadership can furnish integrative direction and action as a cure for the stalemated endemic problems that has eaten the shackles of nation building.However it against this protracted problems that this study is set to examine to Leadership crisis and its implication on nation building.

1.3 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

The  main focus of this study is to examine leadership crisis and its implication on nation building. Specifically it seeks to examine the nature of leadership under Buhari Led Administration. It will examine factors that propagates leadership crisis in in Nigeria Fourth Republic. It will suggest measures that can be taken in order to eliminate the menace of poor leadership in Nigeria.

1.4 RESEARCH QUESTION

The following research question will guide the study:

1. Does Nigeria leadership style hampers national development?

2. Does poor leadership by the leaders hinders progress of nation building

3. What is the extent of leadership crisis witnessed under Buhari Led Administration

4. What measures can be taken to curb the menace of leadership crisis in Nigeria

1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

This study will be useful to statesmen, political actors and  policy makers. It will bring to the fore the factors that propagates leadership crises as well as possible solutions. This study will provide information on the depth of corrupt cases of leader and enable law enforcement agencies to continue tackling those involved and bring them to book as everyone is equal before the law. It will create awareness on those barriers militating against national development and nation building. The government and leaders will see the need to properly equip themselves and represent better through quality leadership as this determines how far our country can grow and to enhance their efficiency. This study will add to the body of knowledge, serving as reference material to student on leadership crisis and it implication on nation building and will serve as a guide to other researchers who may have interest in leadership study.

1.6 SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The scope of this study is to examine leadership crisis and its implication on nation building. It will examine factors that propagates leadership crisis in in Nigeria. It will suggest measures that can be taken in order to eliminate the menace of poor leadership in Nigeria. The study is limited to leadership crisis in fourth republic particular reference to Buhari led Administration.

1.7 LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

1.7 LIMITATION OF STUDY
Financial constraint– Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire and interview).
Time constraint– The researcher will simultaneously engage in this study with other academic work. This consequently will cut down on the time devoted for the research work.

However in the midst  above mentioned limitation the researcher devotedly ensured that the purpose of the study was actualized.

1.8 DEFINITION OF TERMS

Leadership: Leadership is a dynamic process at work in a group whereby one individual over a particular period of time, and in a particular organizational context, influences the other group members to commit themselves freely to the achievement of group tasks or goals

Crisis: crisis is the situation of a complex system (family, economy, society, political, social) when the system functions poorly, an immediate decision is necessary. Crisis is an unstable or crucial time or state of affairs in which a decisive change is impending.

Nation Building: Nation-building means enhancing the capacity of state institutions, building state-society relations and also external interventions. Nation-building is constructing or structuring a national identity using the power of the state, it can be called “Nation formation” that is the broad process through which nations come into being. Nationbuilding aims at the unification of the people within the state so that it remains politically stable and viable in the long run

National development: national development is the ability of a country or countries to improve the social welfare of the people, namely, by providing social amenities like good education, power, housing, pipe-borne water and others. The components of national development include economic development, socio-cultural empowerment and development and how these impact on human development.

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