Impact of Leadership Crisis on Nigeria’s National Development of the Fourth Republic
Chapter One
OBJECTIVE OF THE RESEARCH
To appraise the nature of the leadership crisis in Nigeria’s fourth republic
To determine the impact of the leadership crisis on Nigeria’s national development
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
INTRODUCTION
This chapter gives an insight into various studies conducted by outstanding researchers, as well as explains terminologies about the impact of the leadership crisis on national development.
The chapter also gives a resume of the history and present status of the problem delineated by a concise review of previous studies into closely related problems.
THE CONCEPT OF LEADERSHIP CRISIS
There are different viewpoints on the concepts of leadership, corruption, and national development. A few of these shall be considered here. Leadership is a vital element in the social relationships of groups whether in government or at work. Groups need leaders and leaders need followers. Academic and management literature on leadership has focused almost exclusively on the individual traits, styles, and behaviors that characterize leaders. Some recent research in leadership has advanced beyond these more simplistic individual-level models by calling attention to such things as shared and rotational leadership style, “meaning-making” and “influence” and to the importance of understanding “followers”. As Urim (2009) observed, leadership in the past has been seen as an elitist activity related to power and hierarchy. It was considered an essentially top-down, charismatic, and individualistic process. Leadership was seen as an inbred and congenital potential possessed by a minority. He argues that increasingly, today, whether in business, government, or not-for-profits, it is commonly agreed that leadership is needed at all levels of organizations if such organizations are to ably respond to the challenges in the society or marketplace. Therefore, leadership is akin to a dynamic process in which people come together to pursue changes and, in doing so, collectively develop a shared vision of what the world (or some part of it) should be like, making sense of their experience and shaping their decisions and actions. Thus as Cole (1997, p. 54) posits:
Leadership is a dynamic process at work in a group whereby one individual over a particular period of time, and in a particular organisational context, influences the other group members to commit themselves freely to the achievement of group tasks or goals.
In defining corruption, Amuwo (2005) and Obayelu (2007) consider it as the exploitation of public position, resources and power for private gain. Fjeldstad & Isaksen (2008, p. 3) and Ogundiya (2009, p. 5) define corruption as “the betrayal of public trust for individual or sectional gain.” Obayelu went further to identify corruption as “efforts to secure wealth or power through illegal means for private gain at public expense; or a misuse of power for private benefit.” Corruption covers a broad spectrum of activities ranging from fraud (theft through misrepresentation), embezzlement (misappropriation of corporate or public funds) to bribery (payments made in order to gain an advantage or to avoid a disadvantage). From a political point of view, Aiyede (2006, p. 5) views corruption as “the abuse or misuse of public or governmental power for illegitimate private advantages.”
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
INTRODUCTION
The methodology involves the systematic collection and analysis of data in research. It also involves the research design, population of study, sample size, sampling methods or techniques, sources of data, instruments of data collection and the techniques of data analysis. The components of the methodology of this research are outlined hereunder.
RESEARCH DESIGN
The descriptive survey design was adopted for this study. Brown (1985) explained that the descriptive survey research tries to identify variables that exist in a given situation and tries to describe the relationship among the variables, as well as identify the factors that exist among them.
POPULATION OF STUDY
The National Population Census of Nigeria in 2006 puts the population of Nigeria at one hundred and forty million, four hundred and thirty one thousand, seven hundred and ninety, at which Kaduna state figures stood at three million, two hundred and thirty-three thousand, three hundred and sixty-six (3,233,366). The population of Kaduna State was used in the investigation of this study. However, it comprises of the three senatorial districts of Kaduna State. The results obtained can therefore be used to generalize voter participatory behaviour towards elections in Nigeria.
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION
INTRODUCTION
In this chapter, the researcher presents and analysis the data collected from field survey. Deduction/findings are also made.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, RECOMMENDATION AND CONCLUSION
The objective of this study were to
- Know if there is a relationship between leadership crises and national development.
- To know if leadership crises has a negative effect on national development.
- To proffer ways of ensuring steady development in Nigeria.
Findings from the study revealed the following:
- There is a relationship between leadership crises and national development in Nigeria.
- Leadership crises have a negative effect on national development.
- Nigeria as a nation has had her fair share of leadership crises in the past.
- National development is being hindered by leadership crises.
- Nigeria is currently having development challenges as a result of leadership crises in the past.
REFERENCES
- ACBF (The African Capacity Building Foundation). (2007). Institutional frameworks for addressing public sector corruption in Africa: Mandate, performance, challenges & capacity needs. Boulder, Colorado, USA: The African Capacity Building Foundation.
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- Aiyede, R. E. (2006). The role of INEC, ICPC and EFCC in combating political corruption. Abuja: Garkida Press.
- Amuwo, K. (2005). The peripheral state: Critical perspectives on the structure and role of the public bureaucracy. Journal of Development Alternatives, Vol. 24, No. 3-4, p. 119-130.
- Anise, L. (1984).Bureaucracy and Modernisation.In Afonja, S. & Pearce, J. (Eds.), Social Change in Nigeria. London: Longman.
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