Good Leadership and Sustainable Governance: A Critical Assessment of Governance in Nigeria

Abstract

This research paper establishes that good leadership is a key condition to sustainable governance. This paper therefore, investigates the principles of good leadership and sustainable governance. With Causal and Descriptive Designs employed as the methodology, this work accesses how sustainable the democratic governance in Nigeria is. The words good and sustainable as related to governance cannot be absolutely divorced in the study of governance. The two key words in this discourse are so inextricably intertwined as though they are conterminous with each other. This is because the two key words focus on the same goal. To discuss one leaving the second out cannot bring desirable results for this discourse. For the governance of any given state to be sustainable, it must be a governance that is led and managed by good leadership and it should conform to the expected constitutional standard, that is legally constituted and that is being operated according to the rules and regulations of the country. It must be accountable to the people with the structure that allows a smooth hand over process. This paper therefore examines some of the definitions of good leadership, the conditions that can guarantee good governance and how they can be applied to the Nigerian situation in providing suitable governance that will not jeopardize the interests of the future generations. The paper recommends that Nigeria needs a leadership that preserves the future. The Nigerian people need a leadership that not only protects the political, economic, social and environmental interests of the present but also protects the interests of the future generations.