The Nigerian Leadership Question and the Quest for National Development: The Elitist Perspective

Abstract

The roles of leaders in any given organized society are vital for the development and sustenance of such society. Leaders are expected to have a clear vision and well articulated agenda on how to ensure that followers key into this agenda using the instrument of mass mobilization and effective communication. For Nigeria getting leadership right has been a recurring debate since its independence in 1960. The country has had more of sectional leaders, self seeking and dictatorship than nationalists as leaders. Nigeria political landscape is dominated by the governing elite who share similar orientation on the need to preserve the political system for continuous perpetuation of control over the polity. This study examines the Nigerian leadership question within the framework of the elite theory. The paper analyzed the applicability of the elite theory in the face of Nigeria leadership question and its quest for development. It further examined whether the elite theory has been misapplied in solving the Nigerian challenges and made recommendations. The study found out that the elite theory is applicable in explaining the Nigerian leadership question. The study adopted both primary and secondary sources of data. The data collected were analyzed using content analysis and descriptive methods. The study revealed that corruptions, self serving policies, nepotism, weak institutions, constitutional abuse among others are the major problems affecting leadership in Nigeria.