Leadership Failure, Governance Deficits, and Human Security in Nigeria

Zephaniah O. Edo, Okechukwu G. Mowete & Modupe A. Adedeji

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Abstract

A nation’s capacity to establish and maintain good governance is a major factor in determining its political and socioeconomic progress. Nigeria, though endowed with abundant natural and human resources, struggles with issues related to leadership and governance. One of the often cited reasons for Nigeria’s struggle borders on the issue of leadership failure. The principles of good governance, which depend on devoted and disciplined leadership, have been significantly impacted by this. This paper, therefore, explored the issue of leadership, good governance, and its impact on human security. The paper used the human security theory, and a qualitative approach based on a judgmental interview method was utilised. The primary data were thus obtained through in-depth interviews (IDIs). A total of ten (10) IDIs were conducted with academic professionals from the private sector, civil servants, and private individuals. The findings showed that human insecurity, the absence of good governance and the problem of development are primarily linked to leadership failures, which can be seen in several ways, ranging from lack of accountability from the Nigerian political elite class, weak institutional framework, patronage-based leadership style, poor implementation of policies, among others. The study concluded that security can be improved through effective governance, and that good governance and quality leadership are related and that without one, the other cannot exist. Therefore, the study recommended, among other things, the need for more proactive measures towards the leadership debates in the country.

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