POLITICAL LEADERSHIP AND CHALLENGES OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA: A CASE STUDY OF THE GOODLUCK JONATHAN ADMINISTRATION

POLITICAL LEADERSHIP AND CHALLENGES OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA: A CASE STUDY OF THE GOODLUCK JONATHAN ADMINISTRATION

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

The fundamental gains of economic development generally are manifested in the bettered and improved lives of the citizens of a nation through provisions of portable water supply, extreme reduction of poverty, low employment rates, high literacy rate, high quality educational system, sophisticated and well equipped health care service delivery, to mention but a few. To provide these facilities and infrastructure, countries of the world especially the developed ones like United States of America, Germany, Britain, Australia, Netherlands, Norway etc. have through their leaders, effectively and prudently managed the available resources endowed on them by providence to reduce the sufferings and pains of the average man in the society (Before its news, 2014). Nigeria is a country blessed with abundance of human and natural resources (such as crude oil, tin, zinc, cocoa, groundnut etc.) which nature has endowed on her. The country’s climate conditions favour wide variety of agricultural and economic resource activities. Additionally, Nigeria is the most populous country in the continent of Africa, with abundant economic resources, her people are still suffering in abject poverty and impoverishment, poor and ineffective infrastructural facilities, low and primitive service delivery, industrial development still below average, and still remains a developing economy (Nigerian Observer, 2015). Stressing on the poverty level in Nigeria, Lewis (2012), stipulated that more than two-thirds of Nigerians are struggling daily for livelihood. Despite more than 600 billion in oil revenues since 1970, Nigeria still ranks among the lower fifth of countries in poverty and indicators to popular welfare. Harping on the same point above Ozor (2004), observed that Nigeria, in spite of her rich and abundant human and natural resources, so many years of economic development planning activities, countless number of public enterprises set up for the economic development of the country infrastructural facilities are poor and ineffective, service delivery is very low, and industrial development is still very much below average.

Political leadership in Nigeria had been described as a dynasty where old failed leaders rotate ruler-ship among themselves. Over the years, Nigerians have had vision-less and unprepared political leaders, whose conduct and style have destroyed both the image and economy of the country. Political leadership in Nigeria have failed to provide the much needed direction for economic progress and development. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan took oath of office as the newly elected President and Commander-in-Chief of Nigeria Armed Forces on 29th of May, 2011 amidst thunderous expectations of a new dawn, given his humble background and the mountain of problems and decay that the country has found itself over the years. Realizing the high expectations, the President promised not to let the people down. On that historic day, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan promised Nigerians a policy package tagged the Transformation Agenda when he declared that Together we will unit over our nation and improve the living standard of all our people whether in the North or in the South; in the East or in the West. Our decade of development has begun. The march is on. The day of Transformation begins today. We will not allow anyone to exploit differences in creed or tongue to set us one against another. (Tell Special Edition, June 2012:9)

1.2   Statement of the Problem

Leadership crises in the first republic led to the first military coup d’état in 1966 and subsequent civil war that took over thirty thousand (30,000) lives. Then, the second republic ended in another military takeover. Even the present political leadership is bedevilled with crises of values, suspicion, and ethnic hatred and hate speeches in high and low places. Former President Goodluck Jonathan pledged that his leadership will be decidedly transformative in all critical sectors and that his administration must grow the economy, create jobs and generate enduring happiness for all and sundry. In addition, the President declared on day of swearing in that he has "great confidence in the ability of Nigerians” to transform the country and that the urgent task of his administration is to provide a suitable environment for productive activities to flourish. He went on to appeal all good people of Nigerian to enlist as agents of the great Transformation Agenda (Tell Special Edition, June, 2012:9). The essence of his appeal was to mobilize both natural and human resources for an effective economic development. It is on this premise of political leadership and the essential featuring of former President Goodluck Jonathan to drive economic development that this study is founded.

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