THE EFFECTS OF GOOD LEADERSHIP AND ADMINISTRATION IN NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

THE EFFECTS OF GOOD LEADERSHIP AND ADMINISTRATION IN NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT (A CASE STUDY OF PRESIDENT GOODLUCK EBELE JONATHAN’S ADMINISTRATION)

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1       BACKGROUND OF the STUDY        

            A good leadership and administration has been widely acknowledged as a potent instrument for the achievement of national development especially in Nigeria.

Leadership is an important aspect of management. The ability to lead effectively is one of the keys of being an effective manager or administrator. The essence of leadership is follower ship. In other words, it is the willingness of people to follow those whom they perceive as providing means of achieving their own desires, wants and needs, not those who would not provide means of achieving their own desires, wants and needs. That is why any country/organization that desires to achieve her objectives must have an effective and efficient leadership that knows how to apply all the basic principles needed towards achieving a great height of development. The leader must be one who is willing to work with zeal and confidence. Leadership presupposes follower ship. It presupposes a group of people who from among themselves have produced a leader, or from among whom a leader had emerged.

Every one of us finds out that we are leaders and or followers in one context or the other.

National Development is our utmost desire; this is because of the poise and serenity it will bring to our country Nigeria if achieved. It should be noted that any nation without a good leadership and administration is like one driving a care without a head lamp in the night. For Nigeria to attain the height of National development, a good leadership and administration should be kept in view.

Good luck Ebele Jonathan, a former teacher, inspector of education, lecturer and environmental protection and pollution control officer, became Nigeria’s second university educated Head of Government, was sworn in again on May 29, 2011 for a full four year term, as the President of Nigeria following his victory in the April 2011 Presidential elections.

Good luck Jonathan is the third President of Nigeria’s Fourth Republic and the Fourteenth Head of Government in about 40 years. He had been the President of Nigeria from May 6, 2010 to May 28, 2011 after the death of President Umaru Yar’Adua on May 5, 2010 and is a member of the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

He was vice-president of Nigeria from May 2007 until February 9, 2011 invoked the doctrine of necessity to empower him to serve as Acting President, with all the accompanying powers, due to President Yar’Adua’s prolonged absence from Nigeria. On January 13, 2010, a Federal High Court in Nigeria had handed him the power to run the affairs of the Presidency while President Yar’Adua died on May 5, 2010 and Good luck Jonathan was sworn in as President of Nigeria on May 6, 2010 becoming Nigeria’s Fourteenth Head of State, as mandated by the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Nigeria is one of the largest countries in West Africa. Apparently because of its natural endowment with many resources such as mineral, coal, food and the most profound “Crude oil”. It is also rich in population, gifted with talents in all ramification of life i.e. entertainment (music and arts), sports and so on.

To this regard, if Nigeria must join the 20 largest economies by 2020 AD, her leaders and followers must demonstrate certain capabilities. There have been concerted efforts made by the President and all his cabinet members towards the enhancement of a good leadership and administration, but our leaders must develop new visions and new strategies: must summon new forms of determination and political will: and demonstrate higher levels of patriotism, hard work, selflessness and responsiveness to the challenges facing them.