EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP IN NIGERIA

FREE PREVIEW Since her day one of independence from Britain in October 1960, Nigeria has been a nation with no effective leaders. To resolutely, and unswervingly address the vexing and perplexing issues confronting the nation, Nigeria needs an effective, inspiring, visionary, and transformational leader and the leadership will and resolve to lead. From the outset, this writing is not designed to model or fit any known leadership paradigm, theory or management style. Rather, it attempts to explore what it takes to have an effective leader; build good governance based on principles of effective leadership, and to successfully lead and change Nigeria for the better. The book is written and organized in a way that it reflects the experiences, frustrations, aspirations and hopes of every Nigerian and perhaps of promising politicians and future leaders. Majority of citizens of Nigeria are touched and mostly, negatively impacted by the virtual vacuum of real and effective servant-leadership. This book evaluates the apathetic and confusing nature and apparent lack of effectivity in the current leadership set up. The book effectively posits that what Nigeria needs is a servant-leader, who has the leadership acumen to inspire followership and the dexterity to encourage the people to accomplish extra ordinary things. Nigeria is engaged in the process of nursing and building a new and fledgling democracy amidst a sprawling ill-organized, unstructured, structurally defective governance and unplanned economy fueled only by crude oil. The common denominator and balancing force lacking amidst this economy, is lack of effective, visionary, inspiring, enthusiastic and transformational leaders and the sustained leadership skills and practices to match. This book describes the necessary leadership features that are lacking in the Nigerian experiment and at every turn offers possible practical suggestions for improvement. Also lacking in that resolve is the creative ability of its leaders to take to the path of bold transformational, persistently planned and willfully designed experimentation to usher in the kind of development needed to ensure utter banishment of tribalism, religious intolerance and the dangerous culture of the north-south divide that have deeply hampered progress in the country since 1960. Effective Leadership In Nigeria: Practical Ways To Build an Effective, Inspiring, Transformational and Visionary Leadership and Governance in Nigeria is an attempt at instituting, building, and encouraging good, effective, visionary and transformational leadership and governance for the greater good of all Nigerians. The need for an effective leader who will unswervingly and resolutely pursue the cause of national unity, peace, democracy, development and the ultimate banishment of tribalism through purposefully planned, targeted, persistent, bold and creative leadership experiments cannot be overemphasized. This book starts with defining the concepts of effective servant-leadership which presumably, every aspiring leader would first have to understand and master before venturing into the practice thereof. The principles of leadership are the fundamental and necessary ingredient needed to comprehend what leadership is as well as the behavior and roles of the leader. The book describes the different styles of leadership for application in different situations. These are borne out of the special traits, characteristic features and behaviors that the servant-leader possesses and therefore brings along with him/her into the leadership forum. Chapter 4 of this book evaluates the various inspirational attributes that great visionary and effective leaders apply and fallback to motivate and agitate their followers to greater heights. The book describes the essential core leadership competencies expected of effective leaders that no Nigerian leader, past or present has ever exhibited while in office. The book, examined the fact that since after independence, the people of Nigeria have not had, and therefore can be better described as a people and a nation with no effective leaders! Focus then shifted to what it takes to get future Nigerians ready for leadership and succeed at it. This book discusses the fundamental constitutional roles, responsibilities, and duties of the leader as ordained by law. In order for there to be a true government of the people that works on their behalf, the Nigerian House of Assembly/Senate and the Legislative/Executive branch may have to intentionally forge a government designed to answer to the people. Otherwise there may never come that time for the government to work for the people. The book delves into the strategic roles of the executive-chief-of-state and how visionary leaders use the system to climb to power and from there launch transformational revolutions. The book talked about the need for the leader to communicate well to, and be in constant dialogue with the Nigerian followers so that their needs can be better projected/met. Public accountability is the crenu and hallmark of true and effective leadership and it is lacking in Nigeria. Lack of accountability spells the breeding ground for corruption and must be eschewed by a true leader. The book described various leadership challenges facing Nigeria and what rudimentary steps that an effective leader can take to address them, hence the search for a visionary, effective-leader is an ongoing phenomenon in the country. Using the phenomenon of leadership-alchemy, an effective leader can make a real difference in the current arrangement of things in Nigeria. Leadership-alchemy is where vision, mission and transformational leadership bring to bear, the leadership principles designed to bring order to chaos and existence to no existence. To solve Nigerian's problems and complications ultimately, is a collaborative, collective, and communal national effort. In various ways, this book lists and discussed the many ways, theoretical and pragmatic to become an effective leader- to turn Nigeria from the "Valley of Archor to the Door of Hope." True leaders always have recourse to exhort the people to appeal to the higher being and offer national prayers and days of observance to rescue their nation. True leaders need to show love for the country and the people they are leading. With love, founded under sincere enthusiasm there is no problem or challenge that the leader and the people cannot overcome. Finally, with the nation's April 2011 national elections and their outcomes, Nigeria proved to the world that she is capable of providing effective leadership for her citizens on the Nigerian soil.