Most post-colonial African states have evolved a uniform pattern of behavior that is injurious to... more Most post-colonial African states have evolved a uniform pattern of behavior that is injurious to the people. The state and its institutions of governance have outgrown the people such that the concept of ‘state’ carries an unquestionable patrimonial outlook without recourse to the ideals of sustainable development. The most obvious pattern of the African post-colonial states revolves around Hegel’s theory of state as the ultimate objectification, or self-projection of the Absolute Spirit in which the drivers of government policies are superior to the people. We shall investigate and outline the consequences and the remedy to this Hegelian foundation of African states and emphasize the necessity for sustainable development to become the goal of those in the position of power in Africa. The remedy is located in the reconstruction of the concept of state in Africa with the purpose of producing a state that integrates the people into its policies and pursues development ideology that i...
From OAU to AU, the embattled vision of the African continent has always been that of generating ... more From OAU to AU, the embattled vision of the African continent has always been that of generating development for the 'people'. The quest for selfgovernment presupposed the need for development. This was copiously captured in the popular aphorism ofKwame Nkrumah (one of the leading elites of the Organization for Africa Unity) that reads: "Seek ye first the political kingdom, and all other things will be added". The implication of the above statement is that once the African continent successfully wrestled political power from the colonialist, the continent would be on the path to development. Political freedom was conceived as a prerequisite for development. Many years have passed; meaningful development still remains a quest of the African continent. This paper comes across as a theoretical interrogation of some indigenous development frameworks proposed for the continent. Importandy, Amilcar Cabral endogenous proposal for development is examined with the view of p...
This study critically examined the role and importance of political leadership in sustaining demo... more This study critically examined the role and importance of political leadership in sustaining democratic practice in Nigeria’s Fourth Republic. It investigated the nexus between political leadership and democratic sustainability with focus on how the leaders, through their practices, have either strengthened or relegated democratic principles in Nigeria. With secondary data which were analyzed using textual analysis alongside elite theory as framework of analysis, this study averred that despite the unbroken democratic experience in Nigeria since May 29, 1999, the state of democratic practice still remains fragile and this can be alluded to the activities of her political elites and military retirees which consistently tramples on democratic tenets via numerous unconstitutional actions. The paper established that the nature and substance of leadership determine the quality of democratic experience in Nigeria. The paper equally identified other factors that help strengthens democratic...
This article presents a synergy between democracy and development in Nigeria with specific refere... more This article presents a synergy between democracy and development in Nigeria with specific reference to Oyo State between 2003 and 2010 using leadership as a connecting factor. The main purpose is to interrogate the role of leadership in bringing about development in democratic governance. The article argues that, although development is often linked with democratic governance, however, the reverse is the case in Oyo state because of leadership corruption. It therefore, suggests the need to overhaul the entire electoral process so as to provide convenient platform for the emergence of visionary, effective, selfless, dynamic and people-oriented leaders to take over power.
The evolving concept of e-governance has become one of the leading praxis of the 21st Century. Th... more The evolving concept of e-governance has become one of the leading praxis of the 21st Century. This again reinforces, not just the importance of governance in human societies, but the need to redefine, reappraise, reinvent and redirect the path of governance towards effective and efficient service delivery. The paradigm of Science and Technology therefore presents the leading edge in our contemporary world thereby validating the viability of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in governance at diverse levels of operations. This paper, employs secondary data and presents the position that in the light of the fact that e-governance covers areas such as government, citizens and businesses/interest groups, the central place of leadership that will authenticate trust and confidence in the effective delivery of the e-governance protocols therefore becomes an imperative. In the gamut of literature on leadership, this paper identifies authentic leadership as a necessary condition...
Development in Africa has been a consistent dialogue since the continent got independence. After ... more Development in Africa has been a consistent dialogue since the continent got independence. After the disengagement of the colonialists from the former colonies, development agenda has been set for Africa by both the ex-colonialists and the indigenous political leaders who inherited the colonial state. Amilcar Cabral is one of the theorists who engaged in a critical interrogation of the state of development in Africa. This paper focuses on exhuming two of the factors Cabral considered as impasses to Africa’s development. This paper also engages literature on Cabral and the speeches of Cabral where he bore his mind on development imperatives in the liberated zones which are replicas of the contemporary states in Africa. In other words, this paper dwells on secondary data analyzed through textual analysis. We finally arrive at the two monsters that have been standing as impediments to development in Africa.
The perennial status of peace and conflict dialogue in Africa has been very consistent. There is ... more The perennial status of peace and conflict dialogue in Africa has been very consistent. There is hardly any African States today that is not ridden with one form of internal conflict or the other. Some actions and inactions still have the possibility of generating more conflict in Africa. The possible missing link is that most African States (the leaders and the led) have not learnt the value of learning from history especially the causes and the effects of the Liberian Civil War on its economy, politics, social and citizenry. The Liberian Civil War, which was one of Africa's bloodiest, claimed the lives of more than 200,000 Liberians and further displaced a million others into refugee camps in neighboring countries. Thus, this paper takes a critical look at the incidents of the Liberian Civil War with the intention of critically reflecting on both the internal and the external causes of the war and the countless number of internally displaced people. The paper, dwelling on ext...
The evolving concept of e-governance has become one of the leading praxis of the 21 Century. This... more The evolving concept of e-governance has become one of the leading praxis of the 21 Century. This again reinforces, not just the importance of governance in human societies, but the need to redefine, reappraise, reinvent and redirect the path of governance towards effective and efficient service delivery. The paradigm of Science and Technology therefore presents the leading edge in our contemporary world thereby validating the viability of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in governance at diverse levels of operations. This paper, employs secondary data and presents the position that in the light of the fact that e-governance covers areas such as government, citizens and businesses/interest groups, the central place of leadership that will authenticate trust and confidence in the effective delivery of the e-governance protocols therefore becomes an imperative. In the gamut of literature on leadership, this paper identifies authentic leadership as a necessary condition t...
Electoral politics remains one of the leading notab le sources of conflict, political breakdown a... more Electoral politics remains one of the leading notab le sources of conflict, political breakdown and soc ial disequilibrium in the Fourth Republic of Nigeria’s democracy. Despite the appreciation that only cred ible election can consolidate and sustain Nigeria’s nasc ent democracy, its electoral process often result t o confrontations that continue to threaten the politi cal stability, peace and the very existence of the nation. While intellectual discourse have focused essentially on the mutually reinforcing questions of political vio lence and electoral fraud, less attention is given to the ro le of security agencies in achieving credible elect ion. This study generated both primary and secondary data. Questionnaires were administered among 1200 respondents in Lagos, Ogun and Oyo States, Nigeria. Findings revealed that it is how the Nigeria Police perform their roles of electoral security that needs attention and not the issue of whether these roles are being executed. I t is there...
The concept of liberty is one of the most controversial dimensions of the human person. It has be... more The concept of liberty is one of the most controversial dimensions of the human person. It has been subjected to rigorous discourses among great intelligentsia. Its importance spans across every field of human endeavor. Thus, this paper engages this concept in a pragmatic form, assessing its viable operationalization in the human society. Several scholastic propositions on the subject-matter were exhumed in order to present a veridical perception of the concept. This paper attempts to question the practical utility or possibility of the idea of liberty in a human society that is full of inhibitions. At the end of the day, one thing may likely become obvious: Liberty is nothing but an illusory concept with no pragmatic essence in the human society. However, this paper has a bias for Political Liberty as against mere metaphysical pontifwation.
The importance of leadership in society calls for a continuous attempt to improving on leadership... more The importance of leadership in society calls for a continuous attempt to improving on leadership studies so as to build societies (in all its constitutive units) that are humane. This paper, therefore, engages in the perennial dialogue s of leadership development vis-a-vis leadership performance from an existentialist paradigm in making a case for a more holistic and viable prescription for effective and functional leadership. 46 The existentialists are notorious for their redefinition of Husserlian Phenomenology in which the Transcendental Ego escaped to the world of loneliness where it only serves as an impartial and uninterested observer of human events. From the pedestal of the Transcendental Ego , the Existentialists pulled it down to the world of empirical reality where the Transcendental Ego becomes an interactive, interested and interwoven reality with the other realities of the world. Putting this in the context of leadership, contemporary leadership performance, both in t...
Most post-colonial African states have evolved a uniform pattern of behavior that is injurious to... more Most post-colonial African states have evolved a uniform pattern of behavior that is injurious to the people. The state and its institutions of governance have outgrown the people such that the concept of ‘state’ carries an unquestionable patrimonial outlook without recourse to the ideals of sustainable development. The most obvious pattern of the African post-colonial states revolves around Hegel’s theory of state as the ultimate objectification, or self-projection of the Absolute Spirit in which the drivers of government policies are superior to the people. We shall investigate and outline the consequences and the remedy to this Hegelian foundation of African states and emphasize the necessity for sustainable development to become the goal of those in the position of power in Africa. The remedy is located in the reconstruction of the concept of state in Africa with the purpose of producing a state that integrates the people into its policies and pursues development ideology that i...
From OAU to AU, the embattled vision of the African continent has always been that of generating ... more From OAU to AU, the embattled vision of the African continent has always been that of generating development for the 'people'. The quest for selfgovernment presupposed the need for development. This was copiously captured in the popular aphorism ofKwame Nkrumah (one of the leading elites of the Organization for Africa Unity) that reads: "Seek ye first the political kingdom, and all other things will be added". The implication of the above statement is that once the African continent successfully wrestled political power from the colonialist, the continent would be on the path to development. Political freedom was conceived as a prerequisite for development. Many years have passed; meaningful development still remains a quest of the African continent. This paper comes across as a theoretical interrogation of some indigenous development frameworks proposed for the continent. Importandy, Amilcar Cabral endogenous proposal for development is examined with the view of p...
This study critically examined the role and importance of political leadership in sustaining demo... more This study critically examined the role and importance of political leadership in sustaining democratic practice in Nigeria’s Fourth Republic. It investigated the nexus between political leadership and democratic sustainability with focus on how the leaders, through their practices, have either strengthened or relegated democratic principles in Nigeria. With secondary data which were analyzed using textual analysis alongside elite theory as framework of analysis, this study averred that despite the unbroken democratic experience in Nigeria since May 29, 1999, the state of democratic practice still remains fragile and this can be alluded to the activities of her political elites and military retirees which consistently tramples on democratic tenets via numerous unconstitutional actions. The paper established that the nature and substance of leadership determine the quality of democratic experience in Nigeria. The paper equally identified other factors that help strengthens democratic...
This article presents a synergy between democracy and development in Nigeria with specific refere... more This article presents a synergy between democracy and development in Nigeria with specific reference to Oyo State between 2003 and 2010 using leadership as a connecting factor. The main purpose is to interrogate the role of leadership in bringing about development in democratic governance. The article argues that, although development is often linked with democratic governance, however, the reverse is the case in Oyo state because of leadership corruption. It therefore, suggests the need to overhaul the entire electoral process so as to provide convenient platform for the emergence of visionary, effective, selfless, dynamic and people-oriented leaders to take over power.
The evolving concept of e-governance has become one of the leading praxis of the 21st Century. Th... more The evolving concept of e-governance has become one of the leading praxis of the 21st Century. This again reinforces, not just the importance of governance in human societies, but the need to redefine, reappraise, reinvent and redirect the path of governance towards effective and efficient service delivery. The paradigm of Science and Technology therefore presents the leading edge in our contemporary world thereby validating the viability of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in governance at diverse levels of operations. This paper, employs secondary data and presents the position that in the light of the fact that e-governance covers areas such as government, citizens and businesses/interest groups, the central place of leadership that will authenticate trust and confidence in the effective delivery of the e-governance protocols therefore becomes an imperative. In the gamut of literature on leadership, this paper identifies authentic leadership as a necessary condition...
Development in Africa has been a consistent dialogue since the continent got independence. After ... more Development in Africa has been a consistent dialogue since the continent got independence. After the disengagement of the colonialists from the former colonies, development agenda has been set for Africa by both the ex-colonialists and the indigenous political leaders who inherited the colonial state. Amilcar Cabral is one of the theorists who engaged in a critical interrogation of the state of development in Africa. This paper focuses on exhuming two of the factors Cabral considered as impasses to Africa’s development. This paper also engages literature on Cabral and the speeches of Cabral where he bore his mind on development imperatives in the liberated zones which are replicas of the contemporary states in Africa. In other words, this paper dwells on secondary data analyzed through textual analysis. We finally arrive at the two monsters that have been standing as impediments to development in Africa.
The perennial status of peace and conflict dialogue in Africa has been very consistent. There is ... more The perennial status of peace and conflict dialogue in Africa has been very consistent. There is hardly any African States today that is not ridden with one form of internal conflict or the other. Some actions and inactions still have the possibility of generating more conflict in Africa. The possible missing link is that most African States (the leaders and the led) have not learnt the value of learning from history especially the causes and the effects of the Liberian Civil War on its economy, politics, social and citizenry. The Liberian Civil War, which was one of Africa's bloodiest, claimed the lives of more than 200,000 Liberians and further displaced a million others into refugee camps in neighboring countries. Thus, this paper takes a critical look at the incidents of the Liberian Civil War with the intention of critically reflecting on both the internal and the external causes of the war and the countless number of internally displaced people. The paper, dwelling on ext...
The evolving concept of e-governance has become one of the leading praxis of the 21 Century. This... more The evolving concept of e-governance has become one of the leading praxis of the 21 Century. This again reinforces, not just the importance of governance in human societies, but the need to redefine, reappraise, reinvent and redirect the path of governance towards effective and efficient service delivery. The paradigm of Science and Technology therefore presents the leading edge in our contemporary world thereby validating the viability of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in governance at diverse levels of operations. This paper, employs secondary data and presents the position that in the light of the fact that e-governance covers areas such as government, citizens and businesses/interest groups, the central place of leadership that will authenticate trust and confidence in the effective delivery of the e-governance protocols therefore becomes an imperative. In the gamut of literature on leadership, this paper identifies authentic leadership as a necessary condition t...
Electoral politics remains one of the leading notab le sources of conflict, political breakdown a... more Electoral politics remains one of the leading notab le sources of conflict, political breakdown and soc ial disequilibrium in the Fourth Republic of Nigeria’s democracy. Despite the appreciation that only cred ible election can consolidate and sustain Nigeria’s nasc ent democracy, its electoral process often result t o confrontations that continue to threaten the politi cal stability, peace and the very existence of the nation. While intellectual discourse have focused essentially on the mutually reinforcing questions of political vio lence and electoral fraud, less attention is given to the ro le of security agencies in achieving credible elect ion. This study generated both primary and secondary data. Questionnaires were administered among 1200 respondents in Lagos, Ogun and Oyo States, Nigeria. Findings revealed that it is how the Nigeria Police perform their roles of electoral security that needs attention and not the issue of whether these roles are being executed. I t is there...
The concept of liberty is one of the most controversial dimensions of the human person. It has be... more The concept of liberty is one of the most controversial dimensions of the human person. It has been subjected to rigorous discourses among great intelligentsia. Its importance spans across every field of human endeavor. Thus, this paper engages this concept in a pragmatic form, assessing its viable operationalization in the human society. Several scholastic propositions on the subject-matter were exhumed in order to present a veridical perception of the concept. This paper attempts to question the practical utility or possibility of the idea of liberty in a human society that is full of inhibitions. At the end of the day, one thing may likely become obvious: Liberty is nothing but an illusory concept with no pragmatic essence in the human society. However, this paper has a bias for Political Liberty as against mere metaphysical pontifwation.
The importance of leadership in society calls for a continuous attempt to improving on leadership... more The importance of leadership in society calls for a continuous attempt to improving on leadership studies so as to build societies (in all its constitutive units) that are humane. This paper, therefore, engages in the perennial dialogue s of leadership development vis-a-vis leadership performance from an existentialist paradigm in making a case for a more holistic and viable prescription for effective and functional leadership. 46 The existentialists are notorious for their redefinition of Husserlian Phenomenology in which the Transcendental Ego escaped to the world of loneliness where it only serves as an impartial and uninterested observer of human events. From the pedestal of the Transcendental Ego , the Existentialists pulled it down to the world of empirical reality where the Transcendental Ego becomes an interactive, interested and interwoven reality with the other realities of the world. Putting this in the context of leadership, contemporary leadership performance, both in t...
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