Nigeria’s leadership woes are not new, but they remain frustratingly persistent. Our society tends to organise authority around age and wealth, rather than merit, mental strength, or genuine competence. When choosing leaders, be it in communities, associations, or government, respect for elders, mad love for money too often overrides the search for quality and vision. The result? Missed opportunities to elevate those with the right mindset for modern challenges.
Let’s face it: our leadership structure suffers not just from poor organisation, but from flawed cultural values. Hierarchy, by design, should clarify roles, responsibility, and who is accountable for what. In Nigeria, however, leadership tends to pass the blame, leaders cry “followership greed” and followers counter with “corrupt leaders!” With no one taking responsibility, we keep spinning our wheels without real progress.
Decision-making is another Achilles’ heel. We adopt “imported” solutions for homegrown problems, rarely documenting what worked or what flopped, and thus rarely improving. Take the “War on Indiscipline”, launched and relaunched decades apart, with no serious evaluation or lessons learned. Our governance runs more on regret than reflection.
Communication gaps compound the problem. Many leaders operate at arm’s length, shrouding their policies in jargon or colonial hangovers, when what’s needed is engagement, transparency, and translation of policies into everyday language. The result is predictable; confusion, speculation, and a cliff in between governments and the governed.
So, what’s the fix? First, Nigerians must return to the drawing board. We need leadership frameworks that value clarity, efficiency, and accountability, not age or affluence. Each leader, at every level, should be willing to own up to their actions and decisions, and so should every follower. Documenting both failures and successes will break the cycle of confusion and create a blueprint for real progress. There must also be clear guidelines setting expectations for all leadership roles.
Finally, leadership cannot happen in a vacuum or without a moral compass. If we want a Nigeria where leadership delivers real progress, we must build, and live by a structure that rewards competence, demands accountability, and values every voice. Only then can we leave the blame game behind and march forward together.
. Abdulazeez is a poet, advocate for free expression, Treasurer of PEN International Nigeria, Communication Strategist for the Caprecon Foundation, and a Doctoral Candidate at the University of Lagos. She lives in Lagos and can be reached at +234-8034816865 or umuhfaisal@gmail.com.
