Leadership and Good Governance: Catalysts for Nigeria’s Economic Growth and Development

The economic development trajectory of Nigeria, since its transition to democratic governance on May 29, 1999, has witnessed sharp oscillations under different elected leaders. While some of the leaders, in the face of negative exogenous variables, leveraged the country’s abundant human and natural resources to positively advance it on the economic development ladder, others faltered in the selected performance indices. The observed differential in performance metrics seems to point to the pivotal role of quality leadership in the economic development process. To validate this view in the context of Nigeria’s democratic experience, this exploratory longitudinal study used an expost facto research design and qualitative research methodology which involved the review of existing literature and secondary data from Nigeria and Rwanda over a 24-year period spanning 1999-2022. The findings from their comparative performance analysis in 4 development indicators, reinforce the findings of previous studies that leadership can make or mar the economic performance of nations. Accordingly, it recommends that the electorate in Nigeria should diligently appraise political office seekers based on universally acceptable leadership criteria of competence, capacity and character, rather than the subjective criteria of ethnicity, tribe, region and religion, before exercising their franchise as their choice has long term implications for the nation’s economic development. It also recommends a review of the country’s constitution to provide for independent candidates as the structures of existing political parties have tended to inhibit the emergence of credible candidates.