NIGERIA, AFRICA'S MOST POPULOUS NATION, OFFERS AS MANY opportunities as challenges. She is a regional power house. She has a dynamic political system, a robust economy, a thriving workforce, and of course natural resources, of which, oil is a primary resource. However, despite these, she is dogged by the age old problems of wastage, poor management, graft and corruption. This results in tens of millions of its citizens living below or just on the poverty line. Even though a major OPEC producer, she can barely provide steady electricity throughout the country. Dr. Christian Onwudiwe does more than ask the hard questions. He digs deep and traces the root of these problems, analyzes them objectively, like the expert he is, and most importantly offers suggestions on the way forward for Nigeria.

Over the last decades, the most striking changes made by the World Bank and other development institutions are their commitments to improve the quality of governance and most importantly fighting corruption and focusing more on the developing Countries. Driven by case studies that developmental deficiencies in the developing Countries are due to the crisis of governance (seeKhan, 2002); As a result of this, good governance and democracy became a very comparative and embracing ideal admired by most Countries in the World, and has grown rapidly to become a major concern in analysis of what is missing in Countries struggling for economic and political developmentthe developing Countries (Nigeria). Although issues concerning governance failure and corruption vary within Country to Country; nevertheless, researchers have adopted the concept (Good Governance) as a means of enhancing development and exploring institutional failures (seeGrindle, 2010). The issue of good governance is now a major concern, and without good governance, arguably, the developing Countries (Nigeria) have little or no chance to progress. The two words again-democracy and governanceare interwoven in the framework that is the mechanism of political dialogue across the globe. In theory, this book will examine the relationship between democracy and good governance, by critically analyzing the concepts. This book is divided into two sectionsThe first section of this book will attempt to pin down these concepts: democracy and good governance to their manifestations on ground, using Nigeria as a case study. It will be argued in this paper, that there is no doubt that the transition from military to democratic government in 1999, marked a new beginning of democratic governance in Nigeria. However, Nigerias democracy has remained unstable since the Country returned to democratic form of governance. The political terrain and governing procedures has been characterized by corruption. This first section will argue that corruption has undermined democracy and have had grave implications for good (democratic) governance in Nigeria. In comparison with theoretical arguments, this paper will argue that the Nigerias practical scenario ironically portray the theory, due to the menace of corruption. In summary, this section will focus on corruption as a means of exclusion (deficit), and as a stumbling block in the development of Nigerias good (democratic) governance from a nominal to a practical one, and further conclude that the vast discrepancy between Nigerias nominal democracy and corrupt governance practices show that it is much easier to talk the talk, than it is to walk the walk. That is to say, good governance is easier to deliberate in theory, than to effect in practice, looking at the case of Nigeria. Nevertheless, with the few steps that have been taken in the last decade or so of democracy, and the unending and continuous efforts put forward by the present administration, one can expect further improvement in the years to come. The essays brought together in the second section of this book represent a selection of my further contribution to the continuing discussion about the position of public policy and governance in todays world. It tackles issues concerning public administration, public policypolicy implementation, and governance around the globe.

Effective Leadership In Nigeria: Practical Ways To Build an Effective, Inspiring, Transformational and Visionary Leadership and Governance in Nigeria is mostly based on the current apathetic and virtual lack of effective and visionary leadership situation in contemporary Nigeria and distills the golden gems: - principles, processes, procedures and practical applications inherent in effective, inspiring, visionary and enthusiastic leadership. It attempts at instituting, building and encouraging good, effective, and visionary leadership in the nation and that is currently, virtually lacking. From the outset, the author makes it clear that this writing is not designed to model or fit any known leadership paradigm, theory or management style. Rather, based on relevant research on leadership as it impacts the Nigerian situation, the book attempts to explore what it takes for there to be an effective and good leadership to successfully lead and change Nigeria for the better. The book is written and organized in a way that reflects and captures the contemporary experiences, frustrations, psychological emotions, aspirations and hopes of every Nigerian and perhaps of promising politicians and future leaders who are honestly touched by the virtual vacuum of real and effective leadership in the country, their concerns, questions, dreams, and the expectations that have virtually gone unmet in the past more than half a century. Properly elucidating what leadership means, and differentiating it from rulership this book couldn't have come at a better time to assist Nigeria's leadership-struggles! A masterpiece, Dr. Nkwocha has taken the current apathetic leadership lull and almost leadership void in the nation and set the leadership principles and processes on the cutting edge. The book is a definitive guide to anyone aspiring to the leadership of Nigeria and is therefore in search of meaningful leadership, its principles, processes and pragmatic applications. The book is a must read!

This book aims to show that a strong and achieving public service is a necessary condition for a competitively successful nation. The concept of good governance is linked with institutionalised values such as democracy, observance of human rights and greater effectiveness of the public sector.

The need to tackle the scourge of poverty, reduction of inequality, protection of the environment and promotion of well-being of citizens has made scholars and researchers to shift attention to good governance. The aim of this paper is to give an overview on the issues of the sustainable development and to outline its link with good governance. The paper adopted a conceptual approach to elucidate how sustainable development in Nigeria could be achieved if good governance is factored into relevance by the leadership of the country at all tiers of government. In a society still in search for solutions for sustainable development, good governance has always been recognized to be a critical tool for advancing sustainable development and a crucial element to be incorporated in sustainable development strategies to cope with the development agenda. Sustainable development argues that the current use of resources should minimize the level of harm to the future use of resources. Governance is capable of common sense and the versatile planning that is required for sustainable development in Nigeria. Good governance' is recognized as a complex and multidimensional concept that incorporates a guiding philosophy or set of operating principles, a preferred process or way that people interact with each other, and a desired situation or outcome. The partnership between government, civil society and science offers useful insights into the attributes of good governance and the way that this underpins and facilitates prudent resource management. The success of governance in any organized political system is determined by the quality and quantity of change brought about by such governance, which means that the development of any organized political system is determined by the quality of leadership in government. This paper therefore posits that good governance is a sine qua non of development, and can therefore be the pivot and the vitally needed catalyst for sustainable development in our country.