Leadership and Governance Crisis in Nigeria: The Case of the #Endsars Protest

Abstract

Leadership and governance are intertwined as they have also been recognised as imperatives for the attainment of development in any polity. Discourses on leadership and national development cannot be over-emphasised particularly as it relates with governance. Given its place, its impact is felt in the delivery of the objectives and citizens’ expectations in any given society or organization. Be that as it may, given the several challenges bedevilling Nigeria, the quest for quality leadership and good governance are always burning issues. Thus, the need for further research on this topical issue. It is on the basis of this that this study further seeks to re- examine the place of leadership on governance in Nigeria, with particular emphasis on appraising the #EndSARS protest that took place late 2020 as an effect of absence of quality leadership and good governance over the years. In carrying out the research, we made use of literatures and secondary materials, particularly the mass media to unravel leadership lapses in the governance process over the years and how these occasioned several unrests and protests. The study discovered that the challenges faced by the citizens are products of lack of quality leadership and good governance and concluded that if this is consciously addressed, the Nigerian political and systems would be the better for it.