An Assessment of the Effect of Governance and Crisis of Legitimacy on the Development of Nigeria

Abstract

The emergence of the political elite in Africa was required during the colonial era of contact and
control. The political and environmental framework for democratic activities was built by the
transition from a monarchical to a democratic system of government. But whereas democracy
has been seen to promote growth in the other nation, this has not been the case in Africa,
particularly in Nigeria. Despite the amount of fertile land, natural riches, a robust population, and
other resources, the country's leadership has not been able to convert these into development.
The state has become a private residence due to the elite few's seizure of power, and this has
caused a crisis in democracy as people begin to abdicate their responsibilities, duties, and
obligations. The paper, discovered that the erosion of state value and culture from the society has
led the society to produce individuals who do not seek collective development but selfdevelopment. As a result, the slow rate of development has been attributed to bad governance
and a crisis of legitimacy that has caused a misalignment between the people and the society.
The research examined the effects of leadership and governance on Nigeria's development, and it
also employed the legitimacy theory and the primary research method to evaluate the findings.
According to the research, the people must successfully align with the state, therefore they
should bear the majority of the responsibility for finding a solution. Since Nigeria is an inclusive
nation and the state is a system, citizens should work to foster tolerance among the various ethnic
groups that make up the political system in order to advance national unity. We should do away
with nepotism and ethnicity in our country. The state of Nigeria is secular. Our national life
should be free of any religious affiliation.