Asouzu’s phenomenon of concealment and Bacon’s idols of the mind: a paradox of Nigeria’s leadership crisis

Abstract

Asouzu’s phenomenon of concealment Ihe Mkpuchi-Anya and Bacon’s idols as it has been used in this paper, seek to enlighten society to the underlying implications of avoiding the presentation of the true picture of things. The study emanates from the contentions of leaders of states, who, instead of promoting the ideals and values which promote social and political-coexistence, limit and conceal their views of leadership to some tribalistic, ethnocentric and self-serving idols, and by so doing, they cause a monumental harm to the polity. This is so, because, whether the concealment of Asouzu or the idols of Bacon, the argument is that, in both ways and views, it is an attempt to hide, hoard, prevent and distort reality, truth and knowledge which the effect remains the negativity and failure of a growing system. This paper seeks to argue that the prevailing existence and careful articulation of the notion of concealment and idols in the leadership structuring and engineering without conscious effort of extricating them has negatively affected socio-political, religious, cultural and economic growth and development of the Nigerian state. The paper further argues that proper and careful elimination of the idol of concealment as propagated by Asouzu and Francis Bacon’s four known cardinal idols in the socio-political leadership of Nigeria would be a proper foundation for peaceful, economic, social and political co-existence. This paper adopts a critical, conceptual and analytical method in driving home its argument.

Keywords: concealment, idols, leadership