ALBERTINE JOURNAL OF PHILOSOPHY

The core discourse in this paper rests on the perspective of a philosopher and the question of the failure of the Nigerian state and the leadership conundrum. The motivation for this very condensed study stem from the fact that several scholars have argued that the Nigerian state has failed considering the current status of the economy and this argument is for the most part, justifiably as a state is considered to have “failed” when it is no longer able to consistently and legitimately enforce its laws or provide its citizens with basic goods and services. The paper examines the factors that contributes to failure of a state (insurgency, high crime rates, ineffective and impenetrable bureaucracy,non-funding of education, corruption, judicial incompetence, and military interference in politics). The paper establishes the link between leadership and followership as two sides of the same coin and that both the leadership and the followership class constitute the problem of a failed state. To fulfill this requirement, the paper is divided into two main sections: the first section accounts for the emergence of Nigeria as an independent state and the drifting of the nation state into a failed or dysfunctional state. The second section accounts for the philosopher's perspective to the problem as well as anattempt on the solution to the problem. In the final third, the paper argues that beyond firming institution, there is need for strong men, who understand the critical importance of effective leadership and are prepared and positioned to respond to the challenges and opportunities created within the institution.

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