A CURSORY GLANCE AT THE ECONOMIC CONDITIONS OF NIGERIA WILL REVEAL THAT UNDERDEVELOPMENT HAS PERSISTED IN SPITE OF INDEPENDENCE AND ABUNDANT RESOURCES AVAILABLE IN THE CONTRARY. THE CARDINAL QUESTION IS WHY HAS NIGERIA NOT DEVELOPED GIVEN YEARS IN INDEPENDENCE AND ABUNDANT HUMAN AND MATERIAL RESOURCES ESPECIALLY DURING GOWON THROUGH BABANGIDA’S REGIME. THIS WORK EXAMINES UNDERDEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA VIS-À-VIS POLITICAL LEADERS FOCUSING ON IBRAHIM BABANGIDA’S ADMINISTRATION. CONSIDERING THE CRUCIAL POSITION OF LEADERSHIP IN ANY NATION. THE RESEARCHER PERSISTS THAT THE PROBLEM OF NIGERIA UNDERDEVELOPMENT CANNOT BE UNDERSTOOD, OR DEVELOPMENT ATTAINED WITHOUT A REDICAL CHANGE IN THE PARASITIC AND EXPLOITATIVE CHARACTER OF POLITICAL LEADERSHIP IN NIGERIA. THE PERSISTENCE OF UNDERDEVELOPMENT CAN BE ATTRIBUTE TO THE CHARACTER OF NIGERIA POLITICAL LEADS. THE SOLUTION OF WHICH IS BY IMPLEMENTATION OF DIFFERENT KIND OF UNDERDEVELOPMENT, THE RESEARCHER ALSO FOCUSED ON THE BABANGIDA’S ADMINISTRATION. 210 WHICH IS 20% OF TOTAL POPULATION OF 240 COPIES WAS USED. DATA COLLECTED USING QUESTIONNAIRE AND THE ANALYSIS OF DATA WAS DONE BY THE USE OF SIMPLE PERCENTAGE. THE FINDINGS PROVED THAT BABANGIDA’S ADMINISTRATION WERE NOT PROPERLY MOTIVATED AND UNDERSTOOD THE POLITICAL LEADERSHIP.

CHAPTER ONE

1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

This work examines underdevelopment in Juxtaposi with political leadership focusing on general Ibrahim Babangida’s administration with a view to x-raying the impact of political leadership in the underdevelopment of Nigeria.

This project will be centered on two variable underdevelopment and political leadership, underdevelopment as used in this project does not imply absence of development but as uncomparative term as a means of comparing levels of development (Ofiong 1980:10). According to Aja Akpaura (1998:48) under-development means: a relative condition in which a society lacks autonomous capacity to control and mobilize socio-economic formation for a sustainable economic growth and development necessary to effect physical mental, material and technological fulfillment without dependence on external stimuli.

Abali (2001:30), in his scholastic ingenuity view under-development as a situation in which the institution of a country in the periphery of international capitalism dependent relations with other countries at the centre of the internal economy. It is the subsidization of internal economy and political forces from the centre.

Underdevelopment implies lack of autonomy and its meaning characterized by poverty by some scholars for a country to be underdeveloped means that the economic potentials of the country or regime has not been fully develop. Desire for independent were socio-economically underdeveloped, because of imperial documentation and control of our governmental, economic and which by implication means expectation that we would become develop with independent (AKA 1981:88). Before the arrival of Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida’s administration Nigeria has witness five military government and one civilian government which is Alhaji Shehu Shagari’s government. Babangida’s administration came as a result of when he overthrown the government of Major Gen, Mohammed Buhari on 27^th August 1985. This young man assume office without wasting time he adopted the title “President” instead of the usual head of state, when Babangida ushered in as a president of Nigeria people thought that the Messiah the need has come not knowing that the administration will record little or no achievement. The researcher is not trying to say that Babangida’s government did not record any achievement so far, but for we to evaluate the long stay of this very government you discover that the people of the country witnessed more underdeveloped period than development. Because Babangida assumed office as the 6^th military head of state on 27^th August 1985 stepped aside 29^th August 1993.

The reason why the researcher is trying to use Babangida’s administration in Nigeria because this administration neglected the agricultural sector

which was the main stay of our economy and faced the (oil well). Babangida’s administration usher in and forget what was her mission and face the so called oil, Babangida accused the former government of negligence in agricultural section detaining politician news men and women whom criticize the government and not creation of job opportunities to the people of the country. So this administration came and forgets what brought him to seat and face the money from oil. Babangida’s administrations leave the country to poor socio-economic development and left the masses in an untold hardship, frustration and anger. Irrespective of long stay on seat as the president. His deceptive attempts to hand over power from 1990 to 1992 and then 1993, He was forced to step aside. Then failure to hand over to chief MKO Abiola these was seen as an abuse of people’s mandate.

1.2 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

The Nigeria nation is beclouded by the menace of under-development. This has resulted to economic hardship and social miscarriages on the citizenry. “Nigeria are having rough time, there is uncontrollable inflation, there is retrenchment, unemployment, factory closure caused by drastic deform in investment and divestments. Moreso, there is a sharp decline in the purchasing power and value of the naira, coupes of social service, low capacity utilization of industries and jobs security Nigerians are leaving below poverty line. Nigeria’s position as an under-developed nation has not changed even with flow of money from oil (Ikejani Clark 1995:132)

The above have become a bone of contention. The researcher hence intends to find out why under-development has persisted so many years after un-dependence in the presence of abundant human and material resources available to the government. Also with standing that Nigeria has series of leaders and leadership positions both civilian.