THE POVERTY OF LEADERSHIP AND THE PROLIFERATION OF CORRUPTION PRACTICES IN NIGERIA SINCE 1960

ABSTRACT The menace of leadership corruption in Nigeria is certainly a major impediment of national development. The study is a critical evaluation of the poverty of leadership and the proliferation of corrupt practices in Nigeria since 1960. The corrupt nature of Nigeria's past and present leaders had negative impact on material production, cost of living, standard of living, unemployment, brain drain, crime and overall harsh economic environment. The paper submits that leadership corruptions has bred, youth violence, and other crimes related to physical assault such as, murder, arson, armed robbery, rape, kidnapping, prostitution, examination malpractices, assassination, pipeline vandals, oil bunkering, internet fraud etc. There seem not to be an end to the misery that is facing the masses as a result of growing corruption perpetuated by the leadership in the country. The paper recommends that constitutional provision to enhance the legal protection of the citizen's socio-economic rights be enshrined. This would ensure that only good rulers who will preserve the lives of his subject will occupy position. The paper would rely on primary and secondary sources in examining the subject