Nigeria and the Question of Good Governance, Corruption and Failed State
Governance is a recurring word in the discussion of public policy because it describes the relationship between governors and governed, an inevitable feature of every political system. The quality of governance varies greatly between political systems, but the attention given to good and bad governance is unbalanced. The paper explores the experience of ordinary Nigerians with governance when they come into contact with officials delivering public policies in their society and also focuses on the bad and problematic manifestations of leadership and governance in the performance of our leaders and the consequences of corruption. The paper also examines how the Nigerian state fails because it is convulsed by internal violence and can no longer deliver positive political goods to its inhabitants. The services delivered include both the 'good' goods of public policy such as security, education and health care. The impact of corruption on Nigeria is bad because a significant amount of money that should be spent on national development is diverted into the pockets of politicians and public employees delivering services. Mal-governance is responsible for the scale of corruption in Nigeria. The paper concludes that the issue of corruption, leadership and bad governance are obstacles to the national growth and development of the Nigerian economy
Keywords: corruption, failed, good, governance, nigeria, question, state