ACHIEVING TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY IN GOVERNANCE IN NIGERIA THROUGH QUALITATIVE EDUCATION

Abstract

There are numerous problems and challenges facing Nigeria which militate against her successful evolution to self-reliance. One of such problems, and the major one for that matter, is that of governance. Fifty-seven years after independence, Nigeria is yet to attain political and leadership maturities. This country has suffered and still suffers from untold hardship under the tutelage of bad and corrupt leaders. And so the quest for responsible governance in Nigeria is very justified. There is every need to raise transparent and accountable leaders in Nigerian, who will nurture our democracy. Education is a veritable instrument for social change, social reconstruction and transformation. Education aims at making a person an ideal citizen and an ideal citizen is a good leader and a good follower. Unfortunately in Nigeria today, emphasis is laid on quantitative education at the expense of qualitative education. The social, political, economic and religious condition of the country will change positively when efforts are made to improve the quality of education. The moral attributes and sound personality development inculcated into individuals through education will obviously bring changes in the leadership styles of a potential leader. This paper therefore is of the opinion that transparency and accountability in governance are achievable through qualitative education in Nigeria.