Political Leadership and Economic Development in Kogi State, 2003-2015

Abstract

This study titled Political leadership and economic development in Kogi State, 2003-2015 is written to examine the reasons that prompted the demand for and creation of Kogi State and to discuss the impact of recruitment process and performances of political leadership in Kogi State. The study adopted a research survey design with a population of 4,473500 respondents. However, considering the fact that it will be difficult if not impossible to each the entire population the study used the Cochran sample size formula to reach a sample of 384. In addition, out of 384 questionnaires distributed only 364 was completed and returned giving 95% retrieval rate. The research instrument used to elicit data from respondents is a structured questionnaire designed in a five points likert scale and the data collected from respondents were analyzed using mean. Findings revealed that there is a correlation between political leadership and economic development of the citizens of Kogi State. Specifically, lack of vision and absence of political recruitment greatly affect political leadership. The study recommends that Kogi State Orientation Agency should vigorously carry out periodic leadership training exercise and enlightenment campaign across all levels to enable the citizens select and vote credible candidates that will improve their economic well-being rather than voting candidates based on ethnic or geographical affinity.