Zuhd (Asceticism) as a Catholicon for Good Governance in Nigeria

Abstract

The imperativeness of good governance in the political setup of any nation cannot be overemphasized. In Nigeria for example, one of the major factors that hinder good governance is lack of zuhd (asceticism) among the leaders.  As a matter of fact, Nigeria as a nation is one of the most blessed countries of both human and natural resources. Her economic status might have become a suzerain among other nations across the globe if it is judiciously managed by the leaders. Unfortunately, the problems of mismanagement, corruption and mal-appropriation of funds by the political leaders have weakened the economic potentials and have affected the good governance in Nigeria. As a result, a great number of casualties among the citizens are suffering of unemployment, critical poverty, and other socio-economic vices, as a result of bad governance, which in turn has affected the political system of Nigeria. It is also pathetic that very few among the Nigerians especially, the politicians are avariciously and selfishly enjoying the nation’s wealth at the detriment of the populace. Against this background, this paper aims at studying the concept of zuhd as a prospective panacea for the emancipation of good governance in Nigeria. The methodologies used in this work are theoretical and descriptive. The work concludes that zuhd is much necessary to control the present bad governance in Nigeria, especially the avaricious attitude of some leaders towards the accumulation of the nation’s wealth, and if carefully utilized, there is tendency for political sustainability in Nigeria.