0:1 INTRODUCTION:
Any “community” without a leader is prone to fall apart. Because leadership is an essential element for any kind of growth, development, progress, orderliness, unity and so on, to occur in the upliftment of any community, and in the world at large. The concept of leadership is not only restricted to human beings. It can also be applied to non-human (Animals) because they too just like human beings have the ability to make sound, guide, direct, or coordinate themselves. According to The New Encyclopedia Britannica, “All animals adjust or adapt to changes in stimulation they receive from their environment.” In order words, they too receive and stores information; that is to say they have the ability lean and then lead. In nonhuman primates, there too is an abundance of vocal and visual signals used by aspiring leaders to initiate group movement, e.g.. Global communication signals are very well developed in humans, with facial expressions, gestures, rituals, and complex language serving to synchronize group activity and transmit desires or demands. Group leaders, such as priests, politicians, soldiers or conductors, use a variety of signals to foster group coordination.
The pictures below illustrate more clearly some leadership trait in animals.
In this paper, we shall be discussing Leadership in Community Development, although we shall limit our scope for the purpose of this work to leadership in community development in Nigeria. We shall begin by defining the meaning of leadership, examine who a leader is, we shall then proceed, to the Evolutionary Origins of Leadership, theories of leadership, leadership in the three eras of Nigeria; we shall further discuss some type of leadership style practice in Nigeria since pre-colonial era till date, the problem/challenges of leadership in Nigeria and propose solution to the problems, the responsibility of leaders in fostering development in a community, the characteristic of...