Volume 7, Issue 10, October – 2022 International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology

ISSN No:-2456-2165

An Assessment of Three Leaders at the National,

Regional and Continental Level in Relation to the
Contigency Theory of Leadership
Author: Saleh Musa Sa’ad
STUDENT NO: 0919387001425 Course 5
Security and Strategic Studies
Nassarawa State University Keffi
Security and Developmental Studies
School of Postgradaute Studies
Nassarawa State, Nigeria

Co Author: Fidelia Msurshima Tilley-Gyado

STUDENT NO: 0919387006914 Course 5

Abstract:- Contingency Leadership Theory guides the The preceding points indicated that leadership centers
application of Contingency (Situational) Leadership around the traits enunciated in Stodgill's study as well as those
approach which emphasizes the style a leader applies in enhanced by Koryak. Leadership nowadays is defined by
the situation in which he operates. This paper assessed the important traits such as influence, power, authority, and
styles of Sheikh Mohammed Al-Maktoum, President Paul factors that characterize the circumstance in which a leader
Kagame and President Olusegun Obasanjo as global, finds himself. In this context, Group 2 defines leadership as a
regional and national leaders respectively in the context of social impact displayed by a person in power utilizing
Contingency Leadership Theory. The common authority - conferred on him by law, tradition, or personal
denominator found among the three leaders was that they attributes - to maximize the efforts of followers towards
were all at one time or the other military men and this to achieving a desired goal. An excellent leader is the driving
a far extent shaped their authoritarian leadership styles. force behind any successful private or public organization,
On the basis of this, the study concluded that the according to Freeman & Siegfried (2015).
dictatorial, autocratic, despotic and benevolent
democratic styles applied by the three leaders accounted Theories are the primary means through which Social
for the remarkable successes they recorded in the course Scientists attempt to explain and predict the behavior of many
of exercising their assigned mandates. phenomena in the real world. As a result, a wide range of
theoretical frameworks in the social sciences are used to
Keywords: Contingency Leadership Theory, Contingency examine various leadership styles. Trait (large man) theories,
Leadership, Dictator, Autocrat, Despot, Benevolent behavioral theories and contingency theories are a few
Democrat. examples of theories. Three strategic leaders at the national,
regional, and continental levels are identified and evaluated in
I. INTRODUCTION this work using the theory of contingency leadership.

The verb leadership has been around for nearly 200 II. CONTINGENCY THEORY OF LEADERSHIP
years, while the basic term leader dates back to A.D. 1300.
(Stogdill, 1974). Leadership is often defined by the In his article titled "A Contingency Model of Leadership
researcher's perspective and the phenomenon's most Effectiveness," Fred Edward Fiedler (1964) laid the
interesting elements. Stogdill (1974, p259) stated that “there groundwork for the Contingency Theory of Leadership. The
are almost as many definitions of leadership as there are "Contingency Theory of Leader Effectiveness" was the name
people who have sought to define the concept.” Since of the theory (House & Aditya, 1997). The Contingency
Stogdill's remark, more definitions have poured in. Leadership is a leadership method that focuses on how a
leader's personality (traits) and behavior interact with
According to Stogdill's research, leadership is defined situational variables to form his leadership style. Based on
by traits, behaviors, influences, interaction patterns, role research findings, task-motivated and relationship-motivated
linkages, and occupation of a position. Some writers define leadership styles were identified as the two most prevalent.
leadership as a form of power dynamic in which members of
one group believe they have the right to dictate to members of Motivated by tasks, whereas motivated by relationships,
another group. Koryak et al (2015) describe leadership as the refers to the interpersonal relationships that one has in one's
ability to lead by example, communicate goals effectively, life.
and mobilize resources to achieve rapid outcomes.

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ISSN No:-2456-2165
The Least Preferred Coworker Scale was developed by V. SHEIKH MOHAMMED BIN RASHID AL-
Fiedler to measure task and relationship-motivated leadership MAKTOUM AS A GLOBAL LEADER
styles (LPC scale). Relationship-motivated leaders outrank
task-motivated leaders on this scale (Northouse, 2007, p.114).  Background
Contingency leadership models are used to assess whether a Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the former
leader's style is task or relationship oriented, and if the Crown Prince of Dubai, was born in 1949. He was Sheikh
circumstances match that type to maximize performance Saeed's third son and the youngest of his siblings. Sheikh
(House & Aditya, 1997). For one thing, according to Mohammed grew up in his family's home in the Al Shindagha
Contingency Theory of Leadership, a person's leadership district, where he attended school. When Sheikh
effectiveness may vary depending on the scenario. Because of Mohammed's grandfather, Sheikh Rashid, was the ruler of
this, it is necessary to examine each situation to determine Dubai, he presided over regular informal meetings (Majlis),
whether a particular leadership style is effective or not (Indeed when the most respected people of the city came to address
Career Guide, 2020). concerns of a variety of different kinds. Although Sheikh
Mohammed was still a child at the time, he was a regular
III. RELEVANCE OF CONTINGENCY THEORY participant in these gatherings.
OF LEADERSHIP
Sheikh Mohammed has been taking individual studies in
Because it is based on actual study, contingency theory the Arabic language and Islamic knowledge since he was a
has lasted for decades as a credible and trustworthy approach child. In 1955, he enrolled at the Al Ahmadia School, where
to effective leadership. Rather of focusing only one optimum he completed his elementary education (Mayo et al. 4). He
form of leadership (e.g., the trait approach), the theory now went to the university to study Arabic Grammar, English,
emphasizes the relevance of a leader's personal style as well mathematics, geography, and history. He graduated from
as the demands of many contexts. Most of Fiedler's claims Dubai Secondary School in 1965 and then traveled to the
about the contingency theory have been confirmed by United Kingdom in 1966. During his time in the United
researchers who have followed in his footsteps. Kingdom, he attended the Bell Educational Trust's English
Language School. The following year, Sheikh Mohammed
Theory is a framework for explaining concepts in the enrolled at Mons Officer Cadet School, where he underwent
subject of research in order to predict the actual behavior of a military training (Sahyouni, 2019).
phenomenon being investigated in the real world. Theories.
When it comes to the study of leadership, contingency theory Education in the United Kingdom, which is a
has proven its worth in the field of social science because of cosmopolitan setting, as well as the military training he
its ability to anticipate the type of leadership strategy and style acquired while there prepared Sheikh Mohammed for a
that will be most successful in a given situation. According to leadership position. In 1969, he was appointed as the
Contingency Theory, leadership styles like relational and commander of the Dubai Police Force, and on December 2,
task-motivated styles are linked to Contingency Leadership as 1971, he was named as the country's Minister of Defense.
a form of leadership technique. Sheikh Mohammed was appointed as Dubai's crown prince in
1995, and on January 4, 2006, he was formally installed as the
IV. CONTINGENCY THEORY OF LEADERSHIP Emirate's ruler. On 5 January 2006, he was named as Vice
APPLIED TO GLOBAL, REGIONAL AND President of the United Arab Emirates, and on 11 February
NATIONAL LEADERSHIPS 2006, he was appointed as Prime Minister of the United Arab
Emirates (UAE) (Wikipedia, 2016).
In corporate organizations, relational and task motivated
styles are frequently used in the context of contingency  The Situation in Dubai at the time Bin Rashid became
leadership approaches. The imperatives required for leaders Ruler
to function efficiently in the sphere of political governance go Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum succeeded
beyond the relational and task motivated leadership styles that his elder brother Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum as
are common among managers in corporate companies. While Ruler of Dubai in 2006, following the death of his elder
carrying out their assigned mandates at the global, regional, brother. Since the death of his father in 1990, Sheik Maktoum
and national levels, strategic level political leaders require has been the ruler of Dubai. Dubai, one of the Kingdoms in
additional characteristics such as dictatorial, autocratic, the United Arab Emirates federation of seven Gulf states, has
despotic, and democratic styles to supplement their been transformed into one of the region's economic hubs, and
Contingency Leadership type. he is widely seen as the driving force behind this development
(VOA, 2009). While Sheikh Maktoum was the ruler of Dubai,
Accordingly, the purpose of this study is to use the his younger brother Sheikh Mohammed was the driving force
Contingency Theory of Leadership as an analytical tool to behind the majority of the city's economic growth projects
discuss global, regional, and national leaders such as Sheikh during his time as the ruler.
Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum of the United Arab
Emirates, Paul Kagame of Rwanda, and Olusegun Obasanjo Sheikh Mohammed had already begun overseeing the
of Nigeria, who served as President of Nigeria from 1999 to construction of a massive business and leisure park in Dubai,
2007. which would eventually be able to accommodate
approximately 10 million people, at a time when Gulf oil

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Volume 7, Issue 10, October – 2022 International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology
ISSN No:-2456-2165
reserves had declined to the point where oil contributed only assuming the role of ruler of Dubai. This has been based on
about 6 percent of the emirate's gross domestic product. Since his numerous accomplishments since assuming the position of
becoming ruler, Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum ruler.
has made it possible for members of his family to exercise
complete command and control over all key developments in Among Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-most Maktoum's
Dubai. Members of the royal family hold all of the state's prominent accomplishments has been his contribution to
highest-ranking positions. economic growth and development in the UAE. Despite the
fact that Dubai was founded as an oil-producing country, oil
 Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s Style of exports today account for only around 4.5 percent of the
Leadership country's gross domestic product (GDP), with commerce and
The relational and task motivated styles of leadership non-oil sectors accounting for the majority of the country's
have been identified as complements to Contingency GDP. Over the course of his reign, Mohammed Bin Rashid
Leadership approach especially in corporate organizations. Al-Maktoum has transformed Dubai's economy from one that
However, political leaders require additional attributes such is heavily reliant on oil to one in which the tourism industry
as dictatorial, autocratic, despotic and democratic styles to contributes significantly to the country's economic prosperity.
complement the type of leadership approach exhibited by a
leader. On the basis of the prevailing situation in 2006 when Because of the leadership style that Mohammed Bin
Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum assumed the Rashid Al-Maktoum brought to bear on the government of
leadership of Dubai following the death of his elder brother, Dubai, infrastructural development has accelerated under his
he fits to be described as a Contingency (Situational) Leader. watch. As a result, Dubai's economy has grown to become one
Mohammed Bin Rashid’s late elder brother’s leadership style of the most important in the Middle East area. Dubai's GDP
was authoritarian, dictatorial and autocratic in the sense that per capita has increased dramatically over the previous
he ensured that his family's hold on political and economic decade, owing to the fact that the country's economy is no
power in Dubai was absolute. longer reliant on oil extraction. Dubai's sectors are numerous,
with the construction industry, real estate, tourism, finance,
Mohammed Bin Rashid’s elder brother’s leadership and wholesale and retail trade among the most prominent.
style was therefore the template he followed when he became
the ruler of Dubai. An authoritarian or dictatorial leader issues The real estate industry is one area in which Mohammed
orders and directives and is clearly in control of affairs of the Bin Rashid Al-accomplishments Maktoum's are visible. The
organization he leads. Mohammed Bin Rashid considered the profitability of real estate investments in Dubai is one of the
situation he found himself after his brother’s death an highest in the world, making it a desirable place to invest. A
emergency situation in which quick decisions are necessary in significant portion of Dubai's budget is allocated to real estate
line with the principles of chain of command. His military development, with transactions in the industry being carried
training in UK came in handy on account of some of the out by investors from more than 140 countries. The standard
dictatorial tendencies he exhibits in the course of taking of living in Dubai is really high. In this regard, education at
decisions. all levels is provided free of charge, and the government
emphasizes the necessity of encouraging adult men and
Mohammed Bin Rashid was however not an absolute women to participate in literacy programs. The average
dictator or autocrat in the sense that he demonstrates respect monthly income of a citizen is approximately US $4000, and
for others, acknowledges inputs by others in decision making the average monthly income of a certified specialist begins at
situations, recognises accomplishments and provides clear approximately US $10.000 ("UAE Economy: Labour Pains,"
expectations and resources to meet them (Jenkinson, 2018). section 3).
On the whole, Mohammed Bin Rashid is a benevolent
authoritarian and dictatorial leader. What sets him apart from Specifically in the field of labor relations, Mohammed
absolute dictators is that he has a bold vision for his country Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum demonstrated a distinctive
which serves as a source of inspiration and influence to his leadership style by altering perceptions and working cultures
followers. Additionally, Bin Rashid’s leads Dubai as if he is in Dubai, and indeed throughout the entire United Arab
leading a family, in this regard, he is known as “the CEO” of Emirate Region, and bringing them into line with world-class
Dubai because he makes his followers to feel that they are practices and standards. He abolished the government's clock-
working for a big family (Sayhyouni, 2019). in and clock-out system and replaced it with what he referred
to as a "citizen's conscience," thereby transferring
 Achievements of Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum responsibility to the individual employee as well as giving
According to documented evidence, Mohammad Bin them the trust and power to help transform Dubai into a better
Rashid Al-Maktoum is a Contingency (Situational) Leader and more sustainable state in the long term. According to
with a leadership style that is authoritarian yet benevolently Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, the love that people
dictatorial in nature. In defining his vision and working have for their homes should be the driving force and guiding
toward the achievement of his strategic goals, Mohammed concept that motivates them to go to work each day (Abu
Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum is an excellent leader who Naama, 2016).
successfully combines type and style of leadership.
Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum has been hailed as a
spectacular worldwide leader on several occasions since

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ISSN No:-2456-2165
Another accomplishment attributed to Mohammed Bin political opposition were assassinated, and the slaughter of
Rashid Al-Maktoum was the establishment of a foolproof Tutsis and moderate Hutus began almost soon after their
system to ensure that anybody residing in Dubai received the deaths. The Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), a group of around
correct treatment and service from employees and other 10,000-14,000 soldiers, was formed in response to the
government officials. Mystery shoppers were deployed to all genocide and was directed against Hutu forces responsible for
outlets in Dubai, including stores, ministries, and other the massacre.
origins, to assess the quality of the services supplied. This was
done across the entire spectrum of government services. In The Rwandan People's Front (RPF) took Kigali in July
order to maintain complete anonymity, these mystery 1994, resulting in the collapse of the government and the
shoppers came from a diverse range of socioeconomic origins declaration of a truce by the RPF. Following the RPF's
as well as different age groups. Mohammed Bin Rashid Al- conquest of Kigali, an estimated two million Hutus fled to the
Maktoum discovered techniques to test his teams in the most Democratic Republic of the Congo. Following that, a multi-
natural setting possible in order to acquire an accurate report ethnic government was established, with a Hutu, Pasteur
on the performance of each department as a result of this Bizimungu, serving as president and Mr Kagame serving as
discovery. This strategy was deemed to be a great test for his vice president. However, the two later became estranged,
Dubai's huge government staff, and it was implemented and Bizimungu was sentenced to prison on charges of inciting
(Department of Economic Development, 2017). The majority ethnic violence. After that, the status remained unchanged
of Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-accomplishments Maktoum's until an election was conducted in 2003. Kagame ran for
were recognized around the world, earning him the title of president of Rwanda in 2003 under the guise of being a
global leader in the process. Rwandan rather than a Tutsi, and he attempted to downplay
the presence of ethnic tensions in the country. In the country's
VI. PRESIDENT PAUL KAGAME OF RWANDA - A first multi-party presidential election, he won by a landslide,
REFLECTION OF A REGIONAL LEADER becoming him the country's first multi-party president. On
September 12th, 2003, he was sworn into office, effectively
 Background bringing the nine-year transitional administration to an end.
Paul Kagame was born on the 23rd of October, 1957, in His presidency was characterized by a strong emphasis on
the Rwandan capital of Kigali. During his tenure as leader of strengthening national unity as well as the economics of the
the Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF), he defeated Hutu extremist country.
troops, bringing the 1994 Rwanda genocide to an end. In the
year 2000, he was elected President of the Republic of  President Kagame’s Style of Leadership
Rwanda. The Rwandan president grew raised as an exile in Having received military training in Uganda, Tanzania,
Uganda, where his parents took him as a small kid when Hutu and the United States, President Kagame is an astute military
violence against Tutsis erupted in 1959, during the period strategist. He had been a refugee in Uganda since infancy, and
leading up to the country's independence from Belgium. In during the course of his time there, he rose to become a
Uganda, he attended Makerere University in Kampala before founding member of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni's
joining the forces of Yoweri Museveni, who overthrew the rebel army, which was established in 1979. Kagame was in
country's president Milton Obote in 1986 with the help of the charge of the organization's intelligence section, which
Ugandan military. Kagame rose to the position of Musevine's assisted Museveni in gaining power in 1986. (BBC News,
chief of intelligence, earning a reputation for incorruptibility 2017). Having grown up as a rebel and a military officer,
and severity by implementing a severe code of conduct that Kagame's attitude on life and leadership style as a politician
was uncompromising. were impacted by his experiences as both.

 Rwanda's political situation at the time Kagame was Kagame took over as Rwanda's leader with little or no
elected president experience in democratic leadership. The fact that he spent
The existence of ethnic tension in Rwanda has been a much of his early life under the mentoring of Yoweri
constant since the Belgian colonial period, as there have been Museveni, who himself was a rebel commander before
continual tensions between the Hutu majority and the Tutsi becoming President of Uganda, did not lend credence to the
minority since that time. Rwanda gained independence from notion that he was a democratic figure. Consequently,
Belgium in 1962, and the Hutus quickly seized control, using Kagame's leadership style was predetermined to be that of a
the Tutsis as scapegoats for every issue that occurred brutal autocratic, despotic, dictatorial, and authoritarian
throughout the following decades. leader. A Contingency Leader was the sort of leadership he
demonstrated as President of Rwanda because of the
Rwandan President Juvenal Habyarimana, a Hutu, was circumstances that existed at the time he assumed the position
assassinated on April 6, 1994, when his plane was shot down of President of the country.
over Kigali, the capital city. Kagame, who was then the leader
of a Tutsi rebel group in Uganda, and some of his close Since taking office, President Paul Kagame has never
associates were accused of carrying out the rocket attack, presented himself as a kindly autocratic leader. Based on how
which Kagame categorically denied. Following his dictatorship has violently suppressed the opposition and
Habyarimana's death, the situation escalated to the level of a murdered some of his most prominent critics, Kagame's hold
national emergency, with the presidential guard launching a on power appears to be unbreakable. Following the
campaign of retaliation almost immediately. Leaders of the constitutional reform passed in 2015, Kagame is allowed to

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Volume 7, Issue 10, October – 2022 International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology
ISSN No:-2456-2165
run for a total of three additional terms, allowing him to a total of twelve years: six years in primary school and six
remain in office until 2034 under the current administration. years in secondary school, with the final year of secondary
Additionally, Kagame adheres to the Machiavellian style of school being free. During the same period, the number of
leadership, in which the leader maintains power via deception universities increased from one in 1994 to 29 in 2010, and the
and pretense while acting immorally and deceiving others proportion of undergraduates increased from 4 percent in
(Nwoko, 1988). 2008 to 7 percent the following year. According to Kagame's
strategy of preserving close ties with English-speaking
 Kagame’s Achievements as a Regional Leader countries, he applied for membership in the Commonwealth
Getting Kagame to the next level as a regional leader of Nations, which he eventually received in 2009. Rwanda
will require him to first demonstrate his abilities at the was the second country to join the Commonwealth after
national level. As early as his first year in office, Kagame Mozambique, and it was the only one to do so without having
began actively devising strategies for achieving national any colonial ties to the British Empire.
development goals. The constitutional process was started,
and he also sought the counsel of specialists from growing From the 28th of January 2008 to the 10th of February,
countries such as China, Singapore, and Thailand. Following 2019, Kagame served as the African Union's chairperson. As
these meetings, and shortly after taking the presidency, chair of the African Union, Kagame advocated for the
Kagame presented "Vision 2020," an ambitious national establishment of the Single African Air Transport Market
development vision that has garnered widespread support. (SAATM) and the establishment of the African Continental
The primary goal of the program was to bring the Rwandan Free Trade Area (ACFTA). The proposed ACFTA was signed
people together and to transform the country from one of on March 12th, 2018 by 44 of the 55 member countries of the
extreme poverty to one of middle income. African Union. He departed office in February 2009, with the
CFT having already been ratified by 19 of the 22 countries
Many leadership literatures have demonstrated that that were required for it to become fully effective. With his
dictatorial, despotic, and autocratic type leaders, whether effective performance at the continental level of the African
benevolent or not, who exhibit Contingency are more likely Union, Kagame has earned the right to be considered a
to succeed. Leadership characteristics typically produce regional leader.
outcomes more quickly than democratic leadership features.
Consequently, decisions are made quickly, and projects are VII. PRESIDENT OLUSEGUN OBASANJO AS A
completed at the pace specified by the organization's NATIONAL LEADER
leadership. Paul Kagame is included in this group of world-
class leaders. When Kagame's RPF came to power in 2003,  Background
Rwanda was in ruins on all fronts: economically, socially, and Olusegun Obasanjo was born on March 5, 1937, in the
politically. Rwanda has made significant strides forward in city of Abeokuta, Nigeria. Former President Olusegun
the last fifteen years under Kagame's leadership. Obasanjo attended Baptist Boys' High School in Abeokuta,
southwest Nigeria, and went on to become a teacher there.
The impressive achievements of President Kagame can Because he couldn't afford college, he enlisted in the army in
be seen mostly in the domain of infrastructural development. 1958 and got officer training in the United Kingdom.
Rwanda's economic prosperity has been fueled in great part Obasanjo ascended through the ranks at a rapid pace. His
by the efficient infrastructure that has been built under commando division was stationed in the Biafran front in
Kagame's leadership. Rwanda's road network has South Eastern Nigeria during the Biafran war (1967–1970),
significantly improved, and the country is gradually opening and he was appointed to that position throughout the conflict.
up to the rest of the world with the development of a national In January 1970, Biafran forces surrendered, bringing the
airline and the construction of an international airport worth conflict to a close.
$800 million (£605 million). Rwanda's standing as a
commercial hub would be enhanced by the construction of a Following the successful transition program of General
conference center, which will cost at least $300 million, Abdulsalami Abubakar, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo was
according to President Paul Kagame. With a per-capital gross elected as Nigeria's second elected executive president on
domestic output of $1592 in 2003, Rwanda's economy has May 29, 1999. This handover effectively signaled the
developed at a rapid pace under Kagame's leadership, beginning of the fourth republic of Nigeria (Olurode and
compared to a per-capital gross domestic product of $567 in Anifowoshe, 2004). As president, Obasanjo has presided over
2000. Between 2004 and 2010, the annual rate of increase Nigeria for eight years, making it the longest stretch of
averaged 8 percent every year. Liberalization of the economy, civilian government in the country's modern political history.
privatization of state-owned companies, the reduction of Between 1999 and 2007, Obasanjo implemented a wide range
bureaucratic bottlenecks in business, and the transformation of socio-economic and political initiatives during his tenure
of the country from an agricultural to a knowledge-based as President of the Republic of Nigeria.
economy are the cornerstones of his economic policy.
 The Situation in Nigeria at the time Obasanjo became
Youth education in Rwanda has also been identified as a President
high priority by President Kagame, with the sector receiving Obasanjo became president at a period when Nigeria
a 17 percent allocation from the country's annual budget. His was just emerging from the global community's pariah
administration provides free education in state-run schools for position due to past military regime misdeeds, particularly

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General Sani Abacha's. At the national level, Nigeria was especially the EFCC, according to Okoosi-Simbine (2011).
tense as religious, ethnic, and political fault lines erupted, Tafa Balogun, a former Inspector General of Police, Patricia
endangering the country's corporate survival. After Abacha's Etteh, a former House Speaker, Adolphus Wabara, a former
death in June 1998, General Abdulsalami Abubakar became Senate President, and even Obasanjo's Vice-President Atiku
Nigeria's military ruler. Abubakar were investigated or prosecuted for government
corruption. In June 2000, Obasanjo's government established
Following the successful holding of the elections that the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). The
were part of General Abdulsalami's transition program, Commission was established to advise the federal government
Obasanjo took over as civilian executive President on May 29, on how to develop the Niger Delta economically (Falola and
1999. Assuming the presidency, Obasanjo immediately set Geneva, 2009). Other notable accomplishments of President
about restoring Nigeria's socio-economic stability and re- Obasanjo can be attributed to his efficient leadership style,
establishing diplomatic ties with the world community. which he used to manage Nigeria as a civilian President.
Obasanjo's accomplishments make him a worthy national
 President Obasanjo’s Leadership Style leader.
Presidency Obasanjo began with political pressures
inherited from General Abdulsalami's regime, which had VIII. ADVANTAGES AND SHORTCOMING OF
much improved the socio-political inadequacies inherited CONTINGENCY LEADERSHIP THEORY
from the Abacha junta's misrule. Obasanjo's initial leadership
style was formed by the socio-political milieu he found The Contingency Leadership Theory is easy to employ
himself in. With his leadership background, Obasanjo took in assessing leaders, especially those with strategic leadership
tough but far-reaching measures to help stabilize Nigeria's responsibilities. The theory's main tenet is that a leader with
political situation. First, military officers who had political the correct style knows it. All a leader needs to do is assess
positions under previous military administrations had to quit the scenario and apply appropriate leadership style. The
immediately. Obasanjo's first significant administrative Contingency Leadership Theory also has an intuitive appeal
decision showed that he will be an authoritarian leader in a in that leaders can alter management methods fast to match
democratic society. Events proved it. Obasanjo needed to the current dynamics. Conversely, Contingency Leadership
move quickly to speed up Nigeria's socio-economic and Theory fails to explain why certain leaders are effective in
political growth. Only benevolent dictatorial and autocratic some contexts but not others. Because the Least Preferred Co-
leadership styles, rather than relational and task-oriented Worker Scale does not correlate well with other established
leadership styles, could achieve this. Obasanjo wasn't a leadership measures, the hypothesis is criticized. Finally,
normal democrat. He believed in rapid decision making, even Contingency Leadership fails to adequately describe how to
if it meant dismissing the legislative branch of government as deal with a leader/situation mismatch (Northouse, 2007,
a hindrance to government functions. Obasanjo tried to p.118-120).
encircle the National Assembly by deposing three Senate
Presidents and a House Speaker. These actions portrayed IX. CONCLUSION
Obasanjo as an autocratic leader impatient for results.
Contingency Leadership Theory says that the concept
 Achievements of President Obasanjo on account of his stresses both the leader's attributes and the context in which
Leadership Style the leader operates. The Contingency Leadership Theory
Obasanjo's policies were to widen and strengthen identified Task-motivated and Relationship-motivated as the
democracy, develop political institutions to assure its long- two prevalent leadership types. These two styles were judged
term survival, and remedy Nigeria's inherent federalism to be most suitable in business environments. To fulfill their
flaws. For example, zoning of political positions mirrored the mandates, strategic level political leaders need other traits
federal character and power-sharing principles. It assigned beyond dictatorial, autocratic, despotic, and democratic
significant political roles inside the federation to the six approaches.
geopolitical zones to achieve power balance.
According to this study, the Contingency Theory of
The Obasanjo government launched the National, State, Leadership reasonably explains how Contingency Leadership
and Local Economic Empowerment Development Strategies type connects to relational and task-oriented leadership styles,
(LEEDS). They were the administration's main social- and extreme approaches such as dictatorial, autocratic,
economic reform measures from 2003 to 2007. (Rustad, despotic, and democratic styles usually dictated by tough
2008). Corruption, self-sufficiency, poverty, privatization, political requirements at strategic levels. This study used the
and deregulation were all targets of NEEDS. More notably, Contingency Theory of Leadership to analyze Sheikh
the administration repaid a large amount of Nigeria's Paris Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, Paul Kagame,
Club debt in 2006. (Chiakwelu, 2012). President of Rwanda, and Olusegun Obasanjo, former
President of Nigeria.
During the military governments that preceding
Obasanjo's, corruption was rampant. Obasanjo established the The study concluded that the three leaders highlighted
ICPC in 2000 and the Economic and Financial Crimes had many accomplishments due to their leadership styles. The
Commission (EFCC) in 2004 to combat high levels of three leaders had one thing in common: they were all former
corruption (Nwankwu, 2008). Obasanjo's achievements, military men, and this affected their leadership approaches.

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Volume 7, Issue 10, October – 2022 International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology
ISSN No:-2456-2165
These leaders were all autocratic in style and lacked
democratic leadership experience. Unlike Bin Rashid and
Obasanjo, Kagame was not a good autocrat. Kagame was a
brutal despot driven by the ethnic division in Rwanda
exacerbated by the 1994 genocide.

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