AYATUTU ONTOLOGY- The George Akume Leadership Recruitment Model

The Nigerian state has fallen from a formerly epistemic purity of the past and that, there is the conflict of “truth” and “facts” as opposed to falsehood/fake news. Poor leadership recruitment process has aided corruption and instilled the culture of falsehood and fake news. It has created a huge gap between the anticipated gains of democracy and democracy dividends on ground. This paper argues that the masses in Nigeria are like boats on the volatile sea without a leadership guide and that, democratic consolidation in Nigeria suffers too often because of the problem of failure of leadership. The paper enters the discourse on democratic practice in Nigeria from the perspective that Nigeria is yet to appreciate the repertoire of its leadership heritage and the imperative of foregrounding its development on these leadership systems. We argue for a reformatting of the leadership system in Nigeria to allow for a critical appraisal of the Ayatutu; the George Akume leadership recruitment model and how such systems can be leveraged for democratic consolidation. The paper submits that, the Nigerian governance culture appeals more to ethnic and religious supremacist tendencies (Kakistocracy) than acceptable national values of solidarity and complementarity (Ayatutu). This leadership philosophy strengthens national institutions, manages diversities, establishes and sustains a Nigerian nation worth living in and dying for. Drawing lessons from this leadership model, we argue the conclusion that, seeking the whole from the Units is not only indivisibility but also the mutual dependence of the rational and the emotional.