Cultural Diversity and Youth Leadership Development in Nigeria

Abstract

One of the important characteristics of culture is diversity. This makes every nation of the world a unique entity. Rather than a blessing, cultural diversity has become a tool of oppression, domination, nepotism, injustice, disparity and discrimination in the hands of political actors and influential citizens in Nigeria. In the fight against police brutality that gave birth to a dramatic event tagged “End Sars Protest” on 20th December 2020, Nigerian youths demonstrated unity in diversity. On the contrary, the same youths are major instruments of various secessionist movements and agitating groups such as Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Movement for The Actualization of Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSON), The Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND), and Yoruba Nation. What a paradoxical situation! Against this background, this study focused on youth’s awareness of Nigeria's cultural diversity and its implication for leadership development. The study explored social leadership development theory as a theoretical framework while adopting descriptive survey research design and structured questionnaires to gather information. The population for the study is comprised of the members of the Coalition of Nigerian Youth on Security and Safety Affairs (CONYSSA) alongside the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN). As a result, the study adopted a purposive stratified random sampling method to select a specified number of respondents from each youth organisation within the coalition and National Youth Council of Nigeria. Then, the data collected were analysed by Microsoft Data Analysis Tool Pack and Integrated with Microsoft Excel for easy display and graphical illustration. From the findings, the study recommends that youth organisations in Nigeria should adopt a cultural approach to leadership development in their training schemes. Also, the government of the Nigerian public and private sectors should make a policy of cultural inclusion and create a sensitisation platform to educate people on the uniqueness of Nigeria's cultural diversity.

Full text

Journal of Advanced Research and Multidisciplinary Studies
Volume 3, Issue 3, 2023 (pp. 56-64)
56 Article DOI: 10.52589/JARMS-AXHRHWKQ
DOI URL: https://doi.org/10.52589/JARMS-AXHRHWKQ
www.abjournals.org
ABSTRACT: One of the important characteristics of culture is diversity.
This makes every nation of the world a unique entity. Rather than a
blessing, cultural diversity has become a tool of oppression, domination,
nepotism, injustice, disparity and discrimination in the hands of political
actors and influential citizens in Nigeria. In the fight against police
brutality that gave birth to a dramatic event tagged “End Sars Protest” on
20th December 2020, Nigerian youths demonstrated unity in diversity. On
the contrary, the same youths are major instruments of various secessionist
movements and agitating groups such as Indigenous People of Biafra
(IPOB), Movement for The Actualization of Sovereign State of Biafra
(MASSON), The Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND), and Yoruba
Nation. What a paradoxical situation! Against this background, this study
focused on youth’s awareness of Nigeria's cultural diversity and its
implication for leadership development. The study explored social
leadership development theory as a theoretical framework while adopting
descriptive survey research design and structured questionnaires to gather
information. The population for the study is comprised of the members of
the Coalition of Nigerian Youth on Security and Safety Affairs (CONYSSA)
alongside the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN). As a result, the
study adopted a purposive stratified random sampling method to select a
specified number of respondents from each youth organisation within the
coalition and National Youth Council of Nigeria. Then, the data collected
were analysed by Microsoft Data Analysis Tool Pack and Integrated with
Microsoft Excel for easy display and graphical illustration. From the
findings, the study recommends that youth organisations in Nigeria should
adopt a cultural approach to leadership development in their training
schemes. Also, the government of the Nigerian public and private sectors
should make a policy of cultural inclusion and create a sensitisation
platform to educate people on the uniqueness of Nigeria's cultural
diversity.
KEYWORDS: Cultural Diversity, Leadership Development, Youth.
CULTURAL DIVERSITY AND YOUTH LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT IN
NIGERIA
Eyitayo Adewale Adelakun (Ph.D)1, Regina Iyabode Obassa (Ph.D)1,
Ayo Atowoju (Ph.D)2, Oluwaseun Afolabi (Ph.D)3
and Abiodun Omolara Adelakun4
1Intercultural Studies and Leadership Administration, Department of Politics and
International Relations, Lead City University Ibadan, Nigeria
Tel: +2348024983928; Email: eyitayoadelakun@gmail.com.
2Associate Professor, Religious and Intercultural Studies, Lead City University Ibadan,
Nigeria.
3Department of Religious and Intercultural Studies, Lead City University, Ibadan, Nigeria.
4Old Testament Studies, Department of Religious Studies, University of Ibadan, Nigeria.
Tel: +2347061531418, Email: adelakunabbey86@gmail.com
Cite this article:
Adelakun E.A., Obassa R.I.,
Atowoju A., Afolabi O.,
Adelakun A.O. (2023),
Cultural Diversity and Youth
Leadership Development in
Nigeria. Journal of Advanced
Research and
Multidisciplinary Studies 3(3),
56-64. DOI:
10.52589/JARMS-
AXHRHWKQ
Manuscript History
Received: 26 Aug 2023
Accepted: 19 Oct 2023
Published: 14 Nov 2023
Copyright © 2023 The Author(s).
This is an Open Access article
distributed under the terms of
Creative Commons Attribution-
NonCommercial-NoDerivatives
4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND
4.0), which permits anyone to
share, use, reproduce and
redistribute in any medium,
provided the original author and
source are credited.

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INTRODUCTION
The issue of getting the right leadership to fight corruption and propel good governance has
been a recurring decimal in Nigeria and Africa in general (Anazodo et al., 2015). One of the
leadership challenges is cultural inequality. Since independence, there have been several
agitations due to the issues of inequalities, cultural divide and disparity against different regions
and ethnic groups (Leila et al., 2020). The experience of young people in terms of poor
education, unemployment, insecurity, social vices, etc., has made many people conclude that
Nigeria is a failed country. Recently, Nigerian youth from different cultural affiliations united
to stage a protest tagged “Endsars Protest” against police brutality but an indirect response to
leadership corruption.
Unfortunately, the same youths who were united to fight leadership corruption are also major
instruments of various secessionist movements and agitating groups such as Indigenous People
of Biafra (IPOB), Movement for The Actualization of Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSON),
The Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND), and Yoruba Nation. What a paradoxical situation!
These movements were formed due to various ethnic’s perceptions of discrimination, nepotism
and marginalisation of resources controlled by the federal government. Therefore, if Nigeria's
cultural diversity is not given priority as part of the leadership scheme for youth leadership
development, the future of Nigeria as a united entity will be a daydream. In view of this, the
study examined youth’s awareness of cultural diversity and its relevance for leadership
development among youth in Nigeria.
CONCEPTUAL CLARIFICATION AND LITERATURE REVIEW
Cultural Diversity: The uniqueness of cultural diversity is evident in human existence because
human beings are interdependent on one another. In light of this, Radhika (2020) describes
cultural diversity as a reality of the co-existence of human beings with different life identities.
In the same manner, Jennifer (2021) also considers cultural diversity as where a group
comprises individuals from different cultures or ethnic nationalities, taking into account
individual personal identities such as language, religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity, gender,
and age. In relation to the above definitions of cultural diversity, no culture is superior or better
than the other cultures worldwide. Notably, every culture in the world is unique and important,
irrespective of size and location.
Youth and Leadership Development: From the biological concept, youth is the period
between puberty and parenthood (Sawyer and Azzopardi et al., 2018). In this sense, youth are
young people in their formative period, growing in life experience and knowledge. Youth
leadership development is building a generation of future leaders. Experience shows that youth
are the lead actors in developmental moves across the globe. It is on record that youth are
recognised as a formidable and critical segment of the population of every society whose
strength and dynamism are essential in the process of development engineering across the
world (Raymond & Paulinus, 2021). Perhaps this is why some individuals challenged the
slogan and changed the narrative that “youth are the leaders of today”, not tomorrow again. In
that case, youth development is fundamental and a foundation for the future of any nation in
the world. For a country like Nigeria, cultural diversity is crucial for leadership development
at all levels, whether public sector administration or political leadership. One of the best ways

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to change old leadership narratives in Nigeria is to invest deliberately in youth leadership
development with a special focus on Nigeria's cultural diversity.
METHODOLOGY AND THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
This research adopted a descriptive survey design method. Hence, the primary data was
primarily generated through a field survey using a structured questionnaire. The questionnaire
contained closed-ended questions designed so the respondents could identify their level of
awareness about cultural diversity, and it was administered through an electronic platform,
specifically Google Forms. The study population is comprised of the leaders and members of
the Coalition of Nigerian Youth on Security and Safety Affairs. Also, the rationale behind the
choice of the population of the study is that the leaders and members of various organisations
that formed the coalition are from different cultural groups in the country and are equally
members of the National Youth Council of Nigeria. Out of five hundred targeted (500)
respondents, three hundred and six (306) people participated in the study. The study adopted a
purposive stratified random sampling method to select a specified number of respondents from
each youth organisation within the coalition and National Youth Council of Nigeria.
The researchers explored the Microsoft Data Analysis Tool Pack and integrated it with
Microsoft Excel for easy display and graphical illustration.
Consequently, the researchers considered Social Leadership Development Theory relevant to
this study. According to the Center for Management and Organization Effectiveness (CMOE
2021), Social Leadership Development Theory gives credence to the value of social
interactions, settings and factors in learning skills and gaining knowledge. Thus, in relation to
the focus of this study, the condition of the social environment of Nigeria is paramount for
leadership effectiveness. Nigeria is home to people from diverse ethnic and cultural
backgrounds. This leadership development theory emphasises that learning can be based on
shared experiences among people from different cultural backgrounds.
Assessment of Youth Awareness of Cultural Diversity
Age Distribution of Respondents
The researcher considered the demographic data of the respondents selected from the National
Youth Council of Nigeria. The researcher leaned on the definition of youth as contained in the
Africa Youth Charter and the sociological definition of a youth age to determine the expected
age range of his respondents. The age of the respondent ranged from 18 years to 45 years to
cover for the extended period of youthful age.

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Figure1: Frequency distribution of the age of respondents
Source: Field Work, 2023
The pie chart above shows the age distribution of the respondents. Out of the 306 participants,
respondents from the age of 38 to 42 years accounted for 34% of the distribution with 103
responses, whilst the least frequency of respondents was from the 18 to 22 and 28 to 32 years
age group, as shown in figure 1 above.

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Table 1: A summary of responses on youth awareness of cultural diversity
S/N
Description
Strongly
Agree
Agree
Neither
Agree nor
Disagree
Disagree
Strongly
Disagree
1
Every culture is unique and
important, but some are
superior to others
34
81
26
108
57
2
Achieving cultural diversity
and cultural humility involves
a commitment to learning over
a lifetime
94
184
16
10
2
3
Cultural diversity recognises
individual personal identity,
languages, religious, sexual
orientation, ethnicity, gender or
age?
145
143
6
11
1
4
Cultural diversity is a reality of
co-existence of human beings
with different identities of life
in a particular place?
170
128
5
2
1
Source: Field Work, 2023

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Source: Field Work, 2023
In order to examine the respondents' in-depth understanding of the respondents about cultural
diversity, the researchers sought to test their opinion of the respondents on cultural superiority,
which is one of the problems in Nigeria. Interestingly, the response analysis was quite
polarised, as shown in the figure below:
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
180
200
Strongly
Agree
Agree Neither
Agree nor
Disagree
Disagree Strongly
Disagree
Axis Title
Graphical representation of youth awareness of cultural diversity in Nigeria
Every culture is unique and
important, but some are superior
to others
Achieving cultural diversity and
cultural humility involves a
commitment to learning over a
lifetime
cultural diversity recognizes
individual personal identity,
languages, religions, sexual
orientation, enthnicity, gender or
age
cultural diversity is a reality of co-
existence of human beings with
different identities of life in
particular place

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Figure 2: To what extent do you agree with this statement- Every culture is unique and
important, but some are superior to others.
Source: Field Work, 2023
From the figure 2 above, 108 and 81 respondents disagreed and agreed with the statement
respectively, whilst 57 and 34 respondents strongly disagreed and strongly agreed respectively.
Twenty-six respondents neither agreed nor disagreed.
FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
Implication of Cultural Diversity for Youth Leadership Development I Nigeria
The result reveals that the level of youth awareness of cultural diversity in Nigeria is high. For
example, a larger percentage of respondents’ responses on questions 2, 3, and 4 aligned with
the conceptual understanding of cultural diversity as a reality of the co-existence of human
beings with different identities of life (Cong, 2021). Likewise, another scholar also
corroborates the assertion that cultural diversity takes cognizance of individual personal
identities such as language, religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity, gender and age, as mentioned
in the questionnaire (Jennifer, 2021).
However, this study also discovered the challenge of cultural superiority, which may be
responsible for nepotism, ethnic disparity and cultural divide in Nigeria.
For instance, about 81 respondents agreed that some cultures are superior to others, while 108
disagreed. It is obvious that the margin between those who agree and those who disagree is so
close. This confirms the claim by a people group in Nigeria that they are born to rule. The
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
Strongly Agree Agree Neither Agree nor Disagree Disagree Strongly Disagree

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implication is that those youths who believe in cultural superiority tend to promote nepotism
or ethnic disparity if appointed or elected to leadership positions. Nigeria is a multi-ethnic and
culturally diverse federation. Therefore, if any youth with a mindset of cultural superiority
mindset assumes a leadership position, the country is likely to be polarised.
Consequently, saying one culture is superior to another culture negates the general concept of
culture as a way of life, what shaped human life, identity, behaviour, and values (Jason, 2020).
It can be considered inhuman to say one’s way of life, identity or value in life is superior to
others. It will also contradict the principle of existence because human beings are
interdependent on one another. No cultural group can survive alone without others. This usually
characterised public administration operations, political life and democratic process in Nigeria.
The reality of cultural diversity is crucial to efficient leadership and effective service delivery
in Nigeria. Those youths who aspire to occupy leadership positions must recognise the
uniqueness of every culture in the country. Nigerian youth should understand that cultural
superiority is inhuman and derogatory to human existence. In actual fact, the world is designed
in a way that no human being is absolute. We need one another to survive no matter the size or
location of any cultural or ethnic group.
CONCLUSION
It is evident from this study that one of the leadership challenges in Nigeria is cultural
superiority among the citizens. The politics of ethnicity has promoted nepotism, ethnic
disparity and cultural divide in Nigeria. This was evident in the last general election, where
cultural affiliation, ethnic identity, and religious orientation determined the voting pattern in
Nigeria. The future of Nigeria as a united country lies in recognition, openness and respect for
every culture regardless of location or size. There is a need to create more awareness and
educate emerging youth leaders on the uniqueness of every culture in Nigeria. If the reality of
cultural diversity in Nigeria is ignored or neglected in leadership development for youth, the
future of Nigeria's unity is still being determined.
RECOMMENDATIONS
This study recommends that the government of Nigeria at all levels should recognise every
people group, their cultural values and identity. The government should identify the reality of
cultural diversity and deal with inequality, discrimination and oppression, which can affect
people’s appointment into political office and engagement in civil service or public
administration.
Political leaders and public administrators should employ a cultural approach to leadership and
prioritise cultural diversity in Nigeria. Federal Character Commission (FCC) of Nigeria should
ensure that all its policies recognise the worth of every culture and people group in the country.
In addition, since public and private organisations’ workforce and working environment in
Nigeria comprises people from diverse cultural backgrounds, therefore every citizen should

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accept the reality of cultural diversity and consider every culture as unique and important. More
so, the public and private sectors should make a policy of cultural inclusion and create a
sensitisation platform to educate people on the uniqueness of Nigeria's cultural diversity.
Similarly, the leadership of various youth organisations should prioritise cultural diversity in
their organisational leadership development training scheme.
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