E. Erhenede

The media and ethical dimensions of leadership: Imperatives for socio-political development of Delta State, Nigeria

There is no gainsaying that a society's values and norms are a reflection of its ethical leadership. Much as leadership influences, guides, and inspires goals and visions, without ethical criteria such as accountability, honesty, competence, and predictability, the attainment of development will be a mirage. This study seeks to find the correlation between ethical dimensions and leadership's imperatives on socio-political developments in Delta State. Specifically, it seeks to determine if ethical governance influenced the governance system of Delta State, ascertain how accountable the leadership of the state is perceived, how socio-political development or innovation is valued, and whether media advocacy for probity and good leadership is upheld. Survey approach and inferential statistics were used, while the Cultural Norms and Development Media Theories form the theoretical framework. The results show no accountability in governance of the state from inception, a troubling level of corruption, and neglect of key economic sectors.