Aristotelian Virtue Ethics and Its Application to Leadership in Nigerian Public Institutions

This study examines Aristotelian virtue ethics as a framework for evaluating leadership character in Nigerian public institutions, applying the classical philosophical tradition of eudaimonia and virtue to contemporary governance in the North Central geopolitical zone with focus on Niger State. Virtue ethics locates moral evaluation in the character of the agent rather than in the consequences of actions or adherence to rules, arguing that good governance depends fundamentally on the virtue of those who govern. Using a descriptive philosophical design, the study engages with Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics, contemporary neo-Aristotelian virtue ethics from Alasdair MacIntyre and Rosalind Hursthouse, and African philosophical conceptions of leadership virtue, supplemented by secondary literature published between 2020 and 2024. Structured interviews with 20 public administrators, governance scholars, and philosophy academics in Minna inform the primary data. Findings reveal that the character deficiencies most commonly identified in Niger State public leadership, including cowardice, intemperance, and injustice, correspond directly to Aristotelian vice categories, suggesting that virtue ethics provides a practically useful diagnostic tool for leadership failure. The study argues that virtue ethics is a more contextually appropriate framework for African public leadership reform than proceduralist or rule-based approaches because it attends to the moral formation of leaders themselves. Keywords: virtue ethics, Aristotle, leadership, Nigerian public institutions, Niger State.