**6. What is financial emolument?**

Emolument is the term used to describe payment for an office or employment; compensation for a job, which is usually monetary. It could also be in form of tangible items such as automobiles or houses but the emphasis in this work is on monetary payments.

#### **7. Financial emoluments and the political leadership motivation**

Over the years, money has been the major tool for individual and corporate transactions. It signifies empowerment, economic protection and supremacy. With such paradigm, financial hardship creates scenarios were individuals fall into the despondency from lacking the preceding attributes stated earlier and therefore will see themselves losing out economically, socially as well as territorially- the inability to dominate their sphere of influence. Hence, Political leadership seems to be the quickest route to achieving these aspirations and goals as it affords the political leader the opportunity to wield so much influence and control over vast financial resources by virtue of the scope of his position. One of the few institutional devices obtainable to regulate the action of politicians apart from elections is their remuneration structure [8].

Presently, the quest for political positions for the sake of financial gains, is highest in developing and underdeveloped countries. It is not so difficult to know why this is so. Such countries, have the weakest economies and inefficient institutions. Based on the foregoing, individuals in these nations see political leadershipbecause of the influence attached to it, as the fastest route to self-aggrandizement and acquisition of wealth. The emoluments attached to political positions in these countries are so humongous, that within months of being in office, the life and economic status of the office holders usually experience tremendous economic transformation. Critical evaluations shows that such benefits now make the contest for such positions a very intense one even to the risk of the lives of the participants.

*Political Leadership and Financial Emoluments: A Case of Developing Countries DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.97524*

Apparently, the nature of political leadership in such countries affects who vies for such offices and also who finally gets in.
