Factors against Effective Public Administration in Nigeria

Factors against Effective Public Administration in Nigeria

Factors against Effective Public Administration in Nigeria  – The public administration select committee is attempting a valuable task: trying to understand what is wrong with strategic thinking in government, and what could help it be done better. Looking back at my experience, particularly of political – military decision- making over Afghanistan, a number of problems emerge.

The most obvious, and the one for which there is the least excuse, is the lack of clear of objectives.

Secondly there is shout-termism: everyone knows the about a week being a long time in polities, but the civil service tends to be short-termist too, with individuals moving too quickly through posts to have an incentive to think long term, or the opportunity to build up expertise. In Afghanistan, the military have been limited to six-month tours: the human and institutional reasons for this are understandable, but it reinforces the wider issue.

(Factors against Effective Public Administration in Nigeria)

The third problem is the lack of coherence across government. There is a narrative in the media that the British state is too strong, operates from the top down, is over centralized, and so on. There are truths in this, but that story obscures another important truth: that in terms of the relationship between the centre and the department, the centre is weak. And yet this narrative has been influential enough for the last two prime ministers to make concessions to it, attempting to win favour with the media by talking about cutting Downing Street down to size. Those who want more strategic thinking have to put themselves on the other side of this argument. There is no guarantee, of course, that a stronger centre will be more strategic, but it’s one necessary condition.

The fourth problem is the lack of time and space and support to think strategically. Ultimately this is the responsibility of politicians, who should insist on freeing up more time, and demand the right support. But you don’t just need time and space: you need a supportive structure, and advice which encourages and facilitates strategic thinking. Too often, in my experience, this was not provided. Advice was often inconsistent, and suffered from a lack of genuine option, a lack of flexibility and an inability to break out of familiar patterns of thinking. Some might suggest that civil servants prefer that their ministers don’t have time to think-the gently cynical view of yes, Minister. Less cynically, it might reflect a shared failing among both minister and officials.

(Factors against Effective Public Administration in Nigeria)

A fifth with strategy-making across government is the tendency to focus on what is easiest to change, rather than what is most important. It is always tempting to spend time and effort on thinks you can directly control- where you can pull the lever and something actually happens. Tempting but wrong if you believe that other things are actually more important.

What are the Problems Affecting Public Administration in Nigeria?

The basic problem is that the Nigerian people have unable to insist on accountability, because that have been so impoverished their only preoccupation is how to eke out a living; so that they are not interested in what public office holders are doing; meanwhile public office holders are busy stealing funds earmarked for specifics that should alleviate the condition of the people, like funds for power projects, water supply projects, roads projects etc. if Nigerians can devise some means of getting the people to demand for and insist on accountability in public office, much of the sleaze and abuse will be reduced to very bare minimums. I am working on a solution profile as a concerned Nigerian.

Features of Public Administration   

1.            Monopolistic approach-no competition 2 govt. single service provider

2.            Consistency of treatment-rule of law is the basic of every govt. policy.

3.            Anonymity-expected 2 work behind the curtains (bureaucrats).

4.            Accountability-bureaucrats have indirect accountability to public and directly accountable to political executives.

5.            Public responsibility-responsible to public (bureaucrats)

6.            Public information-rti act.

7.            Large scale organization.

Public administration: Is a term that refers to the implementation of government policy and to an academic that studies this implementation and that prepares civil servants for working in the public service. As a “field of inquiry with a diverse scope” its “fundamental goal ….. is to advance management and policies so that government can function. Some of the various definitions which have been offered for the term are. “The management of public programms. The “translation of politics into the reality that citizens see every day” and “the study of government decision making, the analysis of the policies themselves, the various inputs that have produced them, and the inputs necessary to produce alternative policies”.

(Factors against Effective Public Administration in Nigeria)

Public administration is “centrally concerned with the organization of government policies and programmes as well the behavior of officials (usually non-elected) formally responsible for their conduct. Many unelected public servants can be considered to be public administrators, including heads of city, country, regional, city managers, census managers, state mental health directors, and cabinet secretaries. Public administrators are public servants working in public departments and agencies, at all levels of government.

In the US, civil servants and academics such as Woodrow Wilson promoted American civil service reform in the 1880s, moving public administration into academia. However, “until the mid-20th century and the dissemination of the German sociologist Max Weber’s theory of bureaucracy” there was not “much interest in a theory of public administration. The field is multidisplinary in character; one of the various proposals for public administration’s sub-fields sets out six pillars, including human resources, organizational theory, policy analysis and statistics, budgeting, and ethics.

2013 copyright www.articlesng.com Factors against Effective Public Administration in Nigeria

22 Comments on “Factors against Effective Public Administration in Nigeria”

  1. I’ll basically, comment on the area of accountability. There’s no reall succour obviously, mostly these so called politicians that claiming to be vibrant leaders. They all know the constitutional 1999 Decrees. Buh neglected the fact that they are after the pockets and loved ones. Is very unfortunate that we see these criminal acts in our dear country Nigeria.

  2. Xter I-jay says:

    I Love This. Simply Understandable And Teachable

  3. 0boh isaiah says:

    does in authority should allow the spirit of oneness to pervade in them so that this factor will be the thing of the past.

  4. Isah Aliyu says:

    U have done a wonderful work let hope their realize it.

  5. Bright Agbor says:

    nice work, it really help me in doing my assignment

  6. ebys. shadrach says:

    am very much happy with what i read.and i also want to ask if there is any material related to the effect of political environment to the productivity of public organizations with reference to ministry of health.please do notify me thanks.

  7. sweetman okujagu says:

    pls i will like to konw more abut the public amministrative in nigeria .and there Chanel of improvment

  8. Abdulhadi salisu nuhu says:

    That is a nice work if this facts will be taking in to positive action in terms of administration it will be a big help 2 Nigerians

  9. otu benedict chukwudi says:

    environmental factor affecting public administration in nigeria

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  10. Prince Goodluck Efe says:

    This is the type of massage we need so that the public sector in Nigeria we have a new shape. For example government is not business like but a bauxite so public officials should stop mess it up

  11. IBRAHIM TANKO says:

    gud 2 read & clear 2 understand.
    Nw I realize wht pblc admn means.
    I lyk such enlightenment.

  12. Lawal Sada K Durbi says:

    Good job Tochi. More grease to your elbows.

  13. Ghulam Nabi says:

    what are salient features of effective public administration? please guide me

  14. Please what are the instruments for effective and efficient for public administration.
    Please I need help urgently

  15. sarah henry ndem says:

    I neva knew the meaning of a PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION ,that definition was brief and understand cant forget it.Hope all politicians will have the above features.☺☺

  16. Very helpful and comprehensive….decisive words n straight to the point…I wish Nigerians would avail themselves to articles like this that will educate and wake them up from their ignorance n slumber

  17. olowu angela nkem says:

    good job…………………………… Nigeria time to speak your mind in the area of getting involve in the affair of our country Nigeria.

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