Factors Responsible For Civil Service Reforms In Nigeria

Factors Responsible For Civil Service Reforms In Nigeria

Chapter One

Preface

Background Of The Study

In Nigeria, the morning of reforms may be traced back to the time when the country was under social control. In point of fact, the social authority made a number of enterprise between the times 1941 and 1947 to revamp and restructure the Nigeria Civil Service( Anifowose 2020). Reforms range from those that are relatively broad in compass to those that are extremely limited. In point of fact,” every administration in Nigeria from the morning placed the content of executive reform on its docket,” according to one source.( Obasi, 2020). The process of reform may be divided into a number of different stages, beginning with the recognition of a problem and continuing through their prosecution and assessment. To reform, on the other hand, is to ameliorate anything by making changes to it, whether it be a system, an association, or a law; or to make a revision that can be made to a social system, association, or anything differently in order to ameliorate or fix it.( From the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, 7th edition, published in 2005). This indicates that” reforms” have the intention of transubstantiating, restoring, rebuilding, amending, perfecting, removing scarcities from, revenging, and bringing a better way of life into actuality. According to what it seems to indicate, it suggests that the reforms of the civil service were are designed to modify, alter, and repair the service, as well as make it more anyhow of what the being issue may have been in any particular age or time( Obasi, 2020).

From the time before independence till after it, Nigeria has carried out a variety of executive reforms. On October 1, 1960, Nigeria came a completely independent nation after espousing a constitution that called for a administrative form of government and granted a significant degree of autonomy to each of the country’s three regions. This event is significant in the country’s history. Since that time, multitudinous commissions have been established to probe and make recommendations regarding the reform of the civil service. These commissions include the Tudor Davies commission in 1945, the Harragin commission in 1946, the Gorsuch commission in 1954, the Mbanefo commission in 1959, the Morgan commission in 1963, the Adebo commission in 1971, and the Udoji commission between 1972 and 1974.( Maduabum, 2019). The relinquishment of a new constitution in 1979 that was grounded on the one used in the United States marked a significant turning point. In 1985, a commission led by Dotun Philips made an trouble to restructure the public service system. The 1988 Civil Service Reorganization Decree that was placarded by General Ibrahim Babangida had a significant influence on the association of the Civil Service in former times as well as the effectiveness with which it operated.

After decades of military absolutism, on May 29, 1999, Olusegun Obasanjo began a process of slow and regular reform and reorganization of the 1999 Civil Service. This process began after decades of military administration. Despite this, the civil service continues to be seen as being unmoving and ineffective, and the sweats that have been made in the history by panels have had little to no impact.

The effectiveness counteraccusations that the civil service reforms in Nigeria had brought to the service from the time before independence up till the present day are the primary subject of this exploration.

On the other hand, the focus would be placed on the changes that Olusegun Obasanjo has enforced since 1999. This is due to the fact that the reform that took place in 1999 was the first mercenary reform that took place following a lengthy period of military rule.

Statement Of The Problem

The history of Nigeria demonstrates that it’s amulti-ethnic society, which is distinguished by distinct values, ethics, customs, and stations towards politics. This is shown by the fact that there are over 250 honored ethnical groups in the country. Because of the diversity that exists throughout the nation, the exploration will center on and probe the inefficiency with which the public sector responds in a timely and effective manner to the objects it has set for itself( Obasi, 2020).

In addition, from the time of the social period right up to the present day, the civil service has had to deal with a variety of challenges on a diurnal base. These challenges include the following

shy Remuneration In practice, this indicates that not only should government retainers be sufficiently compensated, but also that their stipend should be harmonious. Given the country’s current precarious fiscal state and the country’s soaring cost of living, the payment that’s now being offered in the Nigerian public sector has come drastically inadequate( Maduabum, 2019).

Contrary to the Weberian merit norms that were hypothecated, it has been contended that reclamation into the public service is grounded on considerations other than capability and merit. The civil character policy is the most apparent illustration of such a factor.

misutilization of Rules/Over-Rigidity in Applying Rules Due to the hierarchical design of the Nigerian public service, which is in agreement with the Weberian model, authority is concentrated at the top. misutilization of Rules andOver-Rigidity in Applying Rules Indeed officers in the operation skeleton aren’t permitted to take the action on any problems that are brought to their attention by their inferiors. Right from below, there’s a fear of taking action, which is why buck end is the norm in the civil service. Since utmost matters are ultimately always appertained to the loftiest authority in the ministry or department for action or decision, this is because there’s a fear of taking action right from below.

It’ll be delicate, if not insolvable, to gain the stylish performance from workers in a service that’s characterized by fear of loss of job. According to Weber, the ideal type of bureaucracy is characterized by a career system in which there’s security of term.” civil retainers as a whole regard their topmost benefit as being job security and pensions.”

Objects Of The Study

The general objects of the study is to estimate the factors responsible for the civil service reforms in Nigeria. The specific objects are as follows

To find out the factors responsible for the civil service reform in Nigeria.

ii. To examine the effect of the civil service reform on the workers.

iii. To dissect the challenges of the government in carrying out the civil service reform.

Exploration Questions

The following question have been prepared for the study

i. What are the factors responsible for the civil service reform in Nigeria?

ii. What’s the effect of the civil service reform on the workers?

iii. What are the challenges of the government in carrying out the civil service reform?

Significance Of The Study

The intent of this study is to examine the centrality of the civil service to the consummation of the objects of the public policy in Nigeria. It’s also accepted in order to annihilate being problems and also, this study will serve as a form of reference to farther studies in the social lores and operation disciplines.

The study will be significant to the academic community as it’ll contribute to the being literature.

Compass Of The Study

The study will find out the factors responsible for the civil service reform in Nigeria. The study will also examine the effect of the civil service reform on the workers. incipiently, the study will dissect the challenges of the government in carrying out the civil service reform. Hence this study is demarcated to the civil service commission Abuja.

Limitation Of The Study

Like in every mortal bid, the experimenters encountered slight constraints while carrying out the study. inadequate finances tend to stymie the effectiveness of the experimenter in sourcing for the applicable accoutrements , literature, or information and in the process of data collection( internet, questionnaire, and interview), which is why the experimenter resorted to a moderate choice of sample size. More so, the experimenter will contemporaneously engage in this study with other academic work. As a result, the quantum of time spent on exploration will be reduced.

Description Of Terms

Civil service a term designating the civil executive labor force of the public authorities.

Civil service reform a package of policy measures and, like any other measures reforms it has set pretensions which it aims at achieving. The institution of reform measures in executive ministry presupposes the actuality of some executive scarcities.