Effective service delivery

CIVIL SERVICE ADMINISTRATION AND EFFECTIVE SERVICE DELIVERY
FOR DEVELOPMENT
BY
OLUGBENGA PETER FASELUKA
BEING AN ADDRESS DELIVERED ON THE OCCASSION OF HIS SWEARING-
IN AS THE HEAD OF SERVICE, EKITI STATE ON MONDAY,1st
DECEMBER,2014
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Introduction
Conventionally, political leaders usually determine the policies in any nation. Such
leaders outline the political, economic and social directions for the country. It is
important for these policies have to be properly articulated and implemented for
meaningful results. The civil service is the main instrument through which
government implements and administers public policies and programmes. This
function usually derives from the constitution and the laws of the land (Olagboye,
2005: 4). However, the way and manner civil service in a particular state is
managed determines its performance. Thus, civil service has prominent roles to
play in service delivery. The development achieved in many countries of the world
has been due to the ability of their civil service to effectively translate the policies
of their political leaders into concrete services.
In the light of this, the objective of the paper is to examine the nexus between civil
service administration and effective service delivery. There are three basic
presumptions in the paper. One is that the existence of a Civil Service
administration is desirable. Second is that the existence of the civil service should
serve the purpose of service delivery and thirdly that effective service delivery is a
precursor of development. The paper is discussed under the following sub-
sections.
Theoretical Background and Conceptual Framework
This work is premised on the theories of bureaucracy particularly in the pioneering
ideas of Max Weber who was described by Stillman (1980:39-43, Agagu, 1999) to
have not only “pioneered ideas related to bureaucracy, but ranged across a whole
spectrum of historical, political, economic and social thoughts”.
The term bureaucracy defies a precise meaning but has been used differently
based on approach by individuals describing it.
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Some have approached it from an organizations basic structural characteristics
while some views it from behavioural features and further still, a third approach
had been in terms of attainment of purpose.
The classical theory of bureaucracy has witnessed three metamorphoses. The
Marxists theory situated bureaucracy within the overall context of Karl Marx’s
theory of class conflict and the inevitable crisis within capitalism and the eventual
evolution of communism. Marx described bureaucracy as an instrument by which
the state (being the dominant class) perpetuates its domination over other classes.
Marx Weber’s theory of bureaucracy was partly a reaction to the Marxian theory of
dominion which he subjected to a wider context of authority as a form of control.
He differentiated between power and authority. He described power as any
relationship where one member imposes his will on others despite resistance while
authority is a relationship in which obedience to commands is secured on a
consideration of legitimacy. Weber posited that legitimacy as a basis for authority
naturally provided different forms of authority structures and corresponding forms
of organization (Thompson, 1986:8)
Based on this, Weber identified three types of authority or dominion including the
traditional which was identified with primitive societies. Here legitimization of power
is located in belief in eternal past and in the rationalization of the traditional way of
accomplishing things. The second is charismatic authority where the consideration
of the authority of the leader is based on the peoples love and belief in his
outstanding qualities.
The third is the legal – rational authority which Weber identified with the foundation
of modern civilization. Here, “obedience goes to the legally established impersonal
set of rules rather than to a personal ruler. Power is vested in the office as against
its occupier” (Stillman, op cit).
Bureaucracy is seen as the administrative apparatus that corresponds to this type
of authority. In bureaucracy, the relationships between the bureaucrat and the
ruler, the ruled as well as with his colleagues are governed by impersonality.
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Other features include hierarchy of office, schedule of duties, mode of recruitment,
specified rights and entitlements, methods of recruitment and promotion.
The third theoretical stage is the Bureaucratic – oligarchy school led by Robert
Michels which provided a critical examination of the problem of internal democracy
with reference to internal politics of large scale organizations.
Bureaucracy is conceived as an administrative or social system that relies on a set
of rules and procedures, separation of functions and a hierarchical structure in
implementing controls over an organization, government or social system
(www.investopedia.com visited 2013/4/27). It is based on the rational – legal
authority theory, that is, an authority which employees recognize as legitimate.
As opposed to adhocracy, it is represented by standardized procedures (rule-
following) that guides the execution of most or all processes within the body;
formal division of power, hierarchy, and relationships, intended to anticipate needs
and improve efficiency.
Bureaucracy as a term is often used perjoratively against the backdrops of the
lethargy, laziness and slowness for which the modern bureaucracy in developing
countries thrive. Hence, the ascription of the term red-tapism.
However, the usage in this work is in its traditional sense of goal attainment that
incorporates and weaves together a conglomeration of experts and other
individuals in a network of public service delivery.
Bureaucracy is the collective organizational structure, procedures, protocols and
set of regulations in place to manage activity, usually in large organizations
particularly government.
Law policy and regulation normally originate from a leadership, which creates the
bureaucracy to put them into practice. A bureaucracy is thus responsible to the
leadership that creates it.
It has the following characteristics:
- high division of labour and specialization, - well defined hierarchy of
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authority
- follows the principle of rationality, objectivity and consistency,
- formal and impersonal relations among the members of the organization.
- interpersonal relations are based on positions and not on personalities
- there are well defined rules and regulations which must be strictly
adhered to.
- there are well defined methods for all types of work.
- Selection and promotion are based on technical qualifications.
Conceptual Clarification
This section with provide conceptual clarification on three core concepts necessary
for proper understanding of this paper. These are the civil service, and effective
public service delivery.
The Civil Service: The Civil Service according to Olaopa (200:31) is one of the
great political inventions of the nineteenth century England. The first generation of
civil servants was called ‘Court Servants’ or ‘Court Clerks’. The civil service as a
term has no precise definition and thus it is mis-used and also misunderstood.
In terms of origin, it was borrowed in the mid-eighteenth century (1785) from the
British Administration in India to describe a system that emphasizes selection on
the basis of merit (Wey, 1971:2). The term Service connotes a profession; a group
of civil servants having common recruitment conditions and prospects, as well as a
‘career’ in a span of time under the government.
The absence of a standard definition of the Civil Service as a term is underscored
by the observation of Peter Keller and Lord Norman Crowder – Hunt (1980:9) that :
There is a special sense in which the
Civil Service reflects the British Constitution.
Neither is clearly defined in writing; both evolve
and change with mood and circumstances.
However, E.C.S. Wade and G.G. Philips (1968:221) observed with regard to the
British Civil Service that “a rough definition of the Civil Service would include all
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non-political offices and employment held under the crown with the exception of
the Armed Forces”
In Nigeria, the Nigerian Interpretation Act 1964 (which is the interpreter of the
Nigerian Constitution and other Statute books) remain silent on the general
meaning and scope of the term civil service. The civil service Handbook produced
by the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation however describes the civil
service as:
A body or organ which enjoys continuity of existence.
Its members unlike the members of the National
Assembly … are not limited to short term of office…
Elected members come and go but Civil Servants
remain in office…
This also, at best, is descriptive. However, the Civil Service has become a world-
wide acclaimed institution for policy implementation and service delivery. It has
become crucial player in the quest for development and growth. It is also known
as Government bureaucracy.
The Civil Service had been used interchangeably with the public service as if both
are the same.
Section 169 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1999) has the
subtitle “The Public Service of the Federation” and states thereunder that “There
shall be a Civil Service for the Federation”
Bade Gboyega (2004:3) stated that the Public Service means
service in any Government capacity as a member of staff within National and State
Assemblies, the Judicial Service, the Teaching Service,
The Public Enterprises and State-
owned Companies, Statutory Corporations,
Boards and Commissions and members and
officers of the Armed Forces, the Police and
(others at the Federal level)
The Civil Service Manual Handbook states that:-
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The Royal Commission on the Civil Service
(1953-1955) has described the Civil Service as
Servants of the crown, other than holders of
political or judicial offices, who are empowered
in a civil capacity and whose remuneration is
paid wholly or directly out of moneys voted by
parliament. In the Nigerian context, a civil
servant is simply someone employed by the Civil
Service Commission and paid by the
Government out of moneys voted for the
purpose by the National or State House of
Assembly.
From the above, it is clear that the difference between the Public Service and the
Civil Service, at least within the Nigerian context, is not in substance. The latter is
a subset of the former being smaller in composition. Both had been used
interchangeably. Though distinctions could be drawn between the Public Service
and the Civil Service, such is not the objective of this contribution, I therefore beg
to keep in view.
Public (Civil) Service Administration
Public Service administration is about the management of the human, material and
financial resources of a state for the security and welfare of its citizens.
Modern states have adopted the doctrine of separation of powers which delimits
the exercise of government functions into three jurisdictions: The Legislature (Law
making), the Executive (Policy formulation and implementation) and the Judiciary
(Law interpretation and enforcement). The Civil Service has emerged as an organ
of the Executive arm that is responsible for advising it on policy formulation and
implementation. Thus, Warren Fisher (quoted in AL-Gazali 2002:2) in his report of
the Royal Commission of the Civil Service (1929) stated as follows:
Determination of policy is the function of ministers, and once a
policy is determined, it is the unquestionable and unquestioned
business of the Civil Servant to strive to carry out that policy with
precisely the same goodwill, whether he agrees with it or not.
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Adebayo (2000:92) stated that the Civil Service is not a creation of modern times.
It has its roots in history and dates back to the time of ancient civilizations. He
espoused that dating back to 462 B.C, Pericles, a leader in ancient Greece,
introduced a scheme for the compensation of officials thus facilitating the
continued participation in public administration by citizens who had to work daily
for their living. He also captured that the Han Dynasty in the Chinese empire in 202
B.C recognized the need to have a permanent body of officials to implement
government decisions.
However, the last one hundred years have witnessed increased transformation in
the sphere of government activities. Instead of confining itself to traditional issues
of defence, public order, crime control and a few others, modern government has
endeavoured into elaborate social services and undertakes the regulation of much
of the daily business of mankind in the realms of the public service, local
government administration, land use, provision of social amenities including road,
electricity, power, investment in commerce such as banking, insurance, consumer
protection, land use, administrative inquiry etc. The State has put upon itself all
kinds of new duties.
As society developed therefore, there arose a correlating demand on the state for
effective and accountable public service and effective and accountable public
sector institutions. These demands became more evident in the late 20th
Century
when greater education, awareness and liberty led to rising public expectation for
better governance and accountability.
Bourgon (2007:23) captured this mood when he stated that: ‘good governance
requires good government, that is an effective public service, and effective public
sector institutions’
The Public Service of state had been built on the Classical (Weberian) model of
Public Management to reconsider the contents of their objectives in line with what
was deemed to be imposed by new demands of civilization.
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The classical model which emerged in the latter part of the 19th
century during the
Industrial Revolution in Europe emphasized control and organizational design that
are built around a meritorious and well-trained Public Service which was regarded
by the Government as an instrument for nation building, foreign conquest and
economic development.
The development of society and emergent complexity in governance and public
management which resulted in the interface between politics and policies and new
forms of accountability engendered by market rationality i.e cost effectiveness and
value for money actually challenged the classical model and gave way to the
demands of the New Public Management School as exemplified in the works F.
W. Taylor in Principles of Scientific Management which recommended the
following administrative techniques:
- Time measurement
- Piece-rate principle i.e wage must be commensurate with output
- Separation of planning from performance
- Scientific method of work principle
- Managerial control principle
- Functional management principle (Nwankwo, 1982:6)
Henri Fayol (1916) added impetus to the perspective of the Scientific managers by
identifying five key elements for the management process including planning,
organizing, commanding or directing, co-ordinating and controlling.
The pressure led to various agitations for reforms in the public sector to enhance a
responsive, accountable and proactive public service administration (Agagu
1999:57-75).
In the circumstance, the classical model caved in to the ‘demands of the new
Public Management School which canvassed the private sector mode of
management as practiced by profit-oriented private corporations. The attitudes of
the New Management School include cutting government down to size, reduction
of bureaucracy, privatization and commercialization of public enterprises ,
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deregulation, lower taxes and public-private partnerships (Caiden, G.2000, xxiii).
These were strengthened by demands for democratic consolidation, transparency,
accountability and performance from the public sector.
Yayale (2007:5-6) expressed that recent literature and comparative assessment of
international experiences tend to suggest that the reform pendulum in favour of
private capital foray into government had swung too far, too fast and had
inappropriately undermined the role of governments and damaged their capacity to
deliver public goods and services effectively and impartially. He further opined that
the privatization of governance had severely downgraded the image of the public
service, its morale and professionalism. According to Yayale (ibid).
Professionalisation of governance, moreover, is
inconsistent with the challenges faced by societies
going into the 21st
century, particularly in emerging
economies and democracies. These challenges include
globalization, and the competition and the skilled
distribution of wealth across nations that it engenders,
environmental degradation and its consequences such
as the damage to the quantity and quality of natural
resources, frequency of natural disasters, social
dislocation and poverty, acute regional and social
disparities which are harbingers of social conflicts,
Political gerrymandering and instability, new types of
diseases and epidemics (HIV-AIDS, drug resistance,
malaria, strains etc.), unacceptable levels of
unemployment and crime etc. All these point to the
need for more competent and effective government
intervention, particularly in the less developed
countries.
To deliver our nation from the threats of the 21st
century, there is no substitute to a
professional, committed, knowledgeable and well remunerated public service. The
challenges for reinventing governance also mean reinventing the public service.
Micheal Bentil, a Ghanaian Expert in Pubic Administration and an International
Civil Servant, writing on 50 years of Civil Service reform experience in Anglophone
Africa, stated that:
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the Civil Service plays a vital and indispensable role in the
government of any country, indeed when one considered the
experience of post war France and Italy it is not altogether
fanciful to say that a country can be governed relatively well
without ministries or even a political head of government.
However, it may not be easy to have a functioning
government without civil service. Bentil as cited in Daodu O
(2007:18)
In delivering public goods and services, Government turn to amateurs and other
adhoc arrangements at their own peril. The National Economic Empowerment and
Development Strategies (NEEDS) recognized this altruism as it captured as one of
its major components, the strengthening of basic service delivery through
improved governance norms and institutional strengthening.
Effective Public Service Delivery in Nigeria
Gazali (2007:5) has suggested the following checklist for measuring the
performance of the Public Service and its capabilities (in Nigeria).
- demonstrable good and service to the people of Nigeria in cost
effective, efficient and timely manner,
- existence of state institutions that are guided by high ideals of public
service in carrying out their mandates in a fair, equitable, transparent
and accountable manner,
- perception by the citizens that state institutions are respectful of
citizens’ rights, interests and generally demonstrate respect for the
laws of the land,
- the legitimate use of physical force and coercion,
- safe and secured environment that allow citizens to carry out their
daily routines without fear, encumbrances and hindrance other than
those imposed by law,
- general perception that justice is dispensed justly, fairly, equitably
and in a very timely manner,
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- legitimate enforcement of laws, rules and regulations that is not
selective or perceived to be tainted with bias.
Accordingly, Gazali (ibid) proposed that the role of the Public Service in the
transformation of the country could be benchmarked thus:
- the engine of growth in infrastructure and human capital,
- energizer in the Nigerian Political and economic process,
- the beacon of unity in diversity and sustainability of the Nigerian
Federation,
- a beacon of hope in the fight against corruption and retarded
development,
- Instrument of social transformation and failed political process
State of the Civil Service in Nigeria’s Fourth Republic
At the inception of the current democratic dispensation in May 1999, the state of
the Public Service in Nigeria in terms of public image, value system, operational
modality, service delivery was considered to be in disarray. According to Pepple
(2008:3), it was severally observed that the Public Service and the Civil Servants
in particular were:
- Lethargic and slow in official decision and action,
- Insensitive to the value of time,
- Irregular in attendance at work,
- Nepotic,
- Wasteful with government resources,
- Poorly staffed and corrupt,
- In appropriately supervised and slow to change,
- Characterized by breakdown of disciplinary system and code of
ethics,
- Unresponsive and discourteous to the public etc.
In June 2003, President Olusegun Obasanjo summed up all these at a retreat for
members of the Federal Cabinet and Permanent Secretaries when he declared:
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Public Offices are the shopping floor for government business.
Regrettably, Nigerians have for too long been feeling short-changed
by the quality of public service delivery by which decisions are not
made without undue outside influence and files do not move without
inducement. Our Public Offices have for to long been showcases for
the combined evils of inefficiency and corruption, whilst being
impediments to the effective implementation of government policies
Nigerians deserve better. And we will ensure, they get what is better.
(Obansanjo as cited in Abdullah, 2007).
Against the backdrop of these perceived and expressed negative attributes of the
public service, the Obasanjo government embarked on a Public Service Reform
process to change the public service orientation and re-organize it for quality
service delivery.
The thrusts of the Public Service reforms were as follows:
- Professionalizing the service with skilled and knowledgeable
technocrats with appropriate motivation to assist in up-grading the
operations of Government.
- Reducing waste and inefficiency by monetizing fringe benefits within
an incentive structure that supports private sector development by
out-sourcing services which are considered to be unnecessary and
only tangential to effective government and operation of the service,
- Improving morale by instituting a more transparently managed
contributory pension system that guarantees pension payment as
and when due and under direct control of the retiree,
- Rightsizing the workforce of the service by weeding outsourced
cadres and those that do not have the qualifications, the required
discipline or the proper state of physical and mental health to serve
effectively,
- Instituting fiscal and budgetary reforms within the context of a
Medium-Term Public Expenditure framework in order to sanitize
budgeting and funding of government programmes,
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- Harmonizing organizational structures and objectives to reduce
duplication and promote systematic reporting and evaluation of
performance and programme implementation,
- Re-focusing Government Agencies on their Core functions and
withdrawing from commercial activities and making them more
effective through restructuring and re-skilling,
- Re-engineering administrative rules, procedures and work processes
by making them faster, and adapting them to existing operational and
technological realities (ICT),
- Changing the mind-set of officers so that they are disciplined,
courteous and are guided by a professional code of ethical conduct
etc. (Yayale, 2007).
-
Civil Service Administration and Effective Service Delivery for Development
Functions of the Civil Service
Against the background of the criticisms of the Civil Service as an instrument for
effective service delivery, it is considered desirable to appraise the roles and
functions of the institution as bases for a meaningful and objective appraisal.
The main function of the public service is the implementation and execution of the
policy decisions of government. In other words, the responsibility for decision
making belongs to the political class while implementation is the function of the
bureaucracy.
It is the task of the public service to assist in the formulation of policy by supplying
the political class with all the information desirable for a right decision. In doing
this, the Civil Servant must place before his political boss all the arguments on
both sides fully and fairly, whatever his own biases are.
Once the decision has been taken, the civil servant must loyally execute the
option chosen regardless of his preference for a different option. It is his task to
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dig into all previous issues of similar reckon and offer such constructive
suggestions for the instant matter. The Civil Service must therefore constantly
engage in data collection, analysis and presentation.
Further to all these, the Civil Service stands for continuity giving the limited tenure
of political offices and also changes in party programmes. Irrespective of the party
in power, it is the task of the service to advance the national point of view before
each political office holder that comes into power.
Finally, the public service is expected to ensure discreetness or the secrecy as to
what takes place in the office. The servant is expected to be seen and not heard.
By these very facts, the political class is expected to be take full responsibility for
all actions and inactions.
The Umar Musa Yar’adua - led government which took over after the first eight
years of the Nigerian fourth republic essentially continued with the programmes of
the latter. The seven-point agenda of the Yar’adua - led government are the
provision of sustainable power and energy, food security, wealth creation, land
reforms, effective public transportation, security and education.
Following from the above, effective service delivery towards national development
has gone under active scrutiny within the last ten and half years of Nigeria’s
democratic dispensation. The period had continued to be compared and
contrasted with the performance of the Nigeria Public Service in Nigeria’s post
independence era.
Some of the giant strides posted to the credit side of the Public Service balance
sheet in the development of the Nigerian state are as follows:-
- The sustenance of the Nigerian nation as an entity, as well as its
unity in diversity, is a bond which the Civil Service has nurtured,
despite deep cultural and ethic diversities of the component units,
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- Through the instrumentality of the Civil Service bureaucracy, the
colonial creation known as Nigeria in 1914, became transformed to
the present 36 states structure of a federal system of government in
response to the yearnings and aspirations of multi-ethnic groups that
constitute the Nigerian state;
- During the colonial era and immediately before Nigeria’s
independence in 1960, the purpose of the service was the provision
of governance for revenue collection, provision of security and limited
social services, such as education, health care, sanitation and pipe
borne water in selected cities of the country. These were provided
by the Public Works Department, Health Department, Education
Department etc, to a limited urban population who then constituted
the elites;
- With the attainment of independence and the emergence of oil boom
in 1970’s, the Civil Service was able to provide expansion in its
scope of activities in the areas of construction of new infrastructure,
education, health, housing, agriculture, other social services and
increase in National Income, as well as, per capita income;
- Government and in particular through the Civil Service as a
bureaucracy, was able to attain visible strides in the expansion of
state capacities to provide for its citizens literacy level, more colleges
and universities were built, several thousands of kilometers of roads
were constructed including new airports and airstrips, human capital
development were vigorously pursued, new cities were developed
and conscious urban renewal efforts were made;
- Government and the civil service bureaucracy through the Ministry of
Defence, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Police have been able to
contribute successfully, to various Global Peace Missions across the
continents, in the last fifty years.
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- Some of the shining examples of the Nigerian Government
contribution to global peace, through the instrumentality of its Public
Service institutions include but not limited to the following:
- Nigeria’s role against apartheid which began as early as her
Independence in 1960 and in 1964. When at the summit of the
Organization of African Unity, the then Prime Minister, Sir Abubarkar
Tafawa Balewa, stressed that if reason and the newly imposed
sanctions failed, African would be forced to resort to other means;
However, according to Oronsaye (Punch, Lagos January 4 2010:14)
It is disappointing that the public service appears
to lack the capacity to meet the challenges of
the current national development. The national
capacity building project initiated in 2007 noted
the weak and declining capacity of the nation’s
public service and the urgent need to build and
strengthen its ability to effectively deliver
sustainable growth, reduce poverty and
contribute significantly to the achievement of the
UN MDGs.
The MDGs are the outcome of the UN Millennium Summit held in 2000 at which
delegates of 192 member-nations issued the UN Millennium Declaration, setting
out an eight-goal plan to eradicate poverty in the World’s impoverished nations
(including Nigeria) by 2015. Backed by 23 International Development
Organizations, with 21 targets, they aim to:
- reduce extreme poverty,
- reduce child and maternal mortality,
- eliminate HIV/AIDS and other epidemics, and
- develop an all-encompassing global partnership for growth.
Similarly, vision 20:2020 is a programme developed by the federal Government
following a thesis by the International Investment Bankers, Goldman Sachs, that,
based on economic and social settings, Nigeria and some other developing
countries have the potential to become economic power houses by 2015. Nigeria’s
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planners have encapsulated this into a plan to place the country among the
World’s 20 largest economies by 2020
Indeed, it is the public service that drives all these projects and there is a linkage
between the efficiency of a nation’s civil service and its capacity to attain
economic progress. Recent examples are Japan, South Korea, Indonesia and
Malaysia where efficient bureaucracies have played pivotal roles in modernization
and economic success. As a matter of fact, the World Bank has stated that where
the bureaucracy lacks the capacity to implement policies, no matter how well-
intention they will not succeed.
The issue of the pubic service and effective service delivery has been at the front
burner of public discourse since 2010. At a public lecture in honour of the late
Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Alhaji Shehu Musa, a retired
Federal Permanent Secretary, Chief Philip Asiodu stated thus;
We are aware of the great erosion of standards and
values, authority and powers which have afflicted the
civil service since the devastating purge of 1988…, For
the nation to move forward, it is imperative that the civil
service should regain its lost glory and assume its role
as the engine that would propel the growth of the
country, a good civil service … is absolutely necessary
for the realization of Vision 20;2020 (Punch January,
17, 2010).
Adewumi (2008:3) in a presentation to a World Bank Team on the needs of Ekiti
State in the area of Public Sector Governance and Capacity Building drew
attention to the synergy between human and institutional capacity building and
overall managerial effectiveness in the Public Service of Ekiti State. He posited
that the efforts of the State Government, as at 2008, was a far cry from the
required human resource development standard judging by the staff strength
compared with budget lines for training vote between 2003-2008.
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Table 1: Actual expenditure on Training compared with Training vote as
percentage of recurrent expenditure in Ekiti State (2003 – 2008).
Year
Training Vote
N
Total Recurrent
Expenditure on
Training
Nm
Percentage of
Training Vote over
Total Recurrent
Vote
2003 27,130,000 9,968,350 0.27%
2004 25,500,000 11,476,619 0.22%
2005 35,000,000 12,719,076 0.28%
2006 35,000,000 13,867,336 0.25%
2007 39,000,000 17,023,148 0.23%
2008 44,850,000 25,183,326 0.18%
Source: Adewumi (Ibid)
The implication of the above table is that human capacity development is under-
subscribed to in the scheme of public service expenditure and as such carry a
tremendous weight and negative impact on the effectiveness of the public service
in service delivery especially in a world that advances in know how and technology
by day.
Table 2 – Percentage of Training Vote over total recurrent expenditure
(2009-2013)
A
Year
B
Total Recurrent
Expenditure
C
Training Vote
D
Actual Exp. on
Training
F
Percentage of
D to B
2009 31,097,245,035 66,300,000 45,586,451 or
55.73%
0.15%
2010 31,910,855,675 50,000,000 45,461,117 or
90.90%
0.14%
2011 36,598,869,680.3
9
85,000,000 77,230,447.50
or 90.86%
0.21%
2012 35,721,660,000 60,000,000 52,807,741.88
or 88.01%
0.14%
2013 48,465,677,012 100,000,000 47,419,000 or
47.12%
0.10%
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Source: Ekiti State Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning 2014.
Even though it is apparent that more resourcing had gone into training in the past
five years relatively, a yawning gap still exists when the training vote is expressed
as percentage of total recurrent expenditure.
The bottom line here is that certain things had gone wrong with the Nigerian Public
Service which at the old regional and national levels was once the pride of Africa,
spearheading the development of the old regional government from 1960 to the
early 1970. Civil servants had successfully implemented three five year national
development plans -1962-1968, 1970-1974, and 1975 -1979.
Recommendations
Fundamentally, reforms would usually emphasize the interdependence between
organizations and people. The premise is that organizations exist to serve human
needs (rather than the reverse). Consequently, improved government or public
sector performance requires improved leadership at the political, the technocratic
and the administrative levels,
Olaopa (2007:8) has obliged five dimensions of human capital as frameworks for
the required reforms in the public service. These are:
- Strategic Alignment: Structure the organization and deploy the
workforce to support the mission and set the job done, within the
overreaching logic of the interdependence of organization and
people;
- Strategic Competencies:- Recruit, hire, develop and retain
employees with the right skills at least in meeting critical tasks of
every agency;
- Leadership:-Retain and appoint the most high performing leaders
who are motivated to focus on results, who maintain high standards
of excellence, honesty and integrity;
- Performance Culture:- Develop, reward and retain high performance
within wage structure and overall motivation that is reasonably
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competitive, deal effectively with poor performers, and remove
impediment to effective service delivery such as resources, tools,
insufficient support and authority, time, and competency gaps; and
- Learning and Knowledge management:- Develop and implement
management strategies and system and, invest strategically in
training and development for employees.
In addition the following suggestions are offered towards the repositioning of the
Civil Service for effective service delivery for national development
There should be standardization in the number, size, structure and organization of
Government bureaucracy to prevent arbitrariness and overlap in the functions and
relationship between or among Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs)
such that role expectations are clearly delineated.
There should be clear cut job descriptions and organograms that clearly indicate
who does what and line relations in MDAs.
The on-going reforms in the Civil Service should continue to emphasize the vision,
mission and objectives of MDAs, which should publish an annual report of their
activities not later than the end of the first quarter of a succeeding year for the
purpose of performance evaluation.
Deepening the practice of democracy and adhering to the sanctity of the rule of
law should be watchwords for Political Office holders while public servants must
imbibe the ethos and ethics of transparency and accountability in the conduct of
government business.
There must be strict observance of the rules and regulations of the Public Service
while deviation and breaches must attract appropriate sanctions.
Corruption and other forms of sharp practices must be decisively dealt with if and
when detected in the system.
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To create a world class Public Service, the Public Service in Nigeria must evolve
new ways in talent management. This will enable the service attract and retain
some of the best brains required for its service delivery.
For efficiency and effectiveness of the Public Service, a performance management
system capable of measuring real output must be evolved. Performing officers
must be recognized and accordingly rewarded.
Training and retraining of officers particularly in ICT, professional and
administrative duties, must be encouraged through appropriate funding in
budgeting allocation and implementation of training programmes.
Thereby, a Public Service that is proactive and which anticipates problems and
provides well considered ingenous solutions and competent to evaluate foreign or
foreign based solutions which could be sourced from exchange of ideas in training
programmes can emerge.
The traditional characteristics of the Civil Service i.e the ideals of neutrality,
anonymity and permanence must not be compromised. The service must continue
to provide the bridge of continuity. In this connection, the latest addition to the
Public Service Reform which has imposed tenures on the offices of Permanent
Secretaries and Directors will appear to be antithetical to the principle of
Permanence of career. Similarly, the tenure system for the topmost position in the
career echelon of the Service may be counterproctive as it may result in the
politicization of the echelon of the Service and rob it of its most experienced brains
and hands in the final analysis.
The Service should be insulated from politics. Career officers should be free to
perform traditional roles of advise and implementation of public policies and
programmes in accordance with due process. Officers who are not contented with
these measures of involvement should gracefully bow-out and seek relevance at
the other side of the public service spectrum. The conscientious officers should
22

also be protected from the hard knocks of political bosses when their conscionable
actions are deemed politically incorrect and unpalatable to the powers that be.
Finally, the jurisdiction of the public service as per providing advice in policy
formulation and faithfully carrying out policy decisions should be acknowledged
and adhered to by the political class in the interest of role complementariness in
service delivery. It is opined that a political office holder who publicly declares not
to be bound by the suggestion of advisers is not himself entitled to blame the
public service advisers when policy decisions hit the rock.
References
Adebayo, Augustus (2000) Principles and Practice of Public Administration in
Nigeria, Ibadan Spectrum Publishers
.Adewumi O, (2008) The needs of Ekiti State in the Area of Public Sector
Governance and Capacity Building a presentation to a
World Bank Team in Ado-Ekiti An overview of service
Delivery in the Nigerian Public Service, Lagos
ASCON, Spectrum Books.
Agagu, A (1999) Theory and Practice of Public Administration Lagos, Spiral
Waves Communication. Limited
Al-Ghazali, A (2008) The Transformation of the Nigeria Public
Service, Abuja SKY-Leks.
Bade, Gboyega (2004) First Class Public Servant, the myths, characteristics, dos
and donts, Ado-Ekiti. Ajomoro Press
Bourgon, J .(2007) “Responsive, Responsible and respect Government Towards
a New Public Administration Theory” International Review
of Administrative Science Vol. 73 No.1
Caiden , G, (2000) The Essence of Public Service Professionalism in
Promoting Ethics in the Public Service, UN, New York.
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Daodu, O. (2007) The Rationale, Philosophy and Essentials of the Civil Service
Reforms: Lagos (ASCON)
Keller, P. and Lord Crowther – Young 1980) The Civil Servants. An Inquiry into
Britain’s Ruling Class, London Macdonald General Books
Nwakwo J. I, (1982) Educational Administration Theory and Practice New
Delhi Vikas Publishing House PVT Ltd.
Olagboye, (2005) Inside the Nigerian Civil Service. Ibadan: Daily Graphic Nigeria
Ltd
Olaopa, T (2007) The Imperative of Human Resources Management As a critical
Issue in the Public Service reforms, A Lecture delivered in
2007 at the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria, Lagos.
Olaopa T, (2009) Public Administration and Public Service Reforms in Nigeria,
Ibadan University Press Plc
Pepple, Amal (2008) “Reorienting the Attitudes Ethics and Values of Civil
Servants as necessary Ingredients for the achievement of
Government Policies” Address presented at the 38th
Annual Conference of Civil Service Commissions in Nigeria
held at Dutse, Jigawa State.
Stillman, R. J. (1980) Public Administration: Concepts and Cases Boston:
Houghton Mifflin Company
Thompson, K (1986) Bureaucracy and the State. Mitton Keynes, MKLL IBY, the
Open Univ. Press
Yayale, Ahmed (2007) “Extending the Frontiers of the Civil Service Reforms”
presentation at the 37th
Annual Conference of Civil
Service Commission in Nigeria held at Uyo.
Punch (2008) Lagos 5th
September.
Punch (2010) Lagos 4th
January.
www.investopedia.com accessed 2013/4/27.
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