Promoting Good Public Governance and Transparency (original) (raw)
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public service in Nigeria: Functions and code of conduct
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Citizens expect public servants to be accountable and transparent in their actions. Public ethics and accountability are prerequisites to, and underpin, public trust. They are the cornerstones of good governance and development. In Nigeria, public trust in governance is low as a result of many challenges, principally the so-called Nigerian factor. Lack of transparency affects effective participation of citizens in the governing process. This article highlights the nature of Nigerian public service and draws out the challenges to the public-service delivery functions of government. It concludes that public servants should be ethical and accountable in the discharge of their duties for the betterment of the nation.
This paper investigates the significant roles of public service in good governance; how it has contributed positively and negatively to the growth of good governance, especially in Ondo State. Also, it looks at the militating factors against the public servants in contributing to the good governance in Ondo State. It also seeks the public opinion in the way forward and how the agenda of 2013-2017 can be improved on in Ondo State in this second term of the present administration in office. The methodology employed in this study involves both qualitative and quantitative techniques. Primary data were collected from the civil servants and the public. Simple percentage comparison was used to analyse the data, with the aid of frequency tables. The findings of the study revealed that recruitment into the public service is not based on merit but on: political influence, nepotism, ethnicity, corruption and so on. The public service is deficient in the sense that they do not function to the expectation of the public. Their roles and services have deteriorated as a result of corruption and lackadaisical attitudes shown to the service. The conclusion was drawn with some recommendations that will make ways for the improvement on the activities of civil servants in good governance in Ondo State, Nigeria. WORD COUNT: 213
The Political Economy of Public Service Accountability in Nigeria
Ezeibe, Christian Chukwuebuka & Iwuoha, Victor Chidubem, 2011
"Generally, public service is designed as an agent of fruitful change and development in the state. Recently, most developing states have fashioned their public service in a style to drive and invigorate their backward economies. Successive scholars have noted that the public service in Nigeria failed to measure- up with their counterparts across the globe because it lacks in transparency and accountability. This study interrogates the root cause(s) of the Nigeria’s economic woes, persistent unethical comportment, erosion of values and poor accountability in the contemporary public service in Nigeria. We consciously fused the social contract, public/common good, good governance theoretical slants to explain our thesis. We averred that accountability of public officials is inevitable to boost and sustain both developed and developing economies. We illustrated that, the success and/or failure of any country are largely attributable to its public service. However, we observed that to ensure sanity, progress and development in the public service, code of ethics, values and accountability are tripartite essentiality and that the institution of enforcement mechanisms is always crucial in achieving this. Nevertheless, the manifestations of deepening attitudinal decay, mindful abuse of official codes and principles and hysterical stealing riddles the public service of today. Many of the over-dozed reforms and the enforcement of multifarious disciplinary regimes have not appreciably shielded public servants from the vagaries of its own undoing."
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African Journal of Political Science and International Relations, 2011
The overarching thrust of this article is to share Nigeria's experience in dealing with normative ethical dilemmas towards fostering sound public service fitness and better governance. The experience indicates that these dilemmas arise from critical relations involving "civil servants" and "political office holders", "civil servants" and "citizens", and "intra-civil service". Also, the dilemmas could take the form of either personal cost, or right-versus-right, or even a hybrid of the former and the latter. Nigeria has adopted a framework of mechanisms for enthroning sound ethical fitness. These mechanisms are designed to prevent ethical misconduct, and enforce ethical principles. But challenges do arise, which can be surmounted if there exists a demonstrable commitment from the highest political authority level; and respect for public perception, because public functionaries are stewards of public confidence and trust. And this can be gained and maintained not only by consistently avoiding actual ethical misconduct, but also by the public perception of same.
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This study looks at the issues of unethical values and poor accountability in the contemporary Nigerian public service, as these remains the major challenges confronting the system. The problems recognized and perceived in the Nigerian public service, due to lack of accountability involves direct embezzlement, receipt of huge kick bags, contracts scams and inflation, large-scale salary scams, misappropriation of funds etc, Successive scholars have noted that the public service in Nigeria have failed to measure-up with their counterparts across the world, because it lacks in transparency, accountability, rules and regulations; these may be as a result of the kind of people recruit into the civil service or may be lack of proper supervision. The study explores the problem of corruption and accountability in Nigerian public service and proffers some reform measures. We used the social, public/common goods, good governance theoretical postulation to explain our work. We conclude that for development to sustain in our economy, accountability of public officials is inevitable and asserts that the success and failure of any country are largely dependent on its public service at any period of time. And observed that to ensure sanity, progress and development in the public service, code of ethics, values and accountability must be strictly adhered to and enforce by the state.
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Governments all over the world, Nigeria inclusive desire ways to provide welfare services to citizens with fewer resources, enhance transparency and accountability of public servants. As a result, the goals of the public service in terms of enhanced service delivery come to mind. This is because it serves as the major machinery through which governmental policies are implemented. However, the public service in Nigeria has witnessed widespread criticism as it pertains to the way and manner in which services are delivered. The inability of the public service to achieve its goals has necessitated the call for reform in the public service. In this regard, transparency seems to be the probable solution. This project adopts the ex-post-facto research design and found that there are several barriers arising from the adoption of the usual traditional public administrative system standing against the implementation of transparency in the public service that would have metamorphosed into better service delivery. It is in line with the above findings that the paper argues that public service delivery could be better achieved through transparency implementation in Nigeria.
Ethics and Accountability in Nigerian Public Service: Its Collapse and the Way Forward
Academic Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 2013
This paper seeks to assess the ethics and accountability within which the public service in Nigeria operate since independence through the focus on accountability and control measures specifically designed to guard against abuse and misuse of bureaucratic power. It argues that these measures have failed to provide the service with the necessary ethical environment in the post independence period due to deliberate frustration by civil servants and the government hence resulting in unethical conducts, unbridle corruption and collapse of public service. The paper concludes that the only way to tackle unethical conduct in the public service is to tackle corruption at all level of the public service and expose it. Since the various control and accountability measure instituted in the constitution have been rendered in operative by the same people who are expected to work by them. The paper recommend that the public servant should be aware of the ethical values and standards as outlined in the civil service rules (CSR), political will to enforce those standards.
This paper examines the influence of public servants in ensuring quality service delivery and governance in Nigeria. It reviewed studies on the transformation and role of government bureaucrats' in reforming civil service in line with the global best practice of performance-based and quality service delivery, specifically in Nigeria. The bureaucrats are famous in policy making and policy implementation in any regime. In other words, they are the engine room of the government. They ensure the government operate a transparent and performance-based budget and restructure civil servants to be efficient and productive in the discharge of their duties. This study used a secondary source of data with a document analysis method. The relevant literature on the subject matter was synthesized and reviewed to conclude the scholarly conclusion on ensuring transparency, accountability, and good governance in public bureaucracies in Nigeria. The findings reveal an inherent drawback on public bureaucrats, politicians, and the Nigerian system itself. The study recommends the holistic restructuring of public service specifically through job design and specification, training and retraining, social welfare provision, transfer, and employee placement.