CHALLENGES OF BUREAUCRACY IN NIGERIA CIVIL SERVICES
Need help with a related project topic or New topic? Send Us Your Topic
DOWNLOAD THE COMPLETE PROJECT MATERIAL
CHALLENGES OF BUREAUCRACY IN NIGERIA CIVIL SERVICES
Abstract
This research looked at the challenges of bureaucracy in Nigerian government agencies. The entire population for the study is 200 secretariat staff members from Uyo. The researcher collected data using questionnaires as the instrument.
This study used a descriptive survey research approach. The survey included 133 respondents who worked as directors, secretaries, administrative personnel, and junior staff. The acquired data was organised into tables and analysed using simple percentages and frequencies.
chapter One
Introduction
Background of The study
Bureaucracy was envisioned as the best and most efficient method of management in both public and commercial organizations/institutions. The system was well articulated by a German Sociologist Max Webber,
to enhance efficiency through the application of clearly coin characteristic as an ideal model where emphasis is laid on rules, regulation, authority, officialdom, and technical qualifications as the criteria for selection into both public and private organisations, etc.
However, the inefficiency seen in most Nigerian ministries, parastatals, and agencies in recent times has been linked to a bureaucratic bottleneck in the civil service. Bureaucracy is the foundation of public-sector organisations; yet, the bureaucracy of governmental institutions has become a burden and has rendered the civil service inefficient, resulting in poor staff performance.
The inefficiency of most civil service organisations in Nigeria led to the establishment of the Service Compact with All Nigerians “SEVICOM” on March 21, 2004 during President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration in an attempt to reduce inefficiency in the civil service and improve performance.
Because of its varied flaws, bureaucracy in the Nigerian civil service has faced significant challenges. In the field of service delivery, many nationals have lost faith in the bureaucratic establishment tasked with ensuring public services. Arnold (2014), on the other hand, emphasised that absolutely bureaucratic administrative structures are capable of achieving a higher level of proficiency.
The necessity of democracy is dependent on the ability of state institutions to perform important services and solve problems that confront society, which is dependent to a large extent on the sincerity, competence, and inspiration of civil servants (Gertrude, 2014).
However, bureaucracy’s concern with large-scale administration and management organisation involves the issue of controlling, administering, and coordinating large-scale tasks. Bureaucratic concepts are thus applicable to corporate and public organisations or administrations that engineer societal growth.
According to Salawu (2000:34), Weber saw bureaucratic organisation as a privileged instrument capable of shaping modern government, economy, and technology.
Bureaucracy is defined as a reasonable organisation for organising people and material resources in a complex context, which is managed by professionals or experts (Agboola, 2016). Bureaucratic organisations are designed to be orderly, fair, and very effective.
Nonetheless, despite the benefits of bureaucracy in improving organisational efficiency, the Nigerian civil service has some notable negative reactions. A lot of red tape and paper effort usually results in an unpleasant experience and ineffective operations.
Furthermore, because most workers rely heavily on rules and regulations, their flexibility, inventiveness, and invention suffer significantly in public service. Similarly, rigidities, aversion to change, impersonality of relationships, and excessive aloofness are frequently observed in public sector bureaucracy.
Personnel are assigned to administrative jobs in a highly politicised manner based on favouritism and tribalism. Personnel with insufficient expertise and qualifications are occasionally assigned to sensitive positions, which has a negative impact on policy formation and service delivery.
Statement of the problem
The Nigerian civil service bureaucracy has numerous obstacles that impede its effective participation in governance and development in the country. Bureaucracy is a type of administration in companies that is founded on rules and the legitimate use of formal authority (Uwah, 2017).
However, it is clear that bureaucracy in the Nigerian Civil Service has a number of challenges, including rigidity of duties, a lack of flexibility and inventiveness in responding to the dynamics of modern organisations. Tribalism, nepotism, and favouritism in the recruitment and appointment of workers to sensitive administrative posts are also issues.
This problem leads to poor policy formation and implementation, which results in poor service delivery, a lack of accountability, and corruption in the Nigerian Civil Service. Furthermore, the pinnacle-like structure that intersects with civil service communication and situations requiring urgent action is frequently “swept under the carpet” as a result of bureaucratic inefficiencies.
Observably, these bottlenecks frequently impede the implementation of people-oriented policies and programmes, as these policies must first go via the “pinnacle” for approval. These concerns foster impunity, corruption, and nepotism in the public sector.
Similarly, monitoring and evaluating the work of federal civil service professionals, particularly those placed in sensitive administrative positions, is a significant difficulty, often based on tribal and religious opinion.
This measure encourages absenteeism and inefficiency in the civil sector because most employees treat their jobs lightly, arriving late for work and leaving before the official closing time. Furthermore, there are obvious issues of god-fatherism in contract sharing by doubtful persons in the service who serve the interests of their “godfathers”
who influence their selection into such sensitive positions. These difficulties impede contract execution in the federal civil service. Given these considerations, it is timely to propose a critique of the bureaucratic philosophy of management, with special reference to the Nigerian Civil Service.
Aim of the study
The study’s aims are as follows:
To assess the impact of personnel hierarchies in the Nigeria Civil Service.
To investigate the impact of excessive rigidity in the Nigeria Civil Service.
To investigate the impact of formal rule management in the Nigeria Civil Service.
to establish the bureaucratic problems in Nigerian civil services
research Hypotheses
The researcher developed the following research hypotheses in order to successfully complete the study:
H0: There are no bureaucratic challenges in Nigerian civil services.
H1: There are bureaucratic problems in Nigerian civil services.
H02: Hierarchical staffing in the Nigeria Civil Service has little effect.
H2: There is an effect of hierarchical staff organisation in the Nigeria Civil Service.
significance of the research
The study would be very important to both pupils and the Nigerian government. The study will provide a thorough understanding of the challenges of bureaucracy in Nigeria’s civil services. The study will also be used as a resource for other researchers who will be working on a similar topic.
The scope and limitations of the study
The study’s scope includes bureaucratic challenges in Nigerian government agencies. The researcher comes upon a constraint that limits the scope of the investigation;
a) RESEARCH MATERIAL AVAILABILITY: The researcher’s research material is insufficient, restricting the scope of the investigation.
b) TIME: The study’s time frame does not allow for broader coverage because the researcher must balance other academic activities and examinations with the study.
1.7 DEFINITION OF TERMS
Bureaucracy: A body of non-elected government personnel as well as an administrative policy-making organisation are both referred to as bureaucracy. A bureaucracy was historically a government administration governed by departments manned by non-elected individuals.
Civil service is a collective name for a sector of government made up primarily of career bureaucrats employed on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, and whose institutional tenure often outlasts political leadership transitions.
Need help with a related project topic or New topic? Send Us Your Topic
DOWNLOAD THE COMPLETE PROJECT MATERIAL