CHALLENGES OF POLICY IMPLEMENTATION IN NIGERIA
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CHALLENGES OF POLICY IMPLEMENTATION IN NIGERIA
Chapter one
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
Every community must have problems. These issues could be related to politics, commerce, education, agriculture, communication, housing, transportation, or health.
To address these issues, as they arise at any given time, the government is constantly observed developing policies in reaction to them and in relation to the goals of growth, national development, and citizen well-being.
This is vital because if these issues are not addressed as they arise, they may escalate into uncontrollable stages, jeopardising the society’s social-economic growth and development (Okoli and Onah, 2002).
For this reason, the scope and consequences of public policy are typically quite ubiquitous and dominant, especially in developing countries like Nigeria with a very weak private sector (Ikelegbe 2006; Abah, 2010).
For example, the creation and implementation of public policies determines the level of social service provision, the availability of financial services for economic activities, the level of industrialization
the level of employment opportunities, the level of social or economic inequality, the availability of health facilities, the level of social security, the pace of educational development, and so on.
Fundamentally, a public policy is a government activity or planned action aimed at achieving specific goals or objectives (Ikelegbe 2006). In light of a specific social situation, public policy directs and determines current and future public decisions, as well as private person or private company institutional acts, decisions, or behaviour.
In essence, a public policy governs the activity of the government and certain private entities in terms of providing services aimed to solve a certain problem. Policies are usually created or defined by the legislative branch of government at the federal, state, or municipal levels, and then executed by the public bureaucracy or designated private institutions.
However, in most circumstances, policy execution is the job of the public bureaucracy. Indeed, in almost every country in the world, public policies are primarily executed by the public bureaucracy, specifically the bureaucrats or career civil servants who work there (Ezeani, 2006). As a result, the function of government in development is largely determined by the public bureaucracy.
The public bureaucracy fulfils this function by effectively implementing government policies, programmes, and programmes that strive to achieve development goals and objectives. However, most policies in Nigeria are carefully and beautifully formulated but poorly implemented by the bureaucracy (Obodoechi, 2009; Ikelegbe, 2006).
As a result, public policies fail to fulfil their intended goals and objectives, as well as to ameliorate the problems for which they were established. Indeed, there are often large gaps between articulated policy goals and their fulfilment due to inefficient execution in practically all aspects of Nigerian public administration (Ozor, 2004; Mankinde, 2005).
Initially, the literature of policy studies focused on the policy formation stage. However, in recent years, the emphasis has switched to policy implementation, since it has become clear that good policy implementation is not automatic (Egonmwan, 1984; Ikelegbe, 2006; Nweke, 2006).
Again, policy implementation has become a greater concern than policy formulation, particularly in developing countries such as Nigeria, where citizens increasingly expect the government to effectively implement development projects and programmes, while ineffective policy implementation has become critical and worrisome.
Against this backdrop, and in line with the argument of Ugo and Ukpere (2011) that an adequate solution to the problem of effective policy implementation failures in Nigeria must stem logically from a rigorous examination and analysis of its causes
the study is set to look at policy implementation as a major stage in the policy process, to highlight the need and role of public bureaucracy in effective implementation of policies, and to examine obstacles that constrain the
1.2 Statement of Problem
Most government policies/reforms in Nigeria have failed to achieve their expected outcomes due to either unbalanced implementation or a complete failure to give effect to the policy or reform’s aim.
Nigerian public servants have raised worry about the government’s sincerity in carrying out the monetization strategy to its natural conclusion. The reform programme is expected to reduce the significant waste, misuse, abuse, and fraud that characterised the distribution of fringe benefits to public employees.
The reform will encourage public servants to own personal houses, allowing them to plan for a more comfortable service life, lowering capital costs and rent expenditures because public servants, who make up the majority of tenants in urban areas, will have developed their own homes.
The effectiveness with which the reform is implemented will determine whether or not these benefits are realised. The reform process places specific stresses on the civil service, which must make significant adjustments that may increase uncertainty and weaken morale throughout the transition phase.
The government intends to reduce its workforce by 30,056 people (The Guardian Sunday September 4, 2005 p.1). Approximately 90% of them will be lower-level civil workers living in poverty, particularly those who lack minimum entry requirements for the posts they hold.
This will have a negative impact on people affected and exacerbate the country’s unemployment rate. Thus, the activity is elitist in both idea and execution.
Those in higher levels of administration will receive a bigger percentage of monetized allowances. The chances of junior employees purchasing their quarters through the bidding process are extremely low.
As a result, the goal of providing housing and reducing poverty among public personnel will not be met, particularly when junior workers account for more than half of the government workforce.
1.3 Objectives of the Study
The primary goal of the study is to identify the problems of implementing government policy in Nigeria. Specifically, the study intends to:
1. Discover the obstacles of policy implementation in Nigeria.
2. Analyse the effect of such difficulties on the Nigerian economy.
3. Investigate the elements that influence those issues.
4. Provide solutions to the difficulties.
1.4 Research Questions.
The following research questions are developed to guide this investigation.
1. What are the challenges for policy implementation in Nigeria?
2. Is there any substantial influence of these difficulties on the Nigerian economy?
3. What elements influence those challenges?
4. What solutions can be proposed to the challenges?
1.5 Research Hypothesis.
Ho: there is no significant impact of those difficulties on the Nigerian economy.
Hello: there is a huge impact of those difficulties on the Nigerian economy.
1.6 Significance of the Study
The basic idea behind these definitions of public policy is that it is a course of action that results from environmental challenges or stimuli. Monetization strategy is thus a course of action
a plan aiming at revitalising the country’s ailing economy by redirecting funds formerly spent on providing incentives to public employees to the funding of social initiatives.
This study will also act as an open eye to the entire economy, as well as a reference point for other scholars who will be conducting similar studies.
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