ASSESSMENT OF NIGERIA CIVIL SERVICE

ASSESSMENT OF NIGERIA CIVIL SERVICE

(A CASE STUDY OF FEDERAL MINISTRY OF EDUCATION, ABUJA FROM 2011-2016)

Abstract

Civil service is sequence for national development. This is because it is a means of accelerating development and improving productivity of promoting economic growth in developing countries such as Nigeria. It requires well planned programme and policies that will nurture, strengthen and position it for effectiveness and efficiency. It is therefore worrisome to note the wanting standard of civil services in Nigeria in recent years, and its reverberating effect in the whole society.  The project work attempt to assess the civil service in Nigeria taking the Federal Ministry of Education as its focus. The data were largely gathered from secondary and primary sources and were subjected to critical analysis using simple percentage and tabular presentation. This project work also identified factors that inhibited the performance and operation of the civil service and proffer solution to these abnormalities in order to make Nigeria civil service vibrant and responsive to the challenges at large and federal ministry of education. From the statistical analysis based on each hypothesis, different responses and result were derived from hypothesis one of which states, workers in Federal Ministry of Education who receive advance salaries for completing their assignment in schedule accept more responsibility in future are 55 respondents while 5 of the total respondents do not believe that workers who do not receive enhanced salary for not completing their assignment in schedule accept less responsibility in future. In the course of these findings, the researcher established the following recommendation for healthy civil service operation in Nigeria. There is a need for a surgical operation of not a complete charge of the system in operation in the society in which the civil service operate must be critical looked into the  terms of its fundamental value.

CHAPTER ONE

1.0 Introduction

The Nigeria civic service has it origin in the organization established by the British in colonial times. The Nigeria civic service consist of employees in Nigeria government agencies other than military most employees are career servile servant in the Nigeria ministries progressing based on qualification and seniority.

According to bourgeon (2007) civil service is the permanent professional branches of a government administration and judicial branches and elected politicians.

Nwankwo (2013) defined civic service as body of official responsible for advising the government of the day on matter of policy and for implementing the decision reached by the government. The Nigeria civil service therefore organized around the federal ministries, headed by the ministries appointed by the president of Nigeria who most include at least one member of the 36 state in his cabinet. The president appointment is confirmed by the savant of Nigeria

There are less than 36 ministries in some cases a federal minister may be assisted by one or more ministers of state. Each ministry also has a permanent secretary who is a senior civil savant

1.1 Statement of the Problem

The civil service is an dispensable apparatus in Nigeria administration it occupies a prominent position in the society and since the civil service is live wire of the government it desirable for the national development. Colonial era in Nigeria, the civil service government in terms of Development and maintenance via, the enactment various reforms ranging from the 1974:udoji reform to obasanjo in 2006 reform of downsizing and the civil service.

But despite all these reform efficiency and effectiveness have not been achieved in the world of public service due to some of the problem and anomalies that saddle them

The focus of the research work is to identify these problem which range from lack of promotion of the staff of the civil service, lack prompt of staff payment salaries poor recruitment exercise, nepotism tribalism and even corruption among others affect the performance of the service.

1.3 Objective of the Study

The following objective will guide the conduct of this research work: with reference to workers in the federal ministry of education Abuja

1. To, assess the impact of civil service on workers in federal ministry of education Abuja.
2. To, asses how poor recruitment process, promotion and discipline affect performance of workers in federal ministry of education, Abuja.
3. To, asses how periodic evaluation or performance appraisal contribute to effective performance of workers in federal ministry of education Abuja.
4. To, proffer suitable solution to the problem of the civil service.

 1.4      Significance of the Study

It is hoped that findings of this study to a great extent will help in improving the performance of workers of federal ministry of education, Abuja. It will also help in the civil service overall, it is hoped that the adoption of the recommendation will go a long way in the general improvement of performance and production in the civil service and hence make the civil service a result oriented civil service

1.5    Scope and Limitation of the Study

This research work confines itself to the period of (2011-2016) that is 5years period. The Federal Ministry of Education Abuja is a segment of the Nigeria civil service it then follows that its activities are reflective of the activities of other segments.

1.6     Research Hypothesis

H0: the assessment of Nigeria civil service has no positive impact on federal ministry of education, Abuja

Hi: the assessment of Nigeria civil service has a positive impact on federal ministry of education Abuja

1.7     Definition of Terms

1. Assessment: assessment is an opinion or a judgment about somebody/something that has been thought about very carefully.
2. Education: this is a process of teaching, training and learning, especially in schools or colleges, to improve knowledge or develop skill
3. Civil service: this comprises of all the workers of a state other than those holding political appointment who are employed in a civil capacity and whose remunerations are paid out of the money voted by the legislature.
4. Federal ministry of education: the federal ministry of education is an operational body of government that carries out operational functions of educational policies formulation and implementation for the national development.

CHAPTER TWO

2.0     Literature Review

It shall be the duty of every officer to acquaint him or herself with the public service rules and regulations. These civil services rules applied to all officers by the Federal Government with specific terms approved of employment or letters. The civil services government parastatals and government cooperation e.g. the Nigeria police force (NPF) water cooperation, Nigeria railway cooperation (NRC) etc are all but few examples of bodies that give and render public services. The personnel working there are all called civil servants.

Public servant are often time more inform of elected officials like the president, vice president, secretary to the state government, minister, governor etc. this categories of officials are called public servants.

The personnel’s that staff public service are often emerged through political arrangement or appointed as in case of top position in the civil service such as head officers, inspector general of police, permanent secretary, director general etc however, within the environment of public service there exist a body called civil services single out to facilitate government polices and programmes so as to develop the society.

Obiagbaoso (2009) sees the civil service as a body permanent official whose duty is to assist the political executives in the formulation of policies and implementing them.

B.C Nwankwo (2003)sees the civil service as a body of officials responsible for advising the government of the day on matters of policy and for implementing the decision reached by the government.

The idea of permanent services is intended to ensure continuity of civil servant in government functions even when one group of political leaders succeeded by another including the military politicians. Because of the civil services candidate are usually recruited either through competitive examination or on the basis of academic qualifications. Once a person becomes a civil servant, he is sure of a fixed salary and regular promotion based on seniority or merits.

One major area that has increased in the civil service scope of activities today can be seen in personnel administration. In Nigeria there were over three million public personnel in (2014) while the armed forces had about one point one million, the extent of freedom allowed the civil servant are no more bane from political activities and until during elections.