Public Administration Education and Training in Nigeria: Problems, Challenges, and Prospects

Abstract

This article describes the evolution of public administration education and training in Nigeria through an exploratory method of inquiry. It traces the practice of public administration through the British superstructure and the indirect system of local administration created in the 1900s, which ended in 1960 when the country gained independence from Britain. As a multiethnic nation, Nigeria has experienced various forms of government and administrative reforms that not only affected the evolution of public service, but continued to pose serious challenges for universities and other institutions charged with public administration education and training. On the basis of lessons learned from public service reforms and pedagogical approaches and methods, the analysis concludes by offering recommendations for improving the public administration curriculum in Nigeria.