Nigerian Public Sector Research Articles

Towards an online bachelor of information science degree programme in a Nigerian University: Part 1 – Lessons from the literature and existing curricula

Training programmes forthe information professions worldwide have been shifting and diversifying the scope of their claimed domains and curricula in order to empower their graduates with diverse knowledge and versatile technical skills required to compete successfully in the highly competitive job markets in the information industries. In line with this trend, and after running its flagship Master of Information Science (MInfSc) programme for more than 20 years, the Africa Regional Centre for Information Science, Nigeria, undertook a comprehensive study in order to gain new understanding of trends in curriculum design for information science and technology education. The first part of the study reviewed existing literature and curricula worldwide concerning education for information science and its related fields. The second part surveyed potential employers of information science and technology graduates in the Nigerian public and private sectors, and of graduates and current students of the MInfSc programme. This Part One of this paper reports on findings from the first part, while Part Two reports the findings from the second part.

Reward System in the Nigerian Political and Public Sector: The Call for a Paradigm Shift in the 21st Century

Reward system defined in terms of remunerations, salaries, wages, allowances, and fringe benefits constitute a dominant feature of political and public institutions in developed and developing countries. Nigeria as a social formation operates a reward system where civil servants and political office holders are remunerated through salaries, fringe benefits and allowances for performing legislative, executive and administrative functions. This paper is an attempt at examining political and other public servants salaries and allowances within the backdrop of its implications on human resource management, productivity and sustainable development of the country. The paper argues that because reward systems are highly skewed in favor of the political class in comparison to salaries and allowances in other sectors of the economy, Nigerian politicians have turned democratic elections into investment areas and opportunities and battle fields where money, private armies and thugs are employed to create enabling environments that guarantee returns on investments and accelerated access to primitive accumulation of wealth. Given the inequality in the Nigerian reward system between the political and other classes in the country, the paper argues that a paradigm shift aimed at the restructuralization of the reward system and the fight against corruption are inevitable for human capital development, productivity enhancement and sustainable development of the country in the 21st century

Budget in Nigerian Public Sector: Need for Balanced Scorecard Perspective

The word budget has been traced to its origin. Budget performance in Borno, Bauchi, Yobe, Taraba and Adamawa, all in Nigeria has been investigated specifically on how budget performances differ from State to State. Four budget performance indices appraisals were used. ANOVA and Pair Wise Correlation statistical tools were employed in the analysis of data collected. The results showed that budget performance differs significantly with p = 0.001 from state to state with F > 13.118 tested at 5% level of significance. This paper recommended the adoption of Balanced Scorecard Budget Perspectives and close monitoring of budget execution should be enshrined in the country’s work ethics so as to strengthen other measures in mitigating public corruption in Nigeria.

Due Process and Budget Implementation: An Evaluation of Nigerian Public Sector Auditing

Government responsibilities in Nigeria have enlarged over the years so much that it is becoming very burdensome and impossible for government to manage its affairs effectively. One of the reasons why government engages in budgeting is scarcity of resources which always leads to claims and demands outweighing the resources to satisfy them. The issue of budget implementation has been hampered by lack of complex redundancy which manifested itself in various forms. Once a government prepares a budget, the ideal thing is to implement it for optimal benefits to the stakeholders, but, this appears not to be the case. As good as our budget is in terms of preparation and contents; it is kept in shelves after approval as a historical book and never consulted. It is against this background that government and auditors introduce new measures and strategies aimed at checking wasteful expenditures and keeping budget in line with global practice. The objective of the paper therefore is to examine few of these measures and to determine their implications on budget implementation. The paper concluded that all the new audit trends are indispensable for the efficiency and effectiveness of budget performance. However, the paper recommended the need to enact enabling laws that will ensure the workability of these new audit concepts.

Influence of government-community healthcare financing partnership on human and material characteristics of primary health care facilities in Anambra State, Nigeria

Background: The Nigerian public health sector, over the years, has been characterised by inadequate funding causing decay in human, material, and services infrastructure. These along with the payment of user-fees have rendered the public health facilities unattractive and therefore poorly patronized by the people. The introduction of the government-community healthcare co-financing scheme in Anambra State of southeastern Nigeria provided additional funds to improve the quality of public health services in the State. The effect of this scheme on the human and material characteristics of primary health care facilities in the State is examined.Methods: The is a descriptive, comparative study of two health centres, one of which had intervention under the State Government-Community health care co-financing scheme.Findings: Physical infrastructure, equipments, drugs and consumables, together with the number and cadre of health providers all showed significant improvement at the intervention health centre following the introduction of the scheme, and also when compared with the control health centre. The result is a significant improvement in the overall utilization of services at the intervention health centre.Conclusions: Community based health insurance, will increase the human and material resources necessary to improve the quality of health care delivery in the community, encourage the utilization of public health facilities within the community and ultimately ensure an overall  improvement of health care delivery in the State.Keywords: Government-Community healthcare financing, Human and material characteristics, primary health care facilities, Anambra State, Nigeria.

Comparative Study of Work Output and Wages of Construction Craftsmen in the Nigerian Public Sector

Work output of construction craftsmen in the service of the Federal Republic of Nigeria was the focal point of this study,compared on an annual basis to the wages they received. Comparison was also made of the wages in both the private and the publicsectors. The aim of the research was to quantitatively verify the authenticity of the assumption of the general public of Nigeria that theskills of the craftsmen in the public sector were being underutilized. The Federal Government Ministry of Works offices in three of thenorth-central states were used for the survey. Each of the three state field offices had four departments that were having constructioncraftsmen of various trades as the core employees. Each of the twelve heads of departments was interviewed based on preparedquestionnaire, on the volume of direct-labour work the department undertook annually. Records of the wages of the craftsmen wereobtained from the accounts department while some craftsmen filled and returned questionnaire relating to their perception of the work.Percentages were used for data analysis. The results show that the wages of the craftsmen in the public sector were lower than the wagestheir counterparts in the private sector receive until the 1999 when the wages of the former were increased. It was equally found that thevalues of work output of the public sector craftsmen were infinitesimally small when compared to their wages over the period covered by theinvestigation. The employers were actually paying the wages of the craftsmen for work not done.

Anti-corruption in public procurement in nigeria: challenges and competency strategies

Public procurement provides a fertile ground for corruption in the Nigerian public sector. Reforms to create an effective public procurement system, which have been almost exclusively the governmentʼs affair, seem to be yielding insignificant results. Effective reforms to control corruption in public procurement systems must be sustainably participative and inclusive of all essential stakeholders in the society. Most importantly, the preconditions for achieving a sound public procurement system are integrity and commitment to good governance practices through the provision of welldesigned legislation and supporting regulations and review processes.

Servicom policy intervention: Improving service quality in Nigerian public sector

In this case study we examine the raison d’etre and implementation of a policy intervention, which was promulgated in 2005 for the purpose of eradicating inefficiency and corruption, and inculcating customer orientation in the Nigerian public sector. The policy goes by the acronym ‘SERVICOM’ -‘service compact with all Nigerians’. We draw on existing information in describing workplace behaviours in the Nigerian public sector that necessitated this policy intervention, the extent of its implementation, and in enumerating related interventions that are being implemented concurrently with SERVICOM. Our findings suggest that the objectives and delivery mechanisms of SERVICOM are appropriate remedies for poor service delivery in the Nigerian public sector. SERVICOM units are being established in government departments, workers are being trained, among other strategies for achieving the aims of the intervention. Other actions, however, must be taken to achieve the desired improvements. For instance, improvements in physical infrastructure must be undertaken, since changed work attitudes cannot substitute for inadequate infrastructure. A properly functioning public service is indispensable to good governance, institutional capacity building, and private sector development. SERVICOM policy must be sustained, alongside other related initiatives, until Nigerian public life is truly transformed. Continued support of the international community will really help.

Gender Disparity in the Nigerian Labour Force: Implications for Counselling

Women's working life is deeply imbued with sexism. Ingrained in this, is the fact that the structure of the Nigerian public and private sector of the labour force do not appear to favour the women folk, who are already seen by society as participating in a “man's world”. There are obvious and subtle discriminations against women in the area of employment patterns, job schedules and promotions, to mention just a few. These have constrained and affected the productivity of women in the labour force. This paper highlights those specific areas of disparity in the public and private sectors of the nation's labour force and proffers solutions, that are counselling based, which will enable the policy makers close up these gaps and create a more conducive working environment that will enhance women's productivity. Keywords: Gender, disparity, labour force, counselling implications. The Nigerian Journal of Guidance and Counselling Vol. 11 (1) 2006: pp. 76-83

Examining architects' performance in Nigerian private and public sectors building projects

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to examine and compare the performance of architects with respect to clients' rating of importance over a set of performance criteria in Nigerian public and private sector building projects.Design/methodology/approachA survey involving clients from both public and private sectors of recently completed building projects in Nigeria was undertaken. Data analysis includes comparing similarities and differences using standardised ratio, Mann Whitney U and Wilcoxon tests.FindingsThe results show that private sector clients are likely to be more concerned with cost, while public sector clients are more concerned with buildability of design. A total of 79 per cent of the criteria were similarly selected by both sectors with respect to importance of the criteria. Architects need to improve their performance significantly in about 82 per cent of the whole set of 28 criteria. The architects performed better in the public sector than the private sector and 14 per cent of the criteria were indicated as being statistically different in terms of architects' performance.Originality/valueThe results provide feedback which can be incorporated in architects' future projects so as to ensure successful project implementation in the building delivery process.

Training and Development in Nigerian Industries and Organisations

This paper is a discourse on the important topic of training and development in Nigerian industries and organizations. It begins with definitions and insights into what training and development are all about especially in the specific context of the work place. Key aspects such as identification of training needs, types and methods of training, benefits of training and evaluation of training are then treated in sequence. These are followed, by a discussion of training programmes in the Nigerian public sector and some training institutions in Nigeria. Problems of employee training in Nigeria are then highlighted with suggestions given on strategies to be adopted in overcoming these identified problems and weaknesses.

Value orientation and value profile of nigerian public managers: implications for management practice

Using England's personal value questionnaire the value orientations and value profile of public managers at the state level in Nigeria were analyzed. The analyses revealed that most of these managers have a pragmatic value orientation. Implications for management practice and management development in the Nigerian public sector were discussed. Future research directions were also suggested.

Conflicts over caregiving: A discussion of filial obligations among adult Nigerian children

A Nigerian study describing what working adult children do to help their parents.Data were derived from interviews of 100 respondents aged 25 to 55 currently employed in the Nigerian public sector and having at least a living mother.The commonest form of assistance was provision of monthly allowance and foodstuffs. Most of the adult children felt dissatisfied with their level of assistance to their parents, yet felt unable to do better because of the variety of demands on their limited financial resources. Since this current practice of parental support burdens the child's family and fails to provide adequately for the needs of the elderly parents, the author suggests that there is a need for government to explore other avenues for lightening the burden of parent care and thereby improving the quality of life across the life span.

The Nuclear Household Model in Nigerian Public and Private Sector Policy: Colonial Legacy and Socio‐political Implications

Development and ChangeVolume 18, Issue 2 p. 281-294 The Nuclear Household Model in Nigerian Public and Private Sector Policy: Colonial Legacy and Socio-political Implications Eleanor R. Fapohunda, Eleanor R. Fapohunda Formerly Senior Lecturer in the Department of Economics, University of Lagos, is currently a staff member of the New York Institute of Technology (New York). A labour economist, she has written articles on African women's employment problems and recently contributed to a book on African Women and the Industrial Development Decade for Africa (UNECA).Search for more papers by this author Eleanor R. Fapohunda, Eleanor R. Fapohunda Formerly Senior Lecturer in the Department of Economics, University of Lagos, is currently a staff member of the New York Institute of Technology (New York). A labour economist, she has written articles on African women's employment problems and recently contributed to a book on African Women and the Industrial Development Decade for Africa (UNECA).Search for more papers by this author First published: April 1987 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-7660.1987.tb00274.xCitations: 17 AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Citing Literature Volume18, Issue2April 1987Pages 281-294 RelatedInformation