Civic SS2 Week 9
Topic: Public Service I
A. Meaning of Public Service
Pubic Service is a body or a department in the executive arm of the Government responsible for the execution of the policies and programmes of the Government.
The Public Service and its workers who are referred to as CIVIL SERVANTS perform purely administrative functions which entail formulation and implementation of government policies. The public service is divided into departments and each department carries out specific functions. The department called “Ministries“or commissioners who serve as political and executive head. The armed forces, the police, public corporations and government owned companies are not in the civil service are collectively called public service but their workers, including the civil servants are called public servants.
Therefore, public (corporation) service may be defined as a business organization established, owned, managed and financed with tax payers money by the government of a country with the main motive of not making profit but to render important services to members of the public.
A public corporation is also known as public enterprise or statutory corporation. It is established by the act of parliament which also determines the functions it will perform. Public corporations are owned by the government but managed by board of directors appointed by the government.
Examples of public corporations are Nigerian Ports Authority, Nigerian Airways, Power Holdings Company of Nigeria (PHCN), Nigeria Railway Corporation e.t.c
B. Reasons for Short comings in Public Service
- Colonial Influence: Most public corporations incorporated in Nigeria during the colonial era are no longer inform since the departure of colonial masters who were the initiators of this public corporation. Some of these public corporations were seized and manipulated by private individuals into their own private businesses.
- Corruption: The effectiveness of the public service has been slowed down by bribery and corruption to the extent that public servants fail to perform their official duties as they look forward to bribery before carrying out their duties.
- Bureaucracy: This means the excessive use of formalities in the public service which may militate against effectiveness.
- Tribalism: This has been the yardstick for choosing who to employ and sack in the Nigerian public service.
- Political Instability: Constant and regular change of top rank office holders in public service brings about constant instability of rules and regulations. This constantly leads to the shortcomings in the public service.
- Political Interference: Many Governments in power do not allow the free flow of duties due to their undue interference which at most times is only favorable to politicians.
- Poor Orientation and Low Salaries: Public servants get poor or no orientations about their jobs. This is coupled with their low salary earnings as peanut which is another reason for shortcomings.
- Lack of Qualified Personnel: Most people in various public service offices either neglect their right jobs or have little or no experience about it but carry out such services due to their search for greener pasture.
- Inadequate Training Facilities: The Nigerian public service lacks adequate training facilities for staff improvement of skill. They have to send many of the staff abroad for more training and some of the staff through the medium may not return but settle for their private pursuits there.
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