EDITORIAL BY ‘JIDE ADESINA
This editorial presents strategies for effective governance in Africa with emphasis on Nigeria @ 55.The question of good and effective governance has captured the attention of bureaucrats, technocrats,media practitioners and political gladiators who have also made this issue a critical prerequisite in their quest for excellence. Accordingly, the issue of effective governance has gained universal currency as nations and international institutions seek appropriate mechanisms to enhance the role of government by making it more transparent, accountable, responsive and responsible to the constituencies in the 21st century. In the Nigeria nation, the greatest obstacle to the nascent democracy include the pervasive insecurity of lives and property, as evidenced by the spate of armed robbery attacks, political assassinations, power distribution coupled with the seeming helplessness of security agencies to handle criminal acts. The situation is worsened by the increasing number of unemployed Nigerians some of whom are ready recruits for criminal activities. The above statement is a testament that epitomizes the central focus of this editorial, the aim of which is to strategize on the effective governance in Nigeria nation. This editorial painstakingly appraised many of these issues and concluded that all stakeholders in the federal polity should thread softly, be objective, rational, altruistic and magnanimous in order not to make the existence of true federalism (social, political and economic cohesive existence of the people, peace and tranquility) a fleeting illusion and a mirage. It also focused on critical issues of delegation of authority, why some leaders fail to delegate, the kind of crisis it has generated and the kind of measures that can ameliorate the ugly trend.
The question of Good and Effective Governance has captured the attention of International Institutions, including the World Bank and several Inter-Governmental Organizations and Agencies like the G8. All the Countries and Institutions have made this issue a critical prerequisite in their aid and donation policies to countries with poor records on good and effective governance
What do we mean by good and effective governance? There is a temptation to use governance and government interchangeably. Government is said to derive from the Greek word “kyberman” which means ‘to steer’. Government could be seen as a collective body of elected and appointed institutions empowered to legislate and adjudicate for the good of society, while governance is conceptualized as the processes and systems by which a government manages the resources of a society to address socio-economic and political challenges in the polity. Thus, a government is elected or appointed to provide good, effective and efficient governance. According to Kaufmann (2005), governance embodies “the traditions and institutions by which authority in a country is exercised for the common good.” (p.20)
A good governance system is defined by its relationship to some key prerequisites, including accountability, transparency, participation and predictability. Let us briefly review these elements:
A. Accountability
This implies that in a democracy, government officials, from the president down to the office messenger in a local government council, must be accountable for their actions and policies. They must provide answers for their activities to the general population. It is imperative that the population demands this from all government officials at all levels of the political system. One way of doing this is for members of each electoral constituency to construct a performance measurement framework compelling respective government officials to provide answers for their activities and policies. They must demand regular meetings with their respective elected officials at the constituency level.
B. Transparency
This is the easy and unrestricted access of government information by the population. The general public must have access to information on government policies and programmes. It is vital that ministers and bureaucrats ensure the unedited dissemination of such information as demanded by the general public, excluding information pertaining to a nation’s security. The general public especially the press should agitate for the enactment of access to Information Act that guarantees the unrestricted access of the public to information on government policies and programmes. The enactment of such an act will compel governments to adhere to the tenets of transparency in their decision making process as well as limiting the chances of government officials engaging in corrupt practices.
C. Participation
Participation is a very important component of the elements of governance. It is imperative that Citizens participate at all levels of their government’s decision
making process. Their participation does not end with merely casting their votes on election day, but they must insist and ensure that their votes are counted. For effective and efficient civil service participation in public policy, it is essential for citizens to organize themselves into credible interest groups (professional associations, academic unions, students’ unions, non-governmental organizations, etc) that constantly review government policies, articulate the positions of the general population and engage elected officials in public debates regarding the rationale and impact of their policies and programmes on the population.
D. Predictabilities
A democratic polity is governed by laws and regulations anchored on the constitution of the country. Therefore, it is imperative that the application of these be fair and consistent, and thus predictable, within the boundaries of the constitution. Any arbitrary application of the laws and regulations would vitiate the constitution and inhibit good and effective governance. A critical element of this is the recognition of the principles of jurisdictional responsibilities, especially in a federal polity like Nigeria. For example, can a federal government establish an act empowering itself to review the finances, policies and activities of state governments and punish erring state officials?
The above elements presuppose an educated, politically conscious, enlightened and an actively proactive population. Where the population is ill- equipped to engage in any of the above, it is a certainty that the rudiments of good and effective civil service governance will readily be compromised by the government of the day. This situation buttresses the view that a society gets the government that it deserves.
The illustrations below explains further
(a) “Voice and Accountability” (VA): The extent to which a country’s citizens are able to participate in selecting their government, as well as freedom of expression, freedom of association and free media;
(b) Political Stability and Absence of Violence (PV): Perceptions of the likelihood that the government will be destabilized or overthrown by unconstitutional or violent means, including political violence and terrorism
(c) Government Effectiveness (GE): The quality of civil service, public services and the degree of their independence from political pressures, the
Participation
Rule of law
Equity
Governance
Transparency
Accountability
Responsiveness
quality of policy formulation and implementation, and the credibility of the government’s commitment to such policies;
(d) Regulatory Quality (RQ): the ability of the government to formulate and implement sound policies and regulations that permit and promote private sector development;
(e) Rule of Law (RL): the extent to which agents have confidence in and abide by the rules of society, and in particular the quality of contract enforcement, the police, and the courts, as well as the likelihood of crime and violence.
(f) Control of Corruption (CC): the extent to which public power is exercised for private gain, including both petty and grand forms of corruption, as well as ‘capture’ of the state by elites and private interest.
Theoretical Exposition
The particular theory that can sufficiently act as a guide for the analysis of issues in this editorial is a group theory. The group theory framework is perhaps the most ambitious methodology in the study of social sciences. The most distinctive characteristic of the group theory to the conduct of political analysis is the theoretical assumption which sees society, the political process and the entire political process as nothing but a gigantic network of interacting groups. The exponents and principal promoters of the group theory are of the view that every society includes within it a large number of groups which remain engaged in perpetual struggle for power and domination over each other. For instance, to them politics could be understood only in terms of interactions between various groups. They tried to establish the group rather than the individual or the society as the basic unit of analysis in the study of politics. The first explicit and systematic development of the group theory as it relates to analytic study of political systems was provided by Ballard in his book – The process of government which was published in 1908.
However, the work of Ballard was given boost nearly half a century later when David Truman advanced it further in his book Governmental process, the analytical impact of group theory in 1951. Other scholars of this theory are Robert Dahl, John Starte Mill among others. Ballard was interested in de-emphasizing the institutions and re-emphasizing processes. He conceived the group as a mass of activity and not a collection of individuals. Accordingly, he defined a group as a certain portion of men of society taken not as a physical mass out-off from other masses of men, but as a mass of who participates in its form like in many other group activities (Ojo, 1989). In a nutshell, this framework is associated with this work because of the characteristic nature of the groups that make up the polity under study, for example, the nature of perpetual struggle for power and admonition over each other by traditional institutions.
Having provided a macroscopic view of good and effective governance, now let us also view politics. In a political system, particularly in a multi party democratic system like we have in Nigeria, political parties are established to articulate contending interest of the population. In the words of Natufe (2006, p. 20), members of a Political Party meet to elect their Officials. Citizens cast their votes on Election Day to elect their representatives in parliament. Members of Parliament (National Assembly, etc) debate their contending views on national development and seek a compromise resolution. An elected government formulates policies and enacts laws that determine how the nation’s policies and programmes are to be administered. Citizens involved in the above processes are engaged in politics. What is politics? This is a question that fresh students of Political Science should be able to answer.
In his celebrated book entitled Politics: Who Gets What, When and How, published in 1936, Lasswell opined that Politics is a process engaged by elected officials to determine “who gets what, when, where and how”. This formulation subsequently influenced the widely held notion of politics in the West as a contest for power for the distribution of resources in the polity. Thus, politics is a process of resolving societal conflicts that arise when determining who gets what, when and how. On the other hand, Marxist scholars perceive politics as an ideological struggle for power for the acquisition and distribution of resources. By injecting ideological struggle into their definition, Marxists sharpened the content of the concept with the emphasis on class differentiation in the political process. Mao offered an interesting definition when he declared that “politics is war without bloodshed while war is politics with bloodshed” (Mao, 1965, p.65).
At this juncture, let us explore the relationship between governance and politics, while we hold constant the above definitions of both phenomena. We will use as an example, the process of policy formulation in a matured democratic environment where the above identified elements of governance are at play. By a matured democratic environment is meant where Citizens are actively engaged in the political process, and where elected officials are responsive to the elements of governance. Policy formulation in such an environment elicits the active participation of various citizen’s groups, professional organizations, etc., at every stage of policy debate in the country’s parliament. Effective policy formulation requires a solid policy making environment and, as noted by the World Bank (2005), “policy reforms are less likely to succeed when public institutions and governance are weak.”
The process and quality of policy formulation and implementation are critical elements in determining the level of engagement of the population and measuring the quality of governance of the Society. To what extent is the process? Kaufmann (2002) stated, “to capture” of the State by Elites and Private Interests”
environment for policy formulation must be democratic and it is imperative that the process be transparent. The degree of Citizens’ participation in this process is determined by the level of their education and political consciousness, as well as on the access to Political Elites and Effective Communication.
But there is an important qualifier in this comparative analysis. That is, the level and scope of corruption in either system. As propounded by Gleneagles (2005, p.15), the pre-requisite for granting “poor countries”, including Nigeria, debt forgiveness by the G8 at the Gleneagles 2005 Summit, the summit agreed, inter-alia:
(a) To provide extra resources for Africa’s Peace Keeping Forces so that they can better deter, prevent and resolve conflicts in Africa; and
(b) To give enhanced support for Greater Democracy, Effective Governance and Transparency and to help fight corruption and return stolen assets. The determination is to enhance greater democracy, effective governance and transparency, and also to help fight corruption (Natufe, 2006).
In Africa, there was a pivotal theme on African development at the 2005 G8 Summit. Democratic Practices and Good Governance flourish in an environment where Political Elites possess the required leadership skills anchored on the tenets of democracy. It is essential that they represent a broader constituency beyond their immediate surroundings in articulating their respective policies, which derive from a sound knowledge of the rudiments of interest aggregation. Education, political consciousness and the level of poverty have a vital role to play in this process. It has been argued that
the euphoria of independence disguised the reality that (beyond a consensus in favour of independence) support for many African Regimes was drawn from a narrow based, often with quite weak roots in the society at large (World Bank, 2005, p.73).
The political history of immediate post Colonial African Countries, including Nigeria, would lend credence to this paper. For instance, national support for the Northern Peoples’ Congress – National Council of Nigerian Citizens (NPC-NCNC) Coalition Government of Nigeria between 1960 and 1963 was weak. The Senior Partner of the coalition, NPC, was a Regional Northern-Based Party with insignificant following in other Regions of Nigeria. National support for the coalition further weakened in the 1963-1965 period, because of the glaring absence of a universal construct to bind the diverse constituencies represented in the Coalition and in the entire Country.
It is instructive to note, however, that the failure of politics and poor governance in less developed countries is not always due to the leaders of the
respective countries. Very often, the policies of international donor institutions, including the World Bank, play a crucial role in setting the countries astray as donor policies contribute to “undermining the ability of governments to affect national and strategic choices in public policy” (World Bank, 2005, p. 73). While governments, without exception, recognize the value of good governance practices, most of them, especially in the less developed countries, face systemic challenges that hinder their implementation of those practices.
First: As observed by the World Bank, “the major political players who dominate the state apparatus are fundamentally unwilling to change their behaviour and to move toward more accountable governance.
Second: The Regime lacks the capacity to affect good governance.
Third, and perhaps of more vital importance is the role of Donor Organizations in dictating policy choices to recipient governments. The World Bank represents this group of donors, as witnessed by its Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) that was imposed on several Asian and African countries, including Nigeria. As now recognized by the World Bank:
many of the earlier failures of its public sector management “initiatives were the result of a failure to recognize this diversity in political and institutional starting points, and to tailor the reform programme accordingly. Yet donors, including the Bank, persisted in providing technical assistance for improved management in contexts where the pre-conditions were not present (World Bank, 2005, p.76).
Functions of Managers
Management is generally categorized into three segments which are lower, middle and top. The Lower Management consists of foremen and supervisors. They are just one step above the Rank and File. The other is the Middle Level Management which is made up of Sales managers, personnel managers, and departmental heads, while the Top Management consists of the board chairmen, company managing directors, et-cetera. They co-ordinate all the various activities and make policy which is a framework within which the organization operates.The functions of the manager, according to Koontz (1972) include Planning, Organizing, Staffing, Leading, Controlling and Co-Ordinating.
However, Fayol’s elements of Management illustrate his theory which is outlined and depict the kind of behaviours managers should engage in, so that the goals and objectives of an organization are effectively met. The five elements of management are:
(a) PLANNING: Creating a plan of action for the future, determining the stages of the plan and the technology necessary to implement it.
(b) ORGANIZING: Once a plan of action is designed, Managers need to provide everything necessary to carry it out; including raw materials, tools, capital and human resources.
(c) COMMAND: Managers need to implement the plan. They must have an understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of their personnel.
(d) COORDINATION: High-level Managers must work to “harmonize” all the activities to facilitate organizational success. Communication is the prime coordinating mechanism.
(e) CONTROL: The final element of management involves the comparison of the activities of the personnel to the plan of action; it is the evaluation component of management.
However, the things managers actually do in their day to day work will differ not only among the various levels of management, but among companies, even among individual Managers holding comparable positions in the same company or the emphasis different people place on the various aspects of their jobs will necessarily differ.
Delegation of Authority
Authority, responsibility and accountability of personnel in any organization or institution can only be fully discussed, understood and achieved on the platform of the concept of Delegation of Authority. This is because no one individual can effectively and efficiently utilize all the authority and powers in an organization. Besides, it is observed that the concept of delegation of authority has not been fully utilized in public organizations (Oyibo, 2008). It is therefore important that we should be fully acquainted with the Concept and its implications for effective implementation in public organizational duties. Consequently, management involves getting work done through the efforts of other people. This entails the process of delegation and the creation of a Special Manager-Subordinate Relationship. In order to ensure the effective execution of work, the manager needs to understand how best to implement the process of delegation of authority. However, delegation is usually interpreted as a movement down the organization. It is the authorization to undertake activities that would otherwise be carried out by someone in a more senior position.
Consequently, delegation of authority is the process by which managers, chief executives and legislators (superior officers) allocate authority downward to the subordinates who report to them. In the case of a very small organization where one
person does everything alone, the question of delegation does not arise. But as soon as additional members of staff are employed, it is necessary to plan, organize, direct and control their activities. In its essence, it involves a dual responsibility. The one to whom authority is delegated becomes responsible to the superior for doing the job, but the superior remains responsible for getting the job done. This principle of delegation is the centre of all processes in formal organization
It is a fundamental principle of management that for organizational effectiveness, there must be delegation. Four actions occur in the process of delegation thus:
(a) The Manager (Superior officer) assigns duties to Junior Staff.
(b) The Superior Officer grants the Junior Staff the authority needed to accomplish the duties.
(c) The Junir Staff accepts the delegated duties. This acceptance, whether implicit or explicit, creates an obligation or responsibility.
(d) The Superior Officer holds the delegate (Junior Staff) accountable for results (Meggison, 1983)
quote:
According to Scripture which supports the process of delegation and we
you are not acting wisely; you will surely wear yourself out. The task is too heavy for you, you cannot do it alone. Act as the people’s representative before God, bringing to him whatever they have to say. RRBut you should also look among all the people for able and God-fearing men, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain, and set them as officers over groups of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. Let these men render decisions for the people in all ordinary cases. More important cases they should refer to you, but all the lesser cases they can settle themselves. Thus, your burden will be lightened, since they will bear it with you. If you do this, when God gives you orders you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied (New American Bible, 1970).
Delegation is a necessary function of management, and although it is clearly related to other concepts such as Leadership and Managerial Style; it is significant enough to be treated as a specific aspect of management and organizational behaviour. Delegation can be seen as taking place either at the organizational level or at the individual level.
Organisational Level
The Organizational structure of universities is shown below:
Organogram of the University in Nigeria
Source: Physical Planning Division, UNIBEN, (1995).
The structure is itself a result of delegation. If there is no delegation, there is no structure. As organizations grow in size, so the extent of delegation increases. Delegation is therefore a function of size. It relates to the location of decision- making within the organization. Delegation involves the passing on of authority and responsibility to various levels throughout the organization. At the Organizational level, delegation involves consideration of centralization/decentralization, and divisionalization or departmentalization. Decentralization may be Federal or State or functional.
(a) Federal Decentralization: It is the establishment of autonomous units operating in their own market with self-control and with the main responsibility of contributing profit to the parent body.
(b) State or Functional Decentralization: This is based on individual processes or products. Divisions or departments may be established on the basis of task or element functions of the organization. The extent of decentralization and divisionalization provides the basic structural pattern of the formal organization.
(c) Delegation at the individual or personal levels is the process with which nature of the Manager-Subordinate relationship is exercised. Within the structure of the organization, the various activities that have to be undertaken must be distributed among individual members of the workforce. At the Individual or Personal Level, Delegation is the process of entrusting authority and responsibility to other. Delegation is not just the arbitrary shedding of work. It is not just the issuing and following of orders or carrying out specific duties in accordance with the detailed instructions (http://www.carvergovernance.com).
The Manager-Subordinate Relationship
Delegation creates a special manager-subordinate relationship. It is founded on the concept of:
(a) Authority: Is the right to take action or make decisions that the manager would otherwise have done. It involves more than just carrying out specified duties according to detailed instructions. Authority legitimizes the exercise of power within the structure and rules of the organization. It enables the subordinate to issue valid instructions for others to follow.
(b) Responsibility: Involves an obligation by the subordinate to perform certain duties or make certain decisions and having to accept possible reprimand from the manager for unsatisfactory performance. Authority and responsibility are at the basis of the Manager-Subordinate relationship and recognized as ‘Rules’ or Principles of Management. Responsibility is a corollary of authority. Wherever authority is exercised, responsibility arises. Sanctions are needed to encourage useful actions and to discourage others. Almost inevitably there is debate on the interpretation and meaning of different terms, and on the actual process of delegation itself. Some Writers argue that responsibility cannot be delegated, but this is too simple a view. Authority without responsibility gives rise to a possible abuse of delegation. For example, if a Manager gives a Subordinate author
Subordinate should be held responsible to the Manager for incurring such expenditure. The Subordinate is obliged to exercise due care and attention to actions taken and decisions made. Most Textbooks appear to support Writers of the classical approach to management and the principle that authority should be commensurate with responsibility. In his revised list of management principles, Urwick, for example, makes the point that responsibility and authority should correspond in every position (Idada and Uhunmwuangho, 2012).
(c) Delegation of Responsibility: A question may be asked – Is responsibility delegated? There are two Schools of Thought about this issue. The Classical Writers’ view is that responsibility is never delegated. According to Koontz, (1980, p. 423) “responsibility is never delegated”.
Koontz and O’Donnel (1980) postulated that:
Since responsibility cannot be delegated, the boss has no practical alternative but to exact responsibility from subordinates for accomplishing the assignment. In other words, holding sub-ordinates responsible to their superiors for using delegated authority to accomplish expected results must be regarded as a part of the process of delegation (p. 423).
In essence, they are saying that responsibility is delegated. The Behaviourist School of Thought believes that responsibility is delegated. According to World Health Organization (WHO) report (1954),
The importance of clearly defining, preferably in writing, the scope of their subordinates duties, responsibilities and authority cannot be over- emphasized. Throughout the whole scale, one important principle must be followed. The authority and responsibility must correspond. To hold an individual accountable for activities of any kind without assigning to her the necessary authority to dies-charge that responsibility will not only result in unsatisfactory performance, but is manifestly inequitable (p. 44).
Robbins (1976) in support of this contention stated:
when we delegate authority, we must also allocate commensurate responsibility, since no one should be held responsible for what he has no authority over. Similarly, to allocate authority without responsibility creates opportunity for abuse (p.66).
To further buttress his point, Robbins (1976, p.67) argued that Classical Writers recognize the importance of equating authority with responsibility; yet they stated that responsibility cannot be delegated. He then asked: How is it possible to have authority and responsibility equal, if responsibility cannot be delegated? His
answer was that there are two forms of responsibility: Operating Responsibility and Ultimate Responsibility. Administrators, he advised, should delegate operating responsibility; however, ultimate responsibility cannot be delegated (Robbins, 1976).He then admonished Leaders and Administrators that:
.. to complete the delegation process, we need not only authority and responsibility, but alsoaccountability. Authority is the right to act; responsibility the obligation to carry out delegated authority; and accountability establishes reliability for the proper performance of the rduties delegated to the subordinate (Robbins, 1976, p. 244).
This paper holds the view that whether responsibility is delegated or not, the delegation of authority confers on the subordinate the corresponding responsibility and accountability on his acceptance of the duties. Delegation, therefore, embraces both authority and responsibility. It is not practical to delegate one without the other.
To hold Subordinates responsible for certain areas of performance without also conferring on them the necessary authority to take action and make decisions within the limits of that responsibility is an abuse of delegation.
(a) There should be sufficient responsibility to match the authority which is delegated.
(b) Responsibility should be sufficient to give the Subordinate freedom of action within agreed terms of reference and to avoid excessive supervision.
(c) Part of the Manager’s job is the development of Subordinates. Subordinates need the feeling of responsibility to help in the performance of their tasks, and in dealing with other staff.
(d) Delegated duties are sometimes delegated further down the line.
The Manager is in turn responsible to higher management. This is the essence of the nature of the ‘dual responsibility’ of delegation. The Manager is answerable to a Superior and cannot shift responsibility back to Subordinates. The responsibility of the Superior for the acts of Subordinates is absolute.
With so many good reasons for delegation, why is it that Managers often fail to delegate or do not delegate successfully? There are several factors which affect the amount of delegation, and its effectiveness. Delegation is influenced by the manager’s perception of Subordinate Staff. It is also influenced by the Subordinate’s perception of the Manager’s reasons for delegation.
(a) Failure to delegate often results from the Manager’s fear:
i. The Manager may fear that the Subordinate is not capable of doing a sufficiently good job. Also, the Manager may fear being blamed for the Subordinate’s mistakes.
ii. Conversely, the Manager may fear that the Subordinate will do too good a job and show the Manager in a bad light.
The Manager should of course, remember that the task of management is to get work done through the efforts of other people. If the Subordinate does a particularly good job this should reflect favourably on the Manager.
(b) Dependence Upon Other People:
As Mullins (1996) points out, Managers who think about what can be done only in terms of what they can do cannot be effective. Managing is not a solo activity.
Managers must learn to accept their dependence upon people. A key part of being a good manager is managing that Dependence. Managers who say that they cannot delegate because they have poor subordinates may genuinely be unfortunate in the caliber of the subordinates that they have Inherited or been given. More often this view is a criticism of themselves: a criticism either of their unwillingness to Delegate when they could and should do so, or a criticism of their selection, training and development of their subordinates (p. 12).
(c) Lack of Training:
Managers may not have been ‘trained’ themselves in the skills and art of delegation. They may lack an awareness of the need for, and importance of effective delegation, or what it entails. Another reason for a reluctance to delegate may, in part, be due to the fact that throughout childhood and in college life, delegation is usually discouraged. There are a few opportunities to learn how to delegate. Hence when people first become Managers, they tend to display poor delegation skills.
Ncayiyana (1999) has identified some of the main obstacles to effective delegation in terms of the attitudes of the manager, and reasons why the subordinate shrinks from accepting new responsibilities.
Reasons for Reluctance to Delegate Are:
(a) Some Managers have the feeling of “I can do it better myself”’. They feel Subordinates lack the ability to exercise good judgement.
(b) Lack of ability to direct
(c) Some fear that the Subordinates would perform the tasks so effectively that their own positions will be threatened.
(d) Absence of selective controls which give warning of impending difficulties;
(e) A temperamental aversion to taking a chance;
(f) Managers feel more powerful in decision making while retaining privileges for themselves;
(g) Some have ‘skeletons’ in their cupboards, and they fear that these skeletons will be uncovered.
Subordinates Avoid Responsibility because:
(a) They find it easier to ask the boss to make decision;
(b) They fear criticism for mistakes;
(c) They believe they lack the necessary information and resources to do a good job;
(d) The Subordinates may already have more work than they can do;
(e) Positive incentives may be inadequate.
(f) Delegation adds to subordinate’s responsibilities and accountabilities. Some Subordinates do ot like these added responsibilities and accountabilities.
(g) Some Senior Officers enjoy solely the benefits of the delegated duties performed by the Subordinates without remembering the subordinates who performed the task that yielded the benefits – a case of “Monkey de work, Baboon de chop”.
Conclusion
Conclusively, this paper is basically an assessment of effective governance in Nigeria as regards sustainable management of the Nation’s political history and development. Nigerians and Nigeria need a revolutionary transformational effective governance to drive the much needed transformation. Transactional effective governance and recycling old Political/Power Elite will not solve the problems and save Nigeria. To do this transformation with an effective governance requires that a new team with new mindset and integrity, new ideas and new ways of doing things be in place. The New Team with true transformation and passion about service above self and sacrificing their self-interests and comfort for Nigerians. They will exhibit the role models needed to change the present state of Nigeria. They will also reject all official perks and privileges. They will travel by public transportation and live like the average Nigerian to experience what the average Nigerian does daily. They will
be passionate about reducing the pain and suffering of Nigerians. They will improve the quality of life of the average Nigerian, inspire and uplift Nigerians especially the youth. They will tackle injustice, corruption and sycophancy frontally starting in the Presidency. If the political/power elite and their sycophants see themselves as the real problem then there would be a paradigm shift and a new mindset leading to realistic solutions to Nigerian problems of mismanagement.Then average Nigerian will then see and say that things are really different now. Then every Nigerian in leadership position will gladly implement his or her vital leadership model as a free service to uplift Nigerians.
Although Nigeria provides the lead in oil production in Africa, yet she has continued to experience the problem of lack of managerial and technical capacity in terms of management of its resources. For an unbroken period of over fifty-one years, Nigeria’s experience of oil has been one of misused opportunities to harness the development potential of the oil industry for the common good.
Recommendations
The main purpose of this paper is to examine the issue of effective governance in Nigeria. Therefore, effective governance in every sphere of public administration takes it into account when: formulating policy and procedure; implementing its governance model; conducting intergovernmental relations; delegation of authority and conducting programme evaluation. One cannot over- emphasize the essence of the above points made.
It is hoped that these recommendations, whether or not they are deemed feasible in the eyes of public administration, will serve as a basis for discussions about how Effective Governance and Development in Nigeria can be sustained in this society.
HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY ; NIGERIA @ 55
Reference
Canada Corps Knowledge-Sharing (2005). Guide to key concepts in governance and
development. Pp 4-5
G8 Gleneagle (2005). Summit Documents, http://www.g8.gov.uk, accessed on 27th April, 2007.
Idada W. & Uhunmwuangho S.O. (2012). Democratic governance and its attendance problems: the way forward. Journal of Sociology and Social Anthropology 3(1). India: Kamla-Raj Enterprises.
Kaufmann, D. (2005). Myths and Realities of Governance and Corruption in Working Papers and Articles, World Bank Institute, World Bank, Washington, D.C., September 2004, p.82
