PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT STUDIES

Nigeria as a country is blessed with a lot of human and material resources. Unfortunately the country has also faced some issues. Terrorism which has become a global phenomenon is a deliberate and systematic use of violence to destroy, kill, maim and intimidate the innocent in order to achieve a goal or draw national/international attention or demands which ordinarily may be impossible or difficult to achieve under normal political negotiation or on the battle field against a government army.  Terrorism whether internationalized or localized is always politically motivated, though it may also show other auxiliary motives such as religion, economic or social.  These motives constitute the ideology of a case for which terrorism seeks solution or sympathy of all terrorist groups that have ravaged Nigeria.The Boko Haram is undoubtedly, the mostblood thirsty and destructive both in terms of its demonic brutality, mindless savagery and increasingly in scope of operation (Obioma, 2009). From Harmless group of 12, it has in recent times increased to more than ten (10) thousand violent members (Akpan et al, 2012). According to Innocent and Ibietan (2012), “Boko Haram is an indigenous salafist group which turned itself into a salafist Jihadist  in 2009. The group was founded by Mohammed Yusuf in 2002 in the city of Maiduguri with the aim of establishing a Sharia government in Borno State under former Governor Ali Modu Sheriff.  He established a religious complex that included a Mosque and a school where may poor families from across Nigeria and from neighbouring countries enrolled their children”.  From the beginning, the group made its manifest known: Rejection of western education and institutions and agencies that go with it, including government institutions.  It prefers to have a sharia law applied all over the country, but if that is difficult to grant, they would rather have a separate Islamic state carved out of Nigeria, where they can practice their religion unhindered. If this is not granted, Nigeria will be made ungovernable.
Government saw these demands as treasonable, unreasonable and unacceptable and in an attempt to purge the group of its excesses their leader Mohammed Yusuf died in 2009. From that year onwards, under the assumption of a new leader named Abubakar Shekau, Boko Haram reinvented violence and began what can best be described as the bombardment of Northern Nigeria with such frequency and intensity that are quite unprecedented in history of violence in Nigeria.  Those who escape death by day, sleep with one eye open by night.  The Boko Haram has created widespread tension across Northern Nigeria and between various ethnic communities, interrupted commercial activities, frightens investors and generated concerns among Nigerians northern neighbours.  This unprecedented state of terrorism by the Boko Haram sect in Nigeria has ruined the tranquility of the northern atmosphere and high rate of insecurity pervading northern region in particular and the nation/Nigeria in general is alarming and is a cause for serious concern to well meaning Nigerians.  It is for this reason that this paper is set and aimed at speculating the possible negative effect of Boko Haram terrorist activities on the economy of Northern Nigeria and by extension Nigeria.

International organizations have promoted privatization as a prerequisite for economic development. Public Enterprises were established in Nigeria to provide social services and utilities, guard against the control of the economy from foreign domination and exploitation and serve as engine of socio- economic development. However, they served the purpose for about a decade, and then their performance declined. Privatization of public enterprises in Nigeria is associated with increasing level of complexity and instability and this has a wide ranging implication on the employees, employers, industries and the society in general as well as Human Resource Management. The aim of this paper therefore, is to study Privatization of Public Enterprises in Nigeria: Human Resource Management Implications.
Keywords: Human Resource Management, Public Enterprises, Implications, Privatization.

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The centrality of effective training and development to the efficiency of any organization can hardly be overemphasized. This paper empirically evaluated the effectiveness of training and development programmes in enhancing the job performance of Lokoja Local Government Council personnel from 2003-2009. The study adopted the systematic approach to training, as well as its concomitant derivatives such as the frequency, timing, equity and relevance of training programmes, as benchmarks for effective training and development. Data for this study were generated from both primary and secondary sources. Also, the responses generated from the randomly selected respondents were analyzed using simple cross tabulation and percentages. The paper found that the glaring absence of the systematic approach to training is at the root of the numerous obstacles that beset training and development programmes in Lokoja Local Government Council. It strongly recommended, inter alia, the need to incorporate training needs assessments and training evaluations into the configuration of training and development activities in Lokoja Local Government Council.

The forthcoming 2015 general elections are going to be the most heated of all elections in Nigerian democratic history considering the war of words and pocket of violence traded between the two major political parties (ruling People’s Democratic Party-PDP and All Progressives Congress-APC). Therefore, the centrality of this paper deals with the consideration of the major hurdles facing Nigerian democratic consolidation at this moment. With the use of qualitative data, attempts have been made at seeing Nigeria's democratic transition, possible implications of the threat on Nigeria's national unity, hard-earned democratization, peace and security. The paper recommended that Nigerian unity should not be compromised with any personal, ethnic/regional and religious interest. It also maintained that the judiciary should stay up and resolves her independence and justice adjudication question so as to restore confidence and hope in political conflicts resolution. Adherence to all these and many others will keep Nigerians and its democracy one, after 2015 general elections.

Religion is a fundamental agent, perhaps one of the most important factors that tend to create influence in the life of most Nigerians and Africans at large; yet the reconciliation between its essential principles and practice are too often unclear considering the behavioural output on the administration of public affairs vis-a–vis the level of corruption and immoral practices in its scene. Religion fanaticism has crept into all facets of life of the Nigerians and it cannot be relegated to the background. Even though the level of religiosity is high in Nigeria, poverty of leadership, corruption and immorality are more than other things, the greatest hydra–headed cogs in the wheel of personal, communal and national development. With qualitative data, this paper identified difference that exist between the principle and practice of religion which is the non-practice of the principles of religion as the reason for massive corruption, perpetual violence and the non-performance of national development agencies/programmes. Adopting the Marxian Theory of Religion, it recommended among others that, African culture and value which believes in immediate payback for wrong deeds, peaceful coexistence and communalism should be used as instrumentality for the good of the society and national development.

There is no gainsaying the fact that local government system is primarily created in Nigeria to bring government nearer to the people. However, this cannot be achieved in the absence of competent human resources who are the principal actors in any given organization. This paper lucidly discussed the extent to which Idah Local Government Council in Kogi State complied with the employment guidelines. It adopted secondary data as the major source of data and the Weberian Bureaucratic Model was used for analysis. One hundred and forty three (143) employees employed from 2007- 2011 by both Idah Local Government and the Kogi State Local Government Service Commission were sampled. Based on this, empirical data were collected and presented using Semi Text Method of data presentation, and content analysis which its validity was ascertained by consulting experts. The paper majorly identified that neither the Commission nor Idah Local Government advertised vacancies before employment was done within the period under review and strongly recommended among others that, appropriate laws should be enacted to check the excesses of political influence over matters that are purely bureaucratic in nature, especially employment/appointment, training, posting and discipline of employees.

Education is the most significant part of human resource development practice that enables organizations (both public and private) to deal with their competitive challenges. The target of Human Resource Development is to develop the workforce so that organizations and employees can accomplish work goals. However, this paper is concerned with what it identified as now scarcity of skilled manpower, dearth of scholarship and inability to quickly react to dynamics of the world advancing organizational system among young school leavers in Nigeria due to rampant examination fraud in Nigerian educational system. This is prevalent amongst young school- leavers who have attempted at working in the public and private organizations. The paper examined this issue and suggested among others that certificates should not be the sole determinant of recruitment and selection processes into Nigerian workplace.

Rural development is a multi-dimensional approach by which the productivity, income and quality of life in terms of health, nutrition, education, and other characteristics of satisfactory life of rural people can be improved or transformed. Examples abound in Nigeria since political independence of rural-financial and development projects ranging from health to roads which are executed in rural settlements. Rural development efforts or rural transformation involves the changing of the social and economic structures, institutions, and processes of the rural settings. The exercise should be seen as a balanced development with emphasizes on equitable distribution and creation of gains. The paper introduced the concept of rural development with selected examples of rural development policies in Nigeria. This paper also discussed the factors that have hindered the success of rural development programmes from achieving its aims and objectives of bettering the life of the poor with the consideration of the Marxian political economy theory as it affect the realization of MDGs in Nigeria by 2015 and concluded with the recommendations that the politics of stakeholders in the management of rural development policies to be put off.

The Federal government of Nigeria for over three decades after the political independence has been fundamentally involved in the establishment and management of profit and non-profit making organizations in the economy. The target is to create and fast tract the independence and development of the economy. This historical research work is attempted at describing one of Nigeria’s public organizations that has been seen to be viable, vibrant and dynamic in the country’s transportation economic sector for over six decades. The paper relied on qualitative data and Structural-Functionalism Model to picture the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) from its creation to the present position in the Transportation Agenda of the Jonathan’s administration. It majorly found out among others, that contrary to the believe of the public, FAAN employees are referred to as public servants and not civil servants due to the fact that its personnel are recruited/selected and remunerated under its determined condition of service through its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR). The paper finally canvassed that comprehensive implementation should be given to the Aviation Roadmap in the Transformation Agenda with complementary macro-economic policies to achieve desired goals of its reality in its vision and mission.

Since the political amalgamation of Nigeria in 1914, labour unions have played increasingly powerful role in the formulation, shaping and implementation of public programmes. Trade union movements though primarily worker-centric have assumed a centre stage at fine-tuning the major policies of the government to the benefit of the poor masses. This they have been doing through the instrumentalities of industrial relations like peaceful demonstrations and strike actions. The Imodu led general strike of 1945, Kokori led NUPENG anti-June 12 election annulment strike of 1994, incessant ASUU strikes in Nigeria, Omar and Esele led anti-fuel subsidy removal general strike of 2012 are examples of protests against government policies by labour union movements in Nigeria. Following the history of labour crises and agitations in Nigeria, it is imperative to draw the attention of labour unions to the need to make efforts in curbing the persistent poverty of public service delivery which has culminated into the failure of various administrations in Nigeria. Labour unions have been doing their best which is not enough. This paper therefore utilizes secondary data to discuss factors that have hindered the involvement of labour unions in the transformation of the Nigerian public administrative system. It also examines the decadence that engulfs the civil service and why its reform has proved very difficult. The paper recommended among others that trade unions in Nigeria cannot perform this herculean task unless it transforms itself, making discipline as a watchword and design Nigerian peculiar theories to reform.

One of the most important functions of organized labour in Nigeria is collective bargaining, a mechanism by which representatives of labour unions negotiate with management of concerned organisations (public or private) over the terms and conditions of service affecting their members. Job performance cannot be enhanced in a work environment characterised by absence of harmonious co-existence among the employers and the employees. It is therefore recognized that one of the official methods of communication is collective bargaining based on voluntarism, participative management and mutual respect. The aim of this paper is to critically examine collective bargaining and the functions of labour unions in the actualization of a successful collective bargaining in the Nigerian Public Sector. The paper discussed labour management negotiations in the Nigeria public sector and recommends that labour and trade unions should strengthen collective bargaining mechanism above salaries and wages negotiation as a means of enhancing the capacity of public workers for effective and efficient service delivery.

Nigeria evidently has a history of national economic planning of policies and programmes which spans both the colonial and post-colonial periods as enunciated in this paper. There is however, no gain saying the fact that no country can attain any form of development without putting in place sound policies and programmes. It is on this premise that the paper established the nexus between government policies/programmes and national development. Thus, Nigeria must thrive to put in place sound policies and programmes if the country must attain the much needed national development towards becoming an economic giant by the year 2020. In the context of the foregoing, the paper recommends among others that; Policies and programmes must be a direct reflection of available human and material resources, cultural realities and political persuasions and also policies and programmes must be rooted in deep democratic norms of accountability, transparency and fiscal discipline because of the choking impact of corruption on policies and programmes in Nigeria over the years.

The product of environmental pollution on the society is increasingly alarming. It is so disturbing that nobody can claim to be undisturbed. This general concern has now placed an obligation on auditors and public managers who are seen to be working for some of these companies and are also seen to standing for public interest. The notion that the auditors are working for the public becomes controversial and very challenging as there seems to be no statutory environmental guidance and protection for them. Auditors are left to their fate. This paper is consequently aimed at x-raying the prevailing environmental challenges as they relate to auditors and how these can be managed. As an unempirical research, existing literatures were reviewed. It was found that there are currently no well-defined extant regulations or guidance backed with the full letter and spirit of the laws in most jurisdictions that would give direction and place statutory obligation on the auditors to effectively carry out their work. The paper recommended that, legal framework should be designed by law makers of various jurisdictions and accountancy profession should urgently standardize environmental auditing for the sake of global wellbeing.