CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
The machinery for implementing government policies is the civil service. The effectiveness of public service performance is determined by the socio-political environment under which it operates. As an important instrument for execution of policies and programmes of government, the public service is expected to be competent, and effective devoid of corruption practices. In Nigeria, the economic and political landscape is surrounded by corruption. According to National Planning Commission (2005) “systemic corruption and low levels of transparency and accountability have been major sources of development failures. To perform its functions effectively, public service needs to be divested from all sorts of corrupt acts.
Effective public service performance is a pre-requisite for sustainable development. This notion is anchored on the fact that government ability to deliver on her promises for better living is based on the efficiency of its public service performance. Therefore, the inability of the Nigerian public service to perform optimally had over the years constituted a challenge, yet to be resolved. It is a known fact, and Nigerian experience exampled to this, that corruption is pronounced in the public service, its efficiency as well as ability to effect policy directed toward sustainable development goals like reduction of poverty, remains very low. The behaviour of public officials which deviates from accepted norms in order to serve private ends is corruption. It is a general term covering misuse of authority as a result of considerations of personal gain, embezzlement, stealing or misappropriation of public funds. Corruption has become highly rampant and permeates every sphere of state and society. Corruption in political and administrative arena hinders equality, efficiency, effectiveness, responsiveness, accountability and justice and so on.
Corruptions in Nigeria exist at an alarming proportion. In government via public service, it thrives in the areas of project costing; ghost workers syndrome, contract awards and subsequent abandonment, payment of huge sums of money to political godfathers; embezzlement and misappropriation of public funds among others. The impact of corruption on the Nigerian society includes abysmal public service performance, inadequate infrastructure, bad governance, pervasive dehumanizing poverty and general underdevelopment. This accounts for the inefficient and unimpressive governance in Nigeria.
Corruption remains endemic as well as extremely prevalent in the public service which affects its effectiveness and performance. There are instances where corruption within the public service manifested over the years: the haphazard or ineffective implementation of federal budgets between 1999-2002 could be gleaned from the people who the senate indicted over “an alleged non-implementation of all appropriation Acts since the dawn of democracy (in May 1999)” (Eminue, 2005). The persistent challenge in the Nigerian health sector is human resources' crisis, which has the tendency to cripple the sector. Inadequate investment, weak administration and corruption remain the cause of poor health workers welfare and the widespread inefficiency in the healthcare workforce (Odusile, 2017). It is on the background of this that study aims to investigate impact of corruption in the civil service in Nigeria by using Kaduna State civil service as a case study.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
Corruption has become a major problem in government. Corruption emanates from the top level and so, the higher echelons of government are infested with the disease of corruption. Politics has been converted into pursuit of personal ends. The public office has become an opportunity to “strike gold and enjoy loaves and fishes of office”. The sharp decline in the standards of conduct of public service, and in such circumstances, governance, administration and management have lost their relevance. For example, the non implementation of government policies, financial fraud and crises of confidence within the ministries and its agencies. The alleged fraud and embezzlement and contract scam involving the Minister of Petroleum for State and NNPC Group Managing Director. The minister had lodged a detailed/documented complaint with the president of the Federal Republic and substantive oil minister, on the junior minister's alleged sideling and insubordination by the NNPC Group Managing Director, in all matters on high level appointments, promotions, and award of contracts well exceeding 20billion dollars. Another is the non implementation of budgets by the various Ministries and Agencies of Government. The crisis of confidence in the health sector over allegations of fraud between the Executive Secretary, National Health Insurance Scheme and the Minister of Health which has resulted to incessant strike actions by health workers. These problems are no doubt caused by corruption. Worse is the fact that despite the rapid growth in the size and power of the public service, there has not been an accompanied noticeable improvement in performance to the public or increased labour productivity in the public sector. The pertinent question is: how has corruption affected effective public service performance for sustainable development in Nigeria?
1.3 Research Questions
The following are some of the questions which this study intends to answer:
i) How does corruption affect the performance of civil servants in Kaduna State?
ii) What are the causes of corruption among civil servants in Kaduna State?
iii) What are the feelings of civil servants regarding the phenomena of corruption in Kaduna State civil service?
iv) How could the anti-corruption drive the strength to reduce or eliminate corrupt practices in the state civil service?
1.4 Research Objectives
The general objective or main objective of this study is to investigate impact of corruption in the civil service in Nigeria by using Kaduna State civil service as a case study. The specific objectives are:
i) To identify how corruption affects the performance of civil servants in Kaduna State
ii) To examine the causes of corruption among civil servants in Kaduna State
iii) To determine the feelings of civil servants regarding the phenomena of corruption in Kaduna State civil service
iv) To understand how the anti-corruption drive the strength to reduce or eliminate corrupt practices in the state civil service
1.5 Significance of the Study
Fighting corruption is not a onetime campaign. It took England more than a century to bring corruption under control. Hong-Kong and Singapore, which are mostly cited as success stories in the fight against corruption long ago. For instance, in Hong Kong, the anti-corruption drive commenced in 1974 and there is still corruption. In order to curb corruption in a relatively shorter period of time, therefore, designing effective anti-corruption strategies is indispensable. Accordingly, this study will have the following significance; It will serve as a source of reference for others who would like to know more about corruption, and interested in undertaking further research on corruption and anti- corruption; it will also serve as important starting point for policy makers to understand the effect of corruption in civil service.
1.6 Scope of the Study
The topic for this research work is impact of corruption in the civil service in Nigeria by using Kaduna State civil service as a case study. Using Ebonyi State civil service as a case study is to limit the scope of study. The study will cover the whole ministries in Kaduna State.
1.7 Limitations of the Study
There were excessive delays involved in getting materials and opinions from the Kaduna State civil servants; hence, most of the officials that should have provided useful information are usually absent. There was an exhibition of non-challant and uncooperative attitude in providing information relevant to the study. In fact, due to the high rate of secrecy in the civil service most of them refused to give out information about whatever concerns the civil service. Moreover, there was dearth of finance for this research, due to harsh economic realities of this country and this made it difficult for the researcher to transport himself to and fro everyday to the government ministries.
1.8 Definition of Terms
The following terms were used during the cause of the study.
Corruption is a form of dishonest or unethical conduct by a person entrusted with a position of authority, often to acquire personal benefit. Corruption may include many activities including bribery and embezzlement, though it may also involve practices that are legal in many countries. Government, or ‘political’, corruption occurs when an office-holder or other governmental employee acts in an official capacity for personal gain..
Civil Service: this refer to either a branch of governmental service in which individuals are employed on the basis of professional merit as proven by competitive examinations; or the body of employees in any government agency apart from the military, which is a separate extension of any national government.
Public Service: is a service which is provided by government to people living within its jurisdiction, either directly (through the public sector) or by financing provision of services.
