Nigerian Journal of Banking and Financial Issues (NJBFI)

POLITICS AND ADMINISTRATION: IMPLICATIONS TO NIGERIA GOVERNANCE FOR NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

The role of public administration in the political process has been of great concern since the emergence of public administration as an academic field in the late 1880s. Public administration relates to the political process which is of pivotal importance to scholars and practitioners as it bears implications for disciplinary identity and institutional development of public administration which in turn affects governance of the state. Contemporary Nigeria is plagued with the problems of widespread poverty, large-scale unemployment, technological backwardness, low capacity utilization, inadequate and decayed social and physical infrastructure, and high crime rate, among others. The objective of this study is to identify the challenges preventing Nigerian public administrators from playing its catalysing role in the development of the country as well as to proffer possible solutions. Data for the study were collected from secondary sources. Content analysis was adopted for the review of the empirical literature. Development Administration Theory (DAT) was used for this study propounded by Riggs (1970). One of the findings is that bribery and corruption are a bane of Nigerian public administration. The paper recommends, inter alia, the empowering of the anti-corruption institutions and ensuring effective leadership among others.