An Assessment of the Salaries Reform Act and Its Implementation in Nigeria’s Public Sector
Chapter One
OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY
- To examine the impact of salaries reform and implementation on the welfare of retirees in the ministry of works Rivers State.
- To identify the benefits/importance of salaries reform act on salariesers of ministry of works Rivers State.
- To access the strategies for efficient salaries scheme in Nigeria with particular reference to ministry of works Porthacourt.
- .To examines challenges that are affecting effective salaries reform and implementation in the ministry.
- .T o recommend ways of implementing salaries reform scheme in ministry of works Rivers State.
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
Introduction
A search on existing literature in the field of social and management sciences indicates that monetization belongs to the tribe of a disputed concept as to its contextual meaning. However, conscientious effort is made in this regard to borrow the views of various scholars and writers on the concept of monetization. Fayomi (2013:107) defines monetization as ―something that gives the character of money to an economic policy‖. This simply means that monetization is a systematic replacement of work benefits with cash incentive. Wikipedia Encyclopedia, regards the term monetization to refer to exchanging possessions for cash or cash equivalents, including selling a security, charging fees for something that used to be free, or attempting to make money on goods or services that were previously unprofitable or had been considered to have the potential to earn profits. This definition views it from two angles which are converting possessions for cash equivalent and charging money for goods or services that were offered freely before. Abdulrasaki (2011) described monetization as a form of monetary policy which means benefits being enjoyed by public servants who would be paid in lump sum, some of these benefits include leave grants, meal subsidy, entertainment allowance, duty tour allowance, and domestic servant allowance. To McConnell (in Nweke, 2012:171), fringe benefits are the rewards other than wages that employees receive from their employers and which include pension, medical and dental insurance, paid vacations and sick leave. From the definitions above, they all have one thing in common which is conversion of benefits previously enjoyed into cash. The philosophy behind monetization is a cutout for the reduction of high costs of governance and to increase workers‘ productivity. The fact is incontrovertible that over the years capital project administration has not been given the required dose due to high cost of running and maintaining the nation‘s political, public and judicial office holders. Another area is the army of public servants compared to the total income that government generates from their services. As Akhakpe (2014) puts it, in most Africa countries, cost of governance has gone astronomically high making it difficult for government to implement developmental plans and programmes. Mis-management and waste are the order of things as high recurrent expenditure, corruption, budget deficit and fiscal indiscipline continue to plague our public finance. The advocacy for the New Public Management has become the order of the day because it encapsulates accountability, efficiency, result-oriented effectiveness which are fundamental principles in the private sector. At the international and local levels, there is a paradigm shift from traditional public administration to New Public Management (NPM) which has become a new order to change the status-quo of government operations as umpire to a liberal market economy. The New Public Management which is hinged on efficiency, effectiveness and public private partnership has added impetus to the functions of public service. The public service reforms were: initiated against the background that government required a departure from the traditional method of administration and the urgent need for a renewed public sector to propel government to its quest for sustainable socio-economic, political and technological development. So, there was a need for structural re-engineering of the public sector with the intention of new values of professionalism, accountability, responsiveness and a focused sense of mission for maximum efficiency in the economy (Omoyefa in Fatile and Adejuwon 2010:147) Prior to the introduction of monetization in Nigeria, government officials were treated with the provision of free residential quarters, official vehicles, maids, free medical services (which were also extended to their families), furniture allowance, leave grants, meal subsidy, duty tour allowance e.t.c. Provisions of these benefits to the teeming number of public servants in the nation posed a huge pressure to the fiscal policy in the country because capital projects as a major driver of the economy towards sustainable growth and development were stifled. Every administration that comes in place usually states the policies they intend to pursue. Nigerian past leaders have made series of policy pronouncements, strategies and programmes meant to transform the Nigerian economy in past years (Nweke 2012).
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
INTRODUCTION
In this chapter, we described the research procedure for this study. A research methodology is a research process adopted or employed to systematically and scientifically present the results of a study to the research audience viz. a vis, the study beneficiaries.
RESEARCH DESIGN
Research designs are perceived to be an overall strategy adopted by the researcher whereby different components of the study are integrated in a logical manner to effectively address a research problem. In this study, the researcher employed the survey research design. This is due to the nature of the study whereby the opinion and views of people are sampled. According to Singleton & Straits, (2009), Survey research can use quantitative research strategies (e.g., using questionnaires with numerically rated items), qualitative research strategies (e.g., using open-ended questions), or both strategies (i.e., mixed methods). As it is often used to describe and explore human behaviour, surveys are therefore frequently used in social and psychological research.
POPULATION OF THE STUDY
According to Udoyen (2019), a study population is a group of elements or individuals as the case may be, who share similar characteristics. These similar features can include location, gender, age, sex or specific interest. The emphasis on study population is that it constitutes of individuals or elements that are homogeneous in description.
This study was carried to examine an assessment of Salaries Reform Act and Its Implementation in Nigerian Public Sector. Staff of ministry of works Rivers State form the population of the study.
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS
INTRODUCTION
This chapter presents the analysis of data derived through the questionnaire and key informant interview administered on the respondents in the study area. The analysis and interpretation were derived from the findings of the study. The data analysis depicts the simple frequency and percentage of the respondents as well as interpretation of the information gathered. A total of eighty (80) questionnaires were administered to respondents of which only seventy-seven (77) were returned and validated. This was due to irregular, incomplete and inappropriate responses to some questionnaire. For this study a total of 77 was validated for the analysis.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
Introduction
It is important to ascertain that the objective of this study was to ascertain an assessment of Salaries Reform Act and Its implementation in Nigerian Public Sector. In the preceding chapter, the relevant data collected for this study were presented, critically analyzed and appropriate interpretation given. In this chapter, certain recommendations made which in the opinion of the researcher will be of benefits in addressing the challenges of Salaries Reform Act and Its Implementation in Nigerian Public Sector
Summary
This study was on an assessment of Salaries Reform Act and Its implementation in Nigerian Public Sector. Five objectives were raised which included: To examine the impact of salaries reform and implementation on the welfare of retirees in the ministry of works Rivers State, to identify the benefits/importance of salaries reform act on salariesers of ministry of works Rivers State, to access the strategies for efficient salaries scheme in Nigeria with particular reference to ministry of works Porthacourt, to examines challenges that are affecting effective salaries reform and implementation in the ministry and to recommend ways of implementing salaries reform scheme in ministry of works Rivers State. A total of 77 responses were received and validated from the enrolled participants where all respondents were drawn from CBN staffs, Abuja. Hypothesis was tested using Chi-Square statistical tool (SPSS).
Conclusion
The most important requirement to ensure efficient service delivery in the public sector is to improve the capacity of public servants and institutional capacity upgrade. The required critical resources include: human, material, finance and policy. Public service reforms are focused on how to make the service more purposeful, cost effective and efficient in the use of resources. Monetization therefore becomes one of the measures government has used to address some of the issues in the service. Notwithstanding, some challenges have been identified with the implementation of the policy. It is incontrovertible to say the challenges appear mind burgling but they are not irredeemable. A country that makes provisions for 36 ministers, at least one from every state and six more from the six geopolitical zones will pretty much wallow in underdevelopment (Obi, 2013). The machinery of Government is too large which accounts for the huge figures of recurrent expenditure in the country. Hence, government needs to cut down it bureaucracy to a manageable number in order to service it properly
Recommendation
Since the policy has brought marked improvement in productivity level, there should be continuity in the system. The policy reversal in some quarters should not be condoled because according to Okonjo-Iweala in Obi (2013), monetization has reduced the share of recurrent expenditures in the budget from 74 per cent in 2011 to 71 per cent in 2012 and to 68 per cent in 2013 According to her, We aim to push for a 60 per cent recurrent and 40 per cent capital budget ratio in the medium term. The residential accommodation of government which were purchased by lawmakers, ruling elites and top bureaucrats at ridiculous amounts should be revoked and recovered from them and put into use by government. Some of these quarters were bought and left abandoned whereas a lot of Nigerians are homeless sleeping under bridges
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