Performance Management of Civil Service in Enugu State, Nigeria, 1999 – 2011
Chapter One
Objectives of the Study
The general objectives of this study were to examine the performance management of civil service in Enugu State 1999-2011. The specific objectives were to: –
- ascertain the problems of performance management of civil service in Enugu State;
- find out the effect of employee performance appraisal on performance management of civil service in Enugu State;
- examine the measures that can be employed to enhance performance management in Enugu State civil service.
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
Introduction
Historical Development of the Civil Service in Nigeria
The Civil Service was one of the legacies bequeathed to Nigeria by the colonial masters. However, opinion differs about the origin of the institution. The first school of thought traced the origin of the Civil Service to 1861 when Lagos was annexed by the colonial masters. To this school, rudimentary administration commenced at this particular time, though on a limited scale. The second perspective upholds the position that the Civil Service in Nigeria began in 1900. By that date, the colonial civil service as an institution was established in Southern Nigeria and Northern Nigeria and a new instrument was published to re-organize and reinforce the old service in Lagos colony (Jega, 2001: 32). The third school of thought argued that the origin of the Civil Service in Nigeria could not pre-date Nigeria itself. Thus, they maintained that the year 1914, when the Southern and Northern Protectorates were amalgamated was the true origin of the Civil Service in Nigeria (Jaja, 2001). Whatever the origin, there is no doubt that the Civil Service is an alien institution transplanted to Nigeria by the British colonial masters. Therefore, the Nigerian Civil Service since independence has been patterned along the British system. (Excerpt; The 1988 and the present reforms which attempted to restructure the service in line with the presidential system of government). Three features characterized the colonial phase of the Civil Service (Olowu et al., 1997). The first was the domination of the upper echelon of the Civil Service by Europeans. For instance, in 1948, 245 of 2,541 and in 1952, 685 out of 3,679 senior posts were held by Nigerians. In June 1960, a few months before independence the number of Nigerians occupying senior service positions had increased to 2,308 out of 4,057. Second there was concentration of all power (executive, judicial and legislative) in the hands of appointed officials to run the affairs of the colonial territory (Adamolekun, 1986: 33). The third feature was that the colonial service co-opted traditional rulers in administering Nigeria (Indirect Rule System). This system served the purpose of cost savings to the colonial power, gave colonial rule some measures of legitimacy and made the task of tax collection easier by assigning the traditional rulers as key agents of tax collection. It is important to note that, the evolution of the federal Civil Service from colonial rule to the present is a reflection of the political transitions and crises that the country had witnessed. As Olowu, Otobo and Okotoni (1997: 3) wrote:
The evolution of the Federal Civil Service from colonial rule to the present reflected the political transitions that the country has witnessed. The colonial civil servants – consisting of the British and Nigerians – served at the behest of the British Monarch. They carried out their duties on the instructions of the British government, which was theoretically at the service of the Crown. Thus, the Nigerian Civil Service up till 1954 can be said to have acted as State Servants. From independence in 1960 and thereafter, the federal civil servants have served as professional public servants.
Two major factors have influenced the structure, size and functions of the Civil Service in Nigeria. Firstly, the political and government instability, that has plagued the country since independence when the military took over power in 1966 changed and expanded the role of the Civil Service and its influence in policy and decision-making considerably. The Civil War which started in 1967 and the Federal Government policy of 3Rs (Reconstruction, Rehabilitation and Reconciliation) which came immediately after the war also, fundamentally, altered the functions, size and shape of the Civil Service. The second factor is the economic fortunes and misfortunes of the country. The post 1970 period – the indigenization decrees and the idea of State Control of the “commanding heights” of the economy resulted in an increased and more direct role for the Civil Service in economic management. More importantly, the discovery of oil wealth in the 1970’s enabled federal government to increase its participation in the economy. By the late 1970s and early 1980’s the economy of Nigeria had started witnessing some problems. As a result of the economic downturn, further changes emerged in mid 1980’s with the economic policy reform package commonly referred to as the Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP). Directly and indirectly, the policy of Structural Adjustment Programme affected the Civil Service in two major ways. First was the size of the Civil Service and second was the role of the Civil Service. Through the policy of SAP many parastatals that were hitherto poorly managed were privatized and some commercialized. (Adegoroye 2006:27) Therefore, there was a ‘technical’ reduction in the size of the public service as some of the Civil Servants were either disengaged or transferred to the private sector. Second, the role of the Civil Service as economic managers reduced drastically. The 1988 reforms which came later, sought to address both the political and economic dimensions of the Civil Service reform. This was the first real effort aimed at transforming the inherited British-style civil service into one that is adapted to Nigerian political and economic realities. One thing to note here is that, since independence, the Civil Service has not adequately met the challenges of development. This and other factors like the global economic, political and technological environment were responsible for the reforms that have taken place so far.
CHAPTER THREE
STUDY AREA AND RESEARCH PROCEDURE
Study Area: Enugu State
Enugu State, South-East of Nigeria, is one of the thirty-six States constituting the Federal Republic of Nigeria. It came into being on 27 August, 1991 when the administration of the then Military President, General Ibrahim Babangida, finally acquiesced to the long agitations of Wawa people for a State they could truly call their own. Enugu State derives its name from the capital city, Enugu (top of the hill), which is regarded as the oldest urban area in the Igbo speaking area of South-East Nigeria. The discovery of the solid mineral in the area brought about the emergence of a permanent cosmopolitan settlement which influenced the construction of a railway line to link the Enugu coal fields with the seaport in Port Harcourt for the evacuation of the mineral to Europe. In fact, by 1917 Enugu had acquired township status and assumed strategic importance to British interests. Foreign businesses began to move into Enugu, the most notable of which were John Holt, Kingsway Store, United Bank of West Africa and United African Company. By 1929, Enugu had become the capital of the former Eastern Region, and has since then retained its old status as the regional industrial and business hub as well as the political capital and rallying point of the Igbo people.
Geographical Location
Situated on much of the highlands of Awgu-Udi-Nsukka hills and the rolling low lands of the Idodo River basin to the West, the State is bounded by five other States with which it shares common boundaries. It spreads southwards to the borders with Abia and Northwards to Benue States. Apart from a chain of low hills running through Abakaliki in neighbouring Ebonyi state in the East to Nsukka in the West and then Southwards through Enugu and Awgu, the rest of the State is made up of low lands, crisscrossed by numerous streams and rivulets of which the major ones are the Adada, Oji, Ekulu, Nyama, Nvene and Agalli Rivers (2010 Enugu State Diary: The Government Printer, Enugu).
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS
Introduction
This chapter deals with the data Presentation, Data Analysis and Findings.
CHAPTER FIVE
DISCUSSION
Performance Management in Enugu State civil service is significantly enhanced through training, retraining of staff, promotions, and high salaries and granting of car and housing loans.
From the study, the mean average of respondents showed that 1.76 with a probability as low as 0.00 (lower than 0.05) civil service workers do not have clear view of what their jobs entails and no measuring apparatus by their superiors to show clearly if they had been able to achieve the goals they were meant to achieve. Where there were no clear goals set and no measuring instruments put in place to determine workers achievement, the performance management goals are defeated.
CHAPTER SIX
SUMMARY, RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSION
Summary
This study was undertaken to examine the performance management in the civil service using Enugu State civil service as the case study. Its primary goal was the examination of the performance management in Enugu State civil service from 1999 – 2011. But in more specific terms, the study aimed at looking critically at the steps towards the enhancement of Enugu State civil service performance management, through training and retraining of staff, promotions, adequate housing and car loans. It helped us to identify the measures that were employed to carry out a performance appraisal measures that could show differentiation in workers performance ratings, opportunities and compensation from underperformers. This work also helped us to unravel the measures that were put in place by Enugu State government to engender performance management of the civil service and finally recommended remedies for performance management. The Goal-setting Theory by Locke and Latham (1990) for performance and reward management formed the framework of analysis. Arising from the literature review, the following hypotheses stated in alternative form guided this study:
- Performance management in Enugu State civil service was significantly enhanced through training of staff, promotions, high salaries, and housing and car loans.
- Staff appraisal contributed positively towards workers performance in Enugu State civil service.
There existed significant measures that could be employed to engender performance management in Enugu State civil service.
Deriving from the literature review and the findings made, we were able to reach a conclusion that:
(a) That the enhancement of performance management in Enugu State Civil service through training of staff, promotions, adequate housing and car loans were low and could not boost performance.
(b) The Annual Performance Evaluation Report as practiced in Enugu State civil service impeded performance management system.
The evaluation measures could not measure the key performance indicators of the organization to know the best and worst performers, then nurture the former and rehabilitate and/or discard the latter.
(c) Certain measures to engender performance in Enugu State Civil Service were put in a place such as the Guide to Enugu State SERVICOM and Performance Improvement Bureau for service Standards and operations. Also the Pilot Performance Improvement
Bureau for service standards and operations. Also the Pilot Performance Evaluation Testing of Ministries, Departments/ Agencies in Enugu were used to determine the level of workers performance. All these efforts were employed towards the improvement of workers’ performance, but could not improve the performance management in Enugu State civil service.
Recommendations
The process of data presentation and analysis produced some findings. The result showed that there was low performance management in Enugu State civil service.
Therefore, this work recommended:
- That the Enugu State government should as a matter of urgency implement in full the Federal Government directives on the minimum wage increase. This was important as some other States in the country had implemented theirs and Enugu State would not be different. It was also crucial as inflation in Nigerian society was rising everyday to an unimaginable proportion and these workers had to go for purchases in the same market with those workers who are well paid and cared for.
- Training and re-training of workers was a very crucial issue as the adage goes on to say that ‘one cannot give what he has not’. It is very pertinent to state that when competent staff was brought into an organization, their competence, ingenuity, skills and professionalism could have great positive impact if well harnessed. All these contributed to the improvement of organizational performance.
- It was also recommended that Enugu State civil service should device appraisal apparatus that would be able to measure workers performance in line with key performance indicators of their organizations/departments. These would bring to focus workers that could be nurtured and those to be rehabilitated and/or discarded.
- We recommended that the performance management attempts by the State Government like the establishment of the Performance Improvement Bureau Service Standards and Operations coupled with the 4-point agenda of the Enugu state government should be strictly adhered to for full implementation.
- We also recommended that Enugu State government should as a priority increase the State budgetary allocation for civil service as they stood as the hub where the wheel of the society rotates. The civil service was a veritable tool for infrastructural development, setting and coordinating State policies and social service delivery.
- It was also highly recommended that political office holders should not interfere in the affairs of the civil servants as this would breed disobedience to constituted authorities and essentially result to low performance as a result of non-adherence to due processes.
Conclusion
Finally, the importance of performance management was crucial in any human endeavour. The success or failure, growth or decline of any organization undoubtedly depended, to an appreciable extent on the performance management of such enterprise. The training and re-training of the civil servants should be of paramount importance as it would contribute immensely towards the attainment of goals and mandates for greater performance. It is of great importance that workers should be highly motivated through payment of a living wage and other incentives that would enable them love to stay in organization. It is pertinent to state that organizations should have clear visibility, regular individual analysis of organization-wide employee appraisals to identify corporate competencies and skill gaps. With this valuable data in hand, organizations could identify training and development plans. This research was, therefore, convinced that if a holistic application of the recommendations are carried out, it will bring about the transformation of performance management of the civil service in Enugu State.
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