Academic section

This book is a follow -up to an earlier work on bureaucratic reforms in Nigeria. It is also a contribution to the assessment of Nigeria's progress and performance in governance and general service delivery to the people after 50 years of self-rule. The book details the reforms which were carried out in the country's civil service since the pre-colonial era till 2010. The earlier reforms were mainly to address issues of wages and other conditions of service. Later, the demands from domestic and international environment on the service for improved performance coupled with the advancement in technology in the globalized world necessitated reforms to address the methods for performance and skills required for effectiveness. The 1980s and 90s reforms by the military administration were comprehensive and drastic, aimed at professionalizing and trimming the size of the service. The reforms occurred during the period of low revenue for the country arising from fall of price of oil, the main source of revenue for the country. The tenure of the civil servant which had been sacrosanct was tempered with. Many of them were compulsorily retired or terminated or even dismissed for reasons, including over age, ill-health, redundancy, and wrong-doing. The reforms also addressed the issue of corruption in the service and generally in the society. It established the Economic and Financial Crime Commission and the Independent Corrupt and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) Apart from the usual contribution to knowledge, the book will meet the need of teachers and students in administration in tertiary institutions and be a useful practical guide for those in service.