Bureaucratic Accountability and Public Sector Management in Nigeria: Examining the Issues, Challenges and the Way Forward

Abstract

The main objective the public sector in Nigeria seeks to achieve is policy initiation, formulation and implementation for the well-being and welfare of the citizens. However, over the years, the sector has been plagued with declining service delivery and moral bankruptcy. This article within the framework of social exchange theory examined the dynamics of bureaucratic accountability, the nexus between bureaucratic accountability and public sector management in Nigeria. It is usually the public that suffers from a malfunctioning public service. Nigerian citizens look up to public servants for protection against various ills in the society and the provision of essential services. If the involvement of public servants in the political, economic and social life of the country is considered, we shall better appreciate the needed urgency in making the service accountable for its actions. It argues that for Nigeria to match forward, there is need for effective, efficient, patriotic and committed public servants, who should be accountable for their stewardship. The article recommends that unless the Nigeria public sector is revitalized and "dead woods" therein removed, Nigeria and Nigerian will continue to experience deep-seated frustrations in the often-touted desire to move the nation forward.

Key Words: Accountability, bureaucracy, government, service delivery, patriotic