PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION:

 Civil Service

The civil service is an arm of the executive which implement government policies. In modern government the civil service cannot be done without with. All the functions of government are carried out by the civil service. Those who work in the Civil services are called civil servants.

Characteristics of civil service

1. Frame work of law: - Certain law guides the operations of the civil services such laws are made by the parliament and are contain in a document called General Order. Members of the civil services are expected to obey such laws.

2. Political Neutrality: As a principle of the civil service means that civil servant should not be involved partisan politics. This is to guide the civil services to be loyal to any government that is in power.

3. Merit System: - Civil services operate on the principles of merit. This means that the civil services activities are done on merits. e.g. merit in Appointment, promotion, transfer, and dismissal etc.

4. Permanency: - The tenure of office of civil servant must be made permanent. Their appointment cannot be terminated for not just cause. Permanency in the civil service is important in order to bring about continuity in the civil services.

5. Expertise: - This means that those who operate in Civil services must be experts in their various fields. This is to ensure that only good hands operate in the Civil service.

6. Accountability: - As civil service features has more to do with financial accountability. This means that the civil service must be able to render an accurate accounting of their financial dealings.

7. Anonymity: - As a features of the civil service means that civil servants are not awarded credit or blame for any of their action. It also means that Civil servants should not be heard but seen only performing their duties.

8.Impartiality: It means that the duties and responsibility of the civil service should be discharge to all people with fairness and justice without the principles of impartiality some people would be unjustly favourable while others suffered.

Functions of the Civil Service

a. Implementation of government policy:- It is the responsibility of the civil services to implement government policies. When the legislature makes law, such lawS Would be implemented by the civil service. The technical and executive classes are responsible for implementation.

b. Formulation of policies:- The professional class of the civil service is responsible for formulating new ideas, programmes for government. For example in Nigeria, it is the professional class that would formulate such policies has W.A.I.C. and family support programme for government.

c. Adviser: - The civil service most especially the professional class act as advisers to the political class such as the president or governor of the state. For example the president appoints economy advisers to advice him before taking any economic decision.

d. Collection and keeping of government revenue.

e. Preparation of the budget: - Before the budget is presented to the legislature for approval. It is first prepared by the Civil Service every year between October and November. The Civil Service is faced with the task of preparing the budget.

f. Public Enlightenment: - The civil service organize enlightens programs to member of the public on government policies programmes.

g. The civil services enable government to know where to provide social and infrastructural facilities.

Civil Service/ Public Service

The civil services are the ministries while public servants are the people working generally. Class / structures of civil service

1. Administrative class:- The administrative class of the civil service is responsible for the day today administrative of the civil service. Members of the class are recruited from the universities they are graduate. The administrative is headed by director general.

2. Professional class: - The class is composed professional and experts in different disciplines such as doctor, accountant, lawyer, engineer, and architect they are responsible for formulated policies for government.

3. Technical and executive class: The member of the class is recruited from polytechnics and colleges of technology graduates. The class is responsible for implementation government policies.

4. Clerical and sub clerical: - The class is composed clerk, accountant classifies pits, sectary, stenographers etc. the class is recruited form secondary school leavers.

5. Manipulative class: The individual drivers, messengers, cleaners, guarders, gateman, etc. the members are recruited directly by the ministries and not from the civil services commission.

Control of the civil service

1. Internal Control: - Civil service operates within the frame Work of law. His activities are governed by rules and regulation cullet the general order and financial regulation. Civil servant cannot act contrary to these rules and regulations.

2. Parliamentary Control: - One of the prime functions of legislature as representative of the people is to control and supervise the executive whom operates within their services. Such control include:-

a. Monitoring the performance of the civil services.

b. Look into the manner, it apply public forms.

c. Expose corrupt practices level administrative.

d. Cut budgetary allocation to ministry depression.

3. Executive Control: - The executive i.e. the president, prime minister, ministers and commission direct, control and supervise the civil servants in the performance of their duties. This supervision is necessary in other to ensure that government programmes and policies are effectively accomplished.

4. Civil Services Commission Control: Through his function of discipline and promotion, the civil Commission controls civil servant. This control is done through annual performance evaluation forms.

5. Public Compliant Commission Control: - The public compliant commission is an individual expending body established by the constitution. One of his functions is to check the excess of the civil servant. Any agreed citizens can seek redress against any civil servant that violates his fundamental human right through the public complaints commission.

6. Judicial Control: Ones the civil services violet constitution or law made by government they are prosecuted by judiciary.

7. Press Control: - Civil servant as public servant can be control by the press. Members of a public have the- right to criticize and give succession on how civil services running the affairs. The press provides a miss of achieving this purpose.

Problems / Criticism of the Civil Service

1. Delay in his operation: - The civil services operate on the bases of strictly laid procedure. Strict complicated with of services rules and procedure result in red tapism.

2. Lack of initiatives/ innovations: - As civil servant must to follow lay down procedure in the performance of their duties, they are like machine. Any attempt to use their own initiatives would amount to deviation from civil service procedure.

3. The civil service is highly politicized: - The principles of political neutrality are not followed. Civil servant Sometimes shows openly their political interest. This affects their loyalty to the government of the day.

4. Inflexibility or rely on precedent: - The civil servant does not change his operation to suit changes in some circumstance. They apply civil services rules and procedure.

Other subtopics to explore

Outline 

5. measures that can be put in place to make civil servants non-partisan 

6. factors that can hinder the effectiveness of the civil service in Nigeria.

7. how to ensure the political neutrality of the civil service

9. bureaucracy and red tapism

10. causes of bureaucracy

11. Arguments in favour of bureaucracy 

12. The civil service commission

13. functions of the civil service commission

14. the police force 

15.the structure of the police force

16. functions of the police force

17. problems of the police force

18. failures of the police force

19. Ombudsman

20. functions and importance of ombudsman

21. limitations to the power of ombudsman