Politicizing the Practice of Public Administration in Nigeria: A Critical Analysis

Abstract

This paper examined the practise of public administration in Nigeria. It looks into the activities of the petty bourgeoisie in the governance of the country. The petty bourgeoisie who inherited independence from the colonial masters anchored on the state. They see the state as a source of wealth creation. Thus, assess to state is assess to wealth. They introduced ethnic politics, nepotism and federal character principles into the public administration of the country. This paper adopted class theory as our analytical model. The paper observed that policy formulation and application in Nigeria are to the interest of the ruling class. This led to the politicization of the practice of public administration in Nigeria. Recruitment and appointment into Public offices reflect the interest of the ruling class. Merit is no longer a factor to be considered in employment and appointment. The paper concludes that, for the practice of public administration in Nigeria to be efficient, merit must be considered first.

Keywords: Politicization, Practice, Public Administration