ABSTRACT
Nigeria is classified as one the poorest nations of the world. One of the reasons given for Nigeria's underdevelopment is the inefficiency of its public sector. The public servants of the nation have been accused of failing to provide politicians with sound advice on public policy. The civil servants of Nigeria have sometimes been referred to as agents of mismanagement and waste of public funds. Another common weakness of the Nigerian government has been the lack of balanced emphasis between public and private sectors. During the past four decades in Nigeria, national and some state government plans dealt almost exclusively with the public sector and the discretionary authority the public placed in the hands of elected officials and public administrators were often abused. Public resources are sometimes utilized to serve the personal interest of senior public managers. Too often we have seen this abuse at virtually every level of government in Nigeria. The few ethical public administrators in Nigeria have questioned how the country has arrived at a point that there is no much unethical, immoral, and illegal activity in government. During the thirty-five years of military rule, the government often failed to recognize that policies and services to foster a favorable climate for capital formation, external investment, and industry and trade, are as essential in a nation's development plan as are public undertaking and enterprises.
