Opinion
Bureaucracy And Niger Delta Development
President Goodluck Jonathan would want to leave an enduring legacy by the time he finishes his tenure in 2015. To do this, however, he has to rely on his ministers, aides and a whole gamut of workers in the civil service. Unfortunately, we have a civil service system that is anything but efficient and result-oriented. So, it would not surprise anyone if the president’s transformational agenda is scuttled before it sets sail.
Perhaps, the president anticipates this, and has, therefore, launched a pre-emptive strike. He charged his new ministers to gird their loins for an all-out war against corruption, describing it as a monster that must be confronted and defeated. Surely, that is the way to go, and the president should insist on this tough stance, otherwise he may find his lofty plans and programmes encumbered by a sloppy, sluggish and corruption-ridden bureaucracy. This is not to say that bureaucracy in itself is bad and should be jettisoned. On the contrary, efforts should be made to instill the positive aspects of bureaucracy in our system.
In their book ‘Reinventing Government’, Osborne David and Gaebler Ted said: “It is hard to imagine today, but a hundred years ago, bureaucracy meant something positive. It connoted a rational, efficient method of organization – something to take the place of the arbitrary exercise of power by authoritarian regimes. Bureaucracy brought the same logic to government work that the assembly line brought to the factory. With the hierarchical authority and functional specialization, they made possible the efficient undertaking of large complex tasks”.
Even now, one can still point at some countries where bureaucracy has been put to good use. Here, the good fortunes of some East Asian countries, where bureaucracy played a positive role in the rapid growth of their economies, stand out. Indeed, it could be said that bureaucracy was a key ingredient of their economic .miracle. Many economic experts agree that the four Asian Tigers – Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan – owe their success not only to good visioning but to efficient and well-oiled bureaucracy.
Sadly though, this dramatic turnaround in Asia could not be replicated in many African countries, including Nigeria. Unlike the situation in East Asia, what takes centre-stage in our country is the negative aspect, which highlights the weakness of bureaucracy and this explains the poor development performance of many countries on the continent.
Issues of bureaucratic governance are seen as crucial determinants of the degree to which a country makes social and economic progress or fails to do so. This set of issues has been of concern since the advent of centralized administration, but they have taken on particular significance since the work of Max Weber some hundred years ago. In recent years, there has been increasing evidence that bureaucratic performance is important for development performance.
These days, there have been massive pressures across the world for governments to become leaner, more efficient and bring services closer to the people. In many developing countries, in particular- often as part of structural adjustment programs, there have been pressures to reduce the role of the state in relation to the market and cut the size of the civil service.
The Presidential Advisory Committee (PAC), set up by the President Jonathan and headed by General Theophilus Danjuma (rtd), to audit all Federal Government projects, said in its report that the size of government bureaucracy was unwieldy. The committee decried the high cost of governance and advised the government to prune down the ministries, departments and agencies, for more effective governance. According to the committee, the Federal Government spends about N200 billion annually on the official emoluments of civil servants.
Danjuma said that cutting down on the cost of bureaucracy would free the funds for government to provide needed infrastructure. The committee noted that government has spent N15.6 trillion on public servants alone since 1999
The 2011 budget follows the same pattern as more than N3.2 trillion of the N4.2 trillion estimates was allocated to recurrent expenditure, statutory transfers – which include payments to institutions such as the judiciary – and debt servicing. So, the government is going to spend nearly 75 per cent of the 2011 budget on recurrent expenditure. This leaves less than N1 trillion for capital expenditure. In other words, the country is spending far more on government than on critically needed infrastructure.
If President Jonathan wants to perform in the next four years, he must cut down on the cost of governance and restructure the civil service which runs the government’s bureaucracy. Any critical observer would acknowledge that bureaucracy is being used by civil servants to serve their selfish interests and line their pockets. For us in this country, bureaucracy is more of a drawback than a facilitator as envisaged by Max Weber and other great thinkers.
It is rather unfortunate that, like most other aspects of Nigeria’s national life, the bureaucracy has degenerated over the years. During the First Republic, the civil servants that were inherited from our colonial masters served creditably as veritable agents of socio-economic transformation. That is no longer the case. The notorious Nigerian factor has diluted the bureaucracy to a miserable point where it is now a burden rather than an asset to this country.
No doubt, we have a bloated bureaucracy that is more or less counter-productive. Although it provides employment; most of the people employed are unproductive and idle. The Jonathan administration must check this unsustainable trend and employ people where there are genuine jobs to be done. The case of the Imo State government, where an out-going administration employed 10,000 workers without any job description, paints a sad picture of the rot in the public service across the country.
This point was underlined recently by the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Mr. Chibuzor Ugwoha. He said: “We know that the commission itself was created to respond to the developmental challenges in the Niger Delta. The idea was to fast track development. And we all know in this country that the bane of our development is bureaucracy. You can never attain high level of development with bureaucracy.”
“You can follow due process and get things done without unnecessary bureaucracy that ensures that before a file comes from one point to another it takes months. No country in the world can develop with that kind of bureaucracy. That is why those who created NDDC called it an interventionist agency. It means that it is supposed to function as a task force. Every task force does not follow bureaucracy. But they will follow due process as stipulated by law,” Ugwoha said
Perhaps, one can say that the NDDC has done relatively better than other agencies of government because it has managed to break loose from the bureaucratic manacles which hinder progress and development. Other stakeholders in the Niger Delta such as the state and local governments must also wean themselves of excessive bureaucracy to be able to deliver good governance to the long-neglected people of Nigeria’s oil basin.
Agbu, a seasoned journalist, lives in Port Harcourt.
Ifeatu Agbu
Quote:”While job seeking youths should continuously acquire skills and explore opportunities within their immediate environment as well as in the global space through the use of digital platforms, government, corporate/ multinational organizations or the organised private sector should generate skills and provide the enabling environment for skills acquisition, through adequate funding and resettlement packages that will provide sustainable economic life for beneficiaries”.
The Governor of Rivers State, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, recently urged youths in the Rivers State to take advantage of the vast opportunities available to become employers of labour and contribute meaningfully to the growth and development of the State. Governor Fubara noted that global trends increasingly favour entrepreneurship and innovation, and said that youths in Rivers State must not be left behind in harnessing these opportunities. The Governor, represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Dr Benibo Anabraba, made this known while declaring open the 2026 Job Fair organised by the Rivers State Government in partnership with the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) in Port Harcourt. The Governor acknowledged the responsibility of government to create jobs for its teeming youth population but noted that it is unrealistic to absorb all job seekers into the civil service.
“As a government, we recognise our duty to provide employment opportunities for our teeming youths. However, we also understand that not all youths can be accommodated within the civil service. This underscores the need to encourage entrepreneurship across diverse sectors and to partner with other stakeholders, including the youths themselves, so they can transition from being job seekers to employers of labour,” he said. It is necessary to State that Governor Fubara has not only stated the obvious but was committed to drive youth entrepreneurship towards their self-reliance and the economic development of the State It is not news that developed economies of the world are skilled driven economies. The private sector also remains the highest employer of labour in private sector driven or capitalist economy though it is also the responsibility of government to create job opportunities for the teeming unemployed youth population in Nigeria which has the highest youth unemployed population in the subSahara Africa.
The lack of job opportunities, caused partly by the Federal Government’s apathy to job creation, the lack of adequate supervision of job opportunities economic programmes, lack of employable skills by many youths in the country have conspired to heighten the attendant challenges of unemployment. The challenges which include, “Japa” syndrome (travelling abroad for greener pastures), that characterises the labour market and poses threat to the nation’s critical sector, especially the health and medical sector; astronomical increase in the crime rate and a loss of interest in education. While job seeking youths should continuously acquire skills and explore opportunities within their immediate environment as well as in the global space through the use of digital platforms, government, corporate/ multinational organizations or the organised private sector should generate skills and provide the enabling environment for skills acquisition, through adequate funding and resettlement packages that will provide sustainable economic life for beneficiaries.
While commending the Rivers State Government led by the People First Governor, Sir Siminilayi Fubara for initiating “various training and capacity-building programmes in areas such as ICT and artificial intelligence, oil and gas, maritime, and the blue economy, among others”, it is note-worthy that the labour market is dynamic and shaped by industry-specific demands, technological advancements, management practices and other emerging factors. So another sector the Federal, State and Local Governments should encourage youths to explore and harness the abounding potentials, in my considered view, is Agriculture. Agriculture remains a veritable solution to hunger, inflation, and food Insecurity that ravages the country. No doubt, the Nigeria’s arable landmass is grossly under-utilised and under-exploited.
In recent times, Nigerians have voiced their concerns about the persistent challenges of hunger, inflation, and the general increase in prices of goods and commodities. These issues not only affect the livelihoods of individuals and families but also pose significant threats to food security and economic stability in the country. The United Nations estimated that more than 25 million people in Nigeria could face food insecurity this year—a 47% increase from the 17 million people already at risk of going hungry, mainly due to ongoing insecurity, protracted conflicts, and rising food prices. An estimated two million children under five are likely to be pushed into acute malnutrition. (Reliefweb ,2023). In response, Nigeria declared a state of emergency on food insecurity, recognizing the urgent need to tackle food shortages, stabilize rising prices, and protect farmers facing violence from armed groups. However, without addressing the insecurity challenges, farmers will continue to struggle to feed their families and boost food production.
In addition, parts of northwest and northeast Nigeria have experienced changes in rainfall patterns making less water available for crop production. These climate change events have resulted in droughts and land degradations; presenting challenges for local communities and leading to significant impact on food security. In light of these daunting challenges, it is imperative to address the intricate interplay between insecurity and agricultural productivity. Nigeria can work toward ensuring food security, reducing poverty, and fostering sustainable economic growth in its vital agricultural sector. In this article, I suggest solutions that could enhance agricultural production and ensure that every state scales its agricultural production to a level where it can cater to 60% of the population.
This is feasible and achievable if government at all levels are intentional driving the development of the agricultural sector which was the major economic mainstay of the Country before the crude oil was struck in commercial quantity and consequently became the nation’s monolithic revenue source. Government should revive the moribund Graduate Farmers Scheme and the Rivers State School-to-Land agricultural programmes to operate concurrently with other skills acquisition and development programmes. There should be a consideration for investment in mechanized farming and arable land allocation. State and local governments should play a pivotal role in promoting mechanized farming and providing arable land for farming in communities. Additionally, allocating arable land enables small holder farmers to expand their operations and contribute to food security at the grassroots level.
Nigeria can unlock the potential of its agricultural sector to address the pressing needs of its population and achieve sustainable development. Policymakers and stakeholders must heed Akande’s recommendations and take decisive action to ensure a food-secure future for all Nigerians.
By: Igbiki Benibo
Quote:“.Across Abuja, Anambra, and Lagos, a common thread emerges: a disconnect between authority and empathy. Government actions may follow policy logic, but citizens respond from lived experience, fear, and frustration. When these realities collide without dialogue, the streets become the arena of engagement”
It was a turbulent week in the country, highlighting the widening gap between government intentions and public perception. From Abuja to Anambra and Lagos, citizens poured into the streets not just over specific grievances but in frustration with governance that often appears heavy-handed, confrontational, or insufficiently humane. While authorities may genuinely act in the public interest, their methods sometimes aggravate tensions rather than resolve them.
In Abuja, the strike by workers of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) and the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) under the Joint Union Action Committee (JUAC) brought the capital to a near standstill. Their demands included five months’ unpaid wages, hazard and rural allowances, promotion arrears, welfare packages, pension and National Housing Fund remittances, and training and career progression concerns. These are core labour issues that directly affect workers’ dignity and livelihoods. Efforts to dialogue with the FCT Minister reportedly failed. Even after a court ordered the strike to end, workers persisted, underscoring the depth of discontent. Threats and sanctions only hardened positions.
The FCT crisis shows that industrial peace cannot be enforced through coercion. Dialogue is not weakness; it is recognition that governance is about people. Meeting labour leaders, listening attentively, clarifying grey areas, and agreeing on timelines could restore trust. Honesty and negotiation are far more effective than threats.
In Anambra, protests by Onitsha Main Market traders followed the government’s closure of the market over continued observance of a Monday sit-at-home, linked to separatist agitation. Governor Chukwuma Soludo described compliance as economic sabotage, insisting Anambra cannot operate as a “four-day-a-week economy.” While the governor’s concern is understandable, threats to revoke ownership, seize, or demolish the market risk escalating tensions. Many traders comply out of fear, not ideology. Markets are social ecosystems of families, apprentices, and informal networks; heavy-handed enforcement may worsen resistance. A better approach combines persuasion, dialogue with market leaders, credible security assurances, and gradual confidence-building. Coordinated political engagement with federal authorities could also reduce regional tensions.
In Lagos, protests erupted over demolition of homes in low-income waterfront communities such as Makoko, Owode Onirin, and Oworonshoki. The state defended these actions as necessary for safety, environmental protection, and urban renewal. While objectives are legitimate, demolitions drew criticism for lack of notice, compensation, and humane resettlement. Urban development without regard for human consequences risks appearing elitist and anti-poor. Where demolitions are unavoidable, transparent engagement, fair compensation, and realistic relocation must precede action to maintain public trust and social stability.
Across Abuja, Anambra, and Lagos, a common thread emerges: a disconnect between authority and empathy. Government actions may follow policy logic, but citizens respond from lived experience, fear, and frustration. When these realities collide without dialogue, the streets become the arena of engagement.
Democracy cannot thrive on decrees, threats, or bulldozers alone. Leaders must listen as much as they command, persuade as much as they enforce. Minister Wike should see labour leaders as partners, Governor Soludo must balance firmness with sensitivity, and Lagos authorities should align urban renewal with compassion and justice. Protests are signals of communication failure. Dialogue, caution, and a human face in governance are not optional—they are necessities. Police and security agencies must respect peaceful protest as a constitutional right.
By: Calista Ezeaku
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