Opinion
Why Management Fails
Ultimate goal, emphasis and focus of every management process are to make optimal use of human and material resources to produce best results in any defined project, through the willing cooperation of stakeholders in the project. It is the art of guiding activities and energy of stakeholders towards the accomplishment of some defined goals. Management is enhanced by the application of bureaucratic principles whereby roles and powers are clearly specified, defined and assigned, based on competence and expertise. Possibility of monopoly or abuse of power is checked by the principles of accountability and transparency of operations.
Checklist for a sound management applies doctrines of Efficiency, Effectiveness, Continuity and Satisfaction. Efficiency entails the speed and economy it takes to get required results, based on sound division of labour, degree of cooperation and motivation among the personnel and a clear definition of authority and accountability. There is effectiveness where available resources are used with prudence and diligence to produce results and services which satisfy the stakeholders. Sound control measures and management intelligence facilitate effective service delivery.
Efficiency and effectiveness facilitate and sustain the continuity of any management, especially where management training programme and accountable use of resources are established as management culture. A sound management culture is rooted in the application of the ideas of bureaucracy with regard to impartiality in the hiering and firing of staff. But a situation where personnel can be engaged on the basis of patronage rather than competence, then there is a cause for possible failure.
Private sector establishments have been found to apply the ideals of bureaucracy better than public agencies. Bureaucratic principles prescribe authority hierarchy, with the higher controlling the lower one, but such control recognises division of labour and the distribution of responsibility. Autonomy and freedom from outside control or impositions are vital ideals of a bureaucracy, whereby all rules of engagement are documented and serve as guidelines in all operations. Impartiality in administrative machinery is meant to ensure that personal favouritism or bias does not jeopardise the rule of justice in management processes.
We find differences between management and administration in the handling of private and public establishments. A manager has greater autonomy and freedom from outside interferences than an administrator. Thus heads of public establishments are more of administrators than managers. Being such obedient servants, civility and servitude are the hallmarks of public-sector administrators. They are servants to political masters, whose capricious nature manifests in hiring of docile servants and the firing of radical or independent-minded professionals. Foundation for failures in public bureaucracy lies in this feature.
What is happening currently between university lecturers and the federal government should be an eye-opener to discerning Nigerians. Arms-twisting measures are among the strategies used by political paymasters to ensure malleability, docility and servitude of civil servants. Thus, competence, expertise and independent-mindedness can be sacrificed for civility, obedience and mediocrity. Then what do we have in the public sector? Failure!
This culture of civility, servitude and maintenance of the status-quo also reflects in the appointments of heads of tertiary institutions and the politicisation of education. Thus the arms-twisting culture has become a vital strategy for the installation and sustenance of corruption and tyranny in the polity; thanks to military tacticians. The option of joining them if you cannot beat them, served as an aphrodisiac or bait to lure “radical rebels” into the winning team of the game of gangsterism. Independent-minded members of the academia, serving and retired, with personal integrity, know of the shenanigans playing out in the educational sector.
Why is it that policies, plans and programmes in the public sector rarely work as envisaged? With the mantra of “public good” as a camouflage, it is obvious to any discerning Nigerian that what we have as politics is a clever system of gangsterism, which, for purpose of politeness, is named oligopoly. Military regime packaged it for obvious reasons, but majority of Nigerians remain ignorant, capable of being hoodwinked. Einstein, the man associated with the theory of Relativity, reminded us that politics is more difficult than physics, but we allow charlatans to dominate that activity!
Political interferences in public bureaucracy operate through the installation of Sapiental authority, Cabal and a cult of Spin-doctors, as faceless but ruthless manipulators. Thus, top hierarchy of public bureaucracy becomes an exclusive cult affair, of which only patrons and anointed persons are admitted into. Those who may pretend to be unaware of this system of management in Nigeria may continue in their pretences. Those looking for the root-cause and mechanism of corruption can do a research, using this clue as a leading hypothesis.
Those who are aware of these shenanigans as long-established management credo would not open their mouths to expose the operational secrets, for obvious reasons. It takes politics of integrity and accountability as well as sound management principles, to satisfy the greatest needs, aspirations and expectations of the greatest number. But politics of greed, chicanery, patronage and sinecure, destroy public confidence and warn citizens that a game of gangsterism wears the face of management of public affairs. Once this awareness takes root in a society, everybody looks for the ways and means of self survival, by hook or crook.
Electoral process as a means of installing a sane and credible system of public administration, has also been infected by the virus of corruption. To say that such virus has its tentacles everywhere, means that the electoral system is not left out. Neither is there any hope that a paradigm shift is about to take place. While there is a hope for Divine intervention when human recalcitrance gets to a crescendo, it is also possible that Divine gift can be rubbished by human failures. Despite provisions which bureaucracy and democracy make available for a good management of human affairs, human failures have rubbished these provisions.
Happily, current plight afflicting humanity and Nigerians in particular, are producing some positive results. Such results do not always manifest in radical aggressiveness but it can take the form of sober and determined resolution to stay alive in the face of threats through Gandhi’s philosophy. Non-co-operation can bring down any management system. Violent change will beget bloodshed, with armed hirelings of the establishment ready for mass slaughter.
By: Bright Amirize
Dr Amirize is a retired lecturer in Rivers State University, Port Harcourt.
Opinion
Restoring Order, Delivering Good Governance
The political atmosphere in Rivers State has been anything but calm in 2025. Yet, a rare moment of unity was witnessed on Saturday, June 28, when Governor Siminalayi Fubara and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Chief Nyesom Wike, appeared side by side at the funeral of Elder Temple Omezurike Onuoha, Wike’s late uncle. What could have passed for a routine condolence visit evolved into a significant political statement—a symbolic show of reconciliation in a state bruised by deep political strife.
The funeral, attended by dignitaries from across the nation, was more than a moment of shared grief. It became the public reflection of a private peace accord reached earlier at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. There, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu brought together Governor Fubara, Minister Wike, the suspended Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Martin Amaewhule, and other lawmakers to chart a new path forward.
For Rivers people, that truce is a beacon of hope. But they are not content with photo opportunities and promises. What they demand now is the immediate lifting of the state of emergency declared in March 2025, and the unconditional reinstatement of Governor Fubara, Deputy Governor Dr. Ngozi Odu, and all suspended lawmakers. They insist on the restoration of their democratic mandate.
President Tinubu’s decision to suspend the entire structure of Rivers State’s elected leadership and appoint a sole administrator was a drastic response to a deepening political crisis. While it may have prevented a complete breakdown in governance, it also robbed the people of their voice. That silence must now end.
The administrator, retired naval chief Ibok-Ette Ibas, has managed a caretaker role. But Rivers State cannot thrive under unelected stewardship. Democracy must return—not partially, not symbolically, but fully. President Tinubu has to ensure that the people’s will, expressed through the ballot, is restored in word and deed.
Governor Fubara, who will complete his six-month suspension by September, was elected to serve the people of Rivers, not to be sidelined by political intrigues. His return should not be ceremonial. It should come with the full powers and authority vested in him by the constitution and the mandate of Rivers citizens.
The people’s frustration is understandable. At the heart of the political crisis was a power tussle between loyalists of Fubara and those of Wike. Institutions, particularly the State House of Assembly, became battlegrounds. Attempts were made to impeach Fubara. The situation deteriorated into a full-blown crisis, and governance was nearly brought to its knees.
But the tide must now turn. With the Senate’s approval of a record ?1.485 trillion budget for Rivers State for 2025, a new opportunity has emerged. This budget is not just a fiscal document—it is a blueprint for transformation, allocating ?1.077 trillion for capital projects alone. Yet, without the governor’s reinstatement, its execution remains in doubt.
It is Governor Fubara, and only him, who possesses the people’s mandate to execute this ambitious budget. It is time for him to return to duty with vigor, responsibility, and a renewed sense of urgency. The people expect delivery—on roads, hospitals, schools, and job creation.
Rivers civil servants, recovering from neglect and under appreciation, should also continue to be a top priority. Fubara should continue to ensure timely payment of salaries, address pension issues, and create a more effective, motivated public workforce. This is how governance becomes real in people’s lives.
The “Rivers First” mantra with which Fubara campaigned is now being tested. That slogan should become policy. It must inform every appointment, every contract, every budget decision, and every reform. It must reflect the needs and aspirations of the ordinary Rivers person—not political patrons or vested interests.
Beyond infrastructure and administration, political healing is essential. Governor Fubara and Minister Wike must go beyond temporary peace. They should actively unite their camps and followers to form one strong political family. The future of Rivers cannot be built on division.
Political appointments, both at the Federal and State levels, must reflect a spirit of fairness, tolerance, and inclusivity. The days of political vendettas and exclusive lists must end. Every ethnic group, every gender, and every generation must feel included in the new Rivers project.
Rivers is too diverse to be governed by one faction. Lasting peace can only be built on concessions, maturity, and equity. The people are watching to see if the peace deal will lead to deeper understanding or simply paper over cracks in an already fragile political arrangement.
Wike, now a national figure as Minister of the FCT, has a responsibility to rise above the local fray and support the development of Rivers State. His influence should bring federal attention and investment to the state, not political interference or division.
Likewise, Fubara should lead with restraint, humility, and a focus on service delivery. His return should not be marked by revenge or political purges but by inclusive leadership that welcomes even former adversaries into the process of rebuilding the state.
“The people are no longer interested in power struggles. They want light in their streets, drugs in their hospitals, teachers in their classrooms, and jobs for their children. The politics of ego and entitlement have to give way to governance with purpose.
The appearance of both leaders at the funeral was a glimpse of what unity could look like. That moment should now evolve into a movement-one that prioritizes Rivers State over every personal ambition. Let it be the beginning of true reconciliation and progress.
As September draws near, the Federal government should act decisively to end the state of emergency and reinstate all suspended officials. Rivers State must return to constitutional order and normal democratic processes. This is the minimum requirement of good governance.
The crisis in Rivers has dragged on for too long. The truce is a step forward, but much more is needed. Reinstating Governor Fubara, implementing the ?1.485 trillion budget, and uniting political factions are now the urgent tasks ahead. Rivers people have suffered enough. It is time to restore leadership, rebuild trust, and finally put Rivers first.
By: Amieyeofori Ibim
Amieyeofori Ibim is former Editor of The Tide Newspapers, political analyst and public affairs commentator
Opinion
Checking Herdsmen Rampage
Do the Fulani herdsmen have an expansionists agenda, like their progenitor, Uthman Dan Fodio? Why are they everywhere even the remotest part of other areas in Nigeria harassing, maiming, raping and killing the owners of the land?”
In a swift reaction, The Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) decried and strongly condemned the invasion by suspected Fulani herdsmen.
In his denunciation, MOSOP President Fegalo Nsuke described the incident as very unfortunate and deeply troubling, warning against a recurrence of the violence experienced in Benue State. “The killing of yesterday is bad and very unfortunate. We are getting preliminary information about how the herders gained access to the farmland, and it appears some hoodlums may be collecting money and granting access illegally.”
He called on the Hausa community in Rivers State to intervene swiftly to prevent further attacks.
“We want the Hausa community in Rivers State to take urgent action to ensure these issues are resolved”.
But will such appeal and requests end the violent disposition of the Fulani herdsmen? It is not saying something new that the escalating threat and breach of peace across the country by the Fulani herdsmen or those suspected to be Fulani herdsmen, leaves much to be desired in a country that is bedevilled by multi-dimensional challenges and hydra-headed problems.
Some upland Local Government Areas of Rivers State, such as Etche, Omuma, Emohua, Ikwerre, Oyigbo, Abua, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni, have severally recounted their ordeals, as herdsmen invaded farmlands, destroyed crops, raped female farmers and killed protestant residents.
Again the wanton destruction of lives and properties which no doubt has overwhelmed the Nigerian Police, makes the clamour for State Police, indispensable. The National Assembly should consider the amendment of the Constitution to allow States to have their Statutory policing agencies.
Opinion
Is Nigeria Democratic Nation?
As insurgency has risen to an all time high in the country were killings has now grown to be a normal daily activity in some part of the nation it may not be safe to say that Nigeria still practices democracy.
Several massacres coming from the Boko Haram and the herdsmen amongst all other insurgencies which have led to the destruction of homes and killing, burning of communities especially in the northern part of the country. All these put together are result of the ethnic battles that are fought between the tribes of Nigeria and this can be witnessed in Benue State where herders and farmers have been in constant clashes for ages. They have experienced nothing but casualties and unrest.
In the month of June 13-14, the Yelwata attack at the Guma Local Government Area by suspected gunmen or herdsmen who stormed the houses of innocent IDPs (Internally Displaced Persons) claiming the lives of families, both adults and children estimated to be 200 victims. They were all burnt alive by these unknown gunmen.
This has been recorded as one of the deadliest insurgencies that had happened in recent years. Some security personnel that were trying to fight the unknown gunmen also lost their lives.
Prior to the Yelewata attack, two days before the happening, similar conflict took place in Makurdi on June 11, 2025. 25 people were killed in the State. Even in Plateau State and the Southern Kaduna an attack also took place in the month of June.
All other states that make up the Middle Belt have been experiencing the farmers/herders clash for years now and it has persisted up till recent times, claiming lives of families and children, homes and lands, escalating in 2025 with coordinated assaults.
Various authorities and other villagers who fled for safety also blamed the herdsmen in the State for the attack that happened in Yelwata community.
Ehebha God’stime is an Intern with The Tide.
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