C.K. Omorede

The need to fight against corruption in Nigeria led to the promulgation or establishment of Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Act, 2000. The Act wasthe first bill presented by President Olusegun Obasanjo to the National Assembly for consideration at the inception of the present democratic administration in 1999. It was passed and signed into law on the 13th of June, 2000. The Act establishes the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), which is the apex body saddled with the responsibility of fighting corruption and other related offences. In spite of the existence of the Anti-Graft Act, corruption in all spheres of our national existence is still on the increase. This inglorious monster of all embarrassment, which has eaten deep into the fabrics of our society, keeps exposing us to international odium and opprobrium. The established ICPC so far still has a lot to do in the aspect of corruption by the investigations carried out. The commission ahs come to be accepted by the populace and expectations on its activities are high. The commission is guided by the vision of fighting corruption to a 9 standstill and restoring Nigeria to the enviable standard of respectability and dignity within the Comity of Nations. The objective of this study therefore, is to look at the role of ICPC and to see how far this role has been performed. The views of scholars on this subject is reviewed in chapter two, wealsolook at the causes and effects of corruption in the same chapter. Chapter three looked at the stage of data presentation, interpretation and analysis, chi-square (X2) was employed for its effectiveness and near accuracy in social science research. This also followed the research design. It is, however, the findings of this work that corruption in Nigeria may have been encouraged by the level of poor education, poor salary among others that exist in the country. This project may now serve as a reference term to others who maybe doing similar corruption in Nigeria. The researcher recommends that: Workers should be well paid. , A worker’s pay should always reflect the socio-economic situation in the country and Education should be given priority in the government budget. If possible, free education to all levels should be introduced and enforced.

The research project an assessment of the level of political interference in the implementation of public procurement in public institutions. The objective of this study aimed at assessing the level of political interference in the implementation of Public Procurement process, identifying other factors affecting public procurement implementation in public institutions and suggesting some possible remedies to preventing political interference in public procurement implementation in public institutions. For this study, the survey research design was adopted. The choice of the design was informed by the objectives of the study as outlined in chapter one. This research design provides a quickly efficient and accurate means of assessing information about a population of interest. The population for this study were workers in Civil Service Commission in Edo state, Nigeria. A total of 134 respondents were selected from the population figure out of which the sample size was determined. Public procurement activities suffer from neglect, lack of direction, poor co-ordination, lack of open competition and transparency, differing levels of corruption and most importantly not having a cadre of trained and qualified procurement specialists, who are competent to conduct and manage such procurements, in a professional, timely and cost-effective manner. Inflexible and bureaucratic systems of procurement contribute to unacceptable contract delays, increased costs, the potential for manipulation of contract awards and lack of fair competition, all of which create the perception in the population at large, that public expenditure is slow, ineffective, expensive and often corrupt

The research project an assessment of the level of political interference in the implementation of public procurement in public institutions. The objective of this study aimed at assessing the level of political interference in the implementation of Public Procurement process, identifying other factors affecting public procurement implementation in public institutions and suggesting some possible remedies to preventing political interference in public procurement implementation in public institutions. For this study, the survey research design was adopted. The choice of the design was informed by the objectives of the study as outlined in chapter one. This research design provides a quickly efficient and accurate means of assessing information about a population of interest. The population for this study were workers in Civil Service Commission in Edo state, Nigeria. A total of 134 respondents were selected from the population figure out of which the sample size was determined. Public procurement activities suffer from neglect, lack of direction, poor co-ordination, lack of open competition and transparency, differing levels of corruption and most importantly not having a cadre of trained and qualified procurement
specialists, who are competent to conduct and manage such procurements, in a professional, timely and cost-effective manner. Inflexible and bureaucratic systems of procurement contribute to unacceptable contract delays, increased costs, the potential for manipulation of contract awards and lack of fair competition, all of which create the perception in the population at large, that public expenditure is slow, ineffective, expensive and often corrupt

This paper examines the linkage between civil service reforms and human resources development in Nigeria, a case study of Oyo State Civil Service Commission. A descriptive survey method was adopted for this study by taking a sample from a population and generalizing the result on the whole population. The study was designed to analyze civil service and human resource development in the Nigeria civil service with particular emphasis on civil service commission. The results of the study revealed that successive reforms in Nigeria improve administrative and operational performance of the civil service, contribute to efficiency and effectiveness of civil servants and most importantly, Civil service reform has significant impact on human resources in Nigeria. However, the findings revealed that the various reforms did not take adequate care of civil service reward and compensation and Failure of most of the reforms to take care of staff training needs affect the effectiveness of reforms. Nevertheless, it can be concluded that Eradication of excessive political interference, Proper implementation of the provisions of various reforms, and taking care of staff training need in future reforms would enhance effective human resource in Nigerian civil service.

Accountability is a fundamental pillar of good governance and economic development. This study examined the role of accountability in economic development within Oredo Local Government Area of Edo State. The research aims to assess the current state of accountability, its impact on economic initiatives, public perceptions of government officials' accountability, existing mechanisms for ensuring transparency, and challenges impeding effective governance. A structured questionnaire was administered to 300 respondents, and data were analyzed using mean and standard deviation. Findings reveal that accountability within Oredo LGA is low, with a mean score of 2.32 for the general level of accountability and 1.88 for government transparency. Town hall meetings and public engagement scored 2.26, indicating limited opportunities for citizen participation in governance. The study found strong agreement that accountability significantly influences economic development initiatives (Mean = 4.67), while lack of accountability negatively impacts government-led programs (Mean = 4.48). However, confidence in officials' ability to manage public funds effectively was low (Mean = 2.68), and government accountability in cases of resource mismanagement also received a low rating (Mean = 2.67). Corruption was identified as a major hindrance to accountability (Mean = 4.66). Respondents recognized the existence of monitoring mechanisms (Mean = 4.1) but emphasized the need for stronger anti-corruption laws (Mean = 4.66) and enhanced transparency measures (Mean = 4.66). Major challenges to accountability include political influence (Mean = 4.51), lack of financial transparency (Mean = 4.58), and weak enforcement of laws (Mean = 4.61). The study concludes that weak accountability structures undermine economic development in Oredo LGA. Strengthening anti-corruption laws, increasing public transparency, enforcing legal frameworks, and fostering civic engagement are recommended to improve governance and economic growth in the region. This research provides valuable insights into local governance challenges and offers practical recommendations for enhancing accountability in Oredo Local
Government Area of Edo State.

The study examined the challenges and prospects of rural industrialization in Edo State with focus on Orhionmwon Local Government Area. In order to realize its stated objectives, the study formulated and answered the following research questions: What is the level of industrialisation in Orhionmwon Local Government Area of Edo State? What are the major challenges militating against rural industrialization in Edo State? To what extent has the state government gone in formulating and implementing rural industrialization policies in Edo State? And what can be done to actualize rural industrialization in Edo State? The study employed the survey research method and adopted the use of questionnaire as its main primary instrument of data collection. A sample of one hundred and eighty-five (185) respondents participated fully in the study. The findings in the research are as follows: The level of industrialization in Orhionmwon Local Government Area of Edo State is still very low due to the issues of lack of factories for processing farm produce in the area; lack of modern farming equipment in the area; lack of regular electricity supply and inadequate/inaccessible roads. The major challenges militating against rural industrialization in Edo State, particularly in Orhionmwon Local Government Area
are: the presence of government is not being felt in communities across the Local Government Area due to the lack of basic and infrastructural facilities; and the non-provision of soft loans and other credit facilities for self-entrepreneurial activities in the area. The State Government in its efforts at formulating and implementing rural industrialization policies in the state have not put in place, the necessary machineries. To begin with, the officials of Orhionmwon Local Government Council do not reside within the area and do not really feel the impact of the environment; the government has not made efforts at boosting agricultural production in Orhionmwon through supply of modern farming equipment, improved seedlings and fertilizers to indigenes; and basic infrastructures are not available in the Local Government Area. And, the required steps at industrializing rural areas in Edo State include: the need to improve living condition in local government area by providing the needed infrastructures; the need to locate factories for producing and processing farm produce in the area; and the provision of financial and credit facilities by the government, since capital is a major determinant in business or ntrepreneurial development. Based on the findings, the following policy recommendations were made: Government needs to de-emphasize total focus on the oil sector and to enhance agricultural development through addressing the needs of rural farmers with functional incentives. The political representatives and leaders need to identify with the development needs of the rural areas of their constituencies. Indeed, they need to articulate such needs and ensure that they become integral parts of the government’s development agenda and that policies or programs initiated to address them are monitored to ensure proper implementation. There is equally the need not only to adequately make budgetary allocation for rural development but, very importantly, in ensuring that such allocated funds are judiciously used to execute rural development projects and programs. There is also the need for monitoring and integrating of the various national, state and local government policies and programmes on rural development and the co-ordination of the activities of all the rural development institutions. And the local
governments in Nigeria need to eschew corruption particularly at the leadership level and emphasize accountability, due process, prudence and diligence.

Fuel scarcity is a persistent challenge in many developing countries, affecting various sectors of the economy, including public service institutions. This study examines the impact of fuel scarcity on public service performance in the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), a critical healthcare institution in Nigeria. Fuel scarcity disrupts the hospital's operations by hindering the availability of electricity and essential services, such as emergency care and medical equipment operation. This research employed a mixed method approach, combining surveys, interviews, and document analysis to investigate the multifaceted consequences of fuel scarcity on UBTH's service delivery.
The findings reveal that fuel scarcity has profound effects on UBTH's public service performance. It leads to frequent power outages, affecting medical equipment, patient care, and overall hospital functioning. Additionally, the reliance on generators during fuel shortages incurs high operational costs, diverting resources from patient care and hospital maintenance. The study also explores the coping mechanisms adopted by UBTH to mitigate the impact of fuel scarcity, including resource allocation strategies and alternative energy sources. Findings also revealed that fuel scarcity leads to power outages, delays in patient care, reduced staff productivity, and increased operational costs.
The study further highlights the hospital's dependence on fuel for generators and ambulance services, making it vulnerable during periods of scarcity. It conclude that fuel scarcity significantly hampers healthcare service delivery and public service performance. The study recommended among other thing the investment in alternative energy sources, improved fuel management policies, and infrastructural upgrades to mitigate the adverse effects of fuel shortages in UBTH public service performance.

This study is intended to assess the impacts of employees ethical conducts to
organization performance. For quite some time now, public organizations have been viewed as a liability to the tax payers rather than an asset. This is because of low productivity, erosion of work ethics, indiscipline, blatant violation of rules, regulations and procedures, weak control and corruption have been observed as common features in their services rendering activities.. This unstable performance of public organizations in Nigeria and the increased reports on unethical conducts by respective employees create a question as to whether the two have any related impact on each other. Researcher collected data by using a questionnaire as well as
the survey, also employed semi-structured Interviews, and analysis which were
flexible as well as sensitive to the social context. Data were quantitatively analyzed using tables and percentages. The study revealed that there was a significant relationship between employees’ ethical conducts and organization performance. The relationship was significant in unethical conducts which results into poor performance of the organization. The research concludes that, organization performance is interplay of variables and that employee’s ethical conduct plays a role in organization performance but is not the major role. On the basis of the findings, it is argued that organizational performance is a function of variables and not only employee’s ethical conducts.