1

Development Administration
In Nigeria

Jahangir Khan
Seat No - ED 21723011
PGD-PA (Evening)
University of Karachi
Karachi - Pakistan
 2

Development Administration:

Abstract - The quest of every nation state is to attract, sustain and fast-track growth and
development in all ramifications. The Nigerian state between 1960 and 2020 has experienced an
unabated expansion of universities. Ironically, the war against illiteracy is yet to be won, despite
the experimentation of different western developmental ideologies in the Nigerian educational
system. The study examined the contributions of development administration in the Nigerian
educational sector as well as ascertained if the current neo-liberal reform has aided the expansion
or retrogression of the educational sector most especially, the university sub-sector in Nigeria.
The theoretical framework of the study was anchored on the post-colonial Nigerian state theory.
Methodologically, the study strictly utilized the documentary method and data were sourced
through the secondary sources and analyzed in content. The study found that the experimentation
of western development ideologies in Nigeria actually aided the expansion of the universities but
Undermined the realization of free, quality and accessible university education for all and
sundry. The study recommended among others: the applications of the action plan of Professor
Okonjo as regards creating a universal tertiary education for all Nigerians and sustainably
financing it.

Introduction
Development administration was inaugurated during the 1950s by the west, as a developmental
plan of action capable of fostering nation-building in order to salvage the backwardness of many
post-independence third world countries. Thus, development administration was recognized as a
development pathfinder as well as a development catalyst capable of satisfying the development
desires of the third world countries. The evolution of development administration in Nigeria can
be traced in the 1948 general directives from the colonial office in London to the colonial
government with the specific instruction of reforming the local government and civil service, so
as to expand the tasks of government through the mobilization and utilization of local human and
material resources in order to aid development. Development administration was further applied
in Nigeria through; the establishments of agencies and management techniques aimed at
achieving development goals, coupled with the establishment of public corporations and
agencies for the management of public resources. Neo-liberal reforms were introduced in
Nigeria, through the Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) of 1986. This brought about the
end to the Keynesian development ideology in which development administration was built on.
As such, state intervention that was needed in order to drive the wheels of development
administration was gradually reduced. Hence, market forces were unleashed in order to regulate
the prices of goods and services through the price mechanism. Over the years, the infectivity of
universities among higher institutions, has led to the short fall of capable graduates, who can
really impact efficiently into the growth of the economy. Presently, universities in Nigeria are
characterized with the existence of Exam Malpractices, Low infrastructures, Cultism, Strike
 3

actions, Unqualified Lecturers, Under-funding etcetera. The educational system within the
Development Administration period has been described by so many scholars as being more
proficient than the latter, with series of facts presented.
Thus, the study will try to fill the gap in literature by examining how development ideologies
influenced the Nigerian University education through the evaluation of how the educational
sector thrived under development administration and also under the current neo-liberal reforms.

DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION IN THE EDUCATIONAL SECTOR

Rathod (2010) opined that development administration deals with the utilization of existing and
new resources as well as the cultivation of appropriate skills that are needed for the realization of
development objectives. Thus, development administration is not only an action oriented
paradigm, but rather it is also a goal oriented administrative system, Weidner as cited in Rathod
(2010). Rathod’s view reveals the fact that the success and failures of planning as regards the
welfare of the citizens of a given country, largely depends on the effectiveness of the
development administration that is operational in such a given country. Education remains the
only viable force that can unlock the doors of civilization. As such, education remains an agent
of national development. A country with weak educational system is a façade of a moving lorry
with no tyres. Abamba (1997) argued that education was mainly left in the hands of the
missionaries in Nigeria during colonial era. The culminated events between 1919 and 1930 and
1940 and 1950 which comprise of the first and second world wars and its devastative effects
coupled with decolonization movements, all these aroused the interest of the colonial
government to participate in the provision of education. Okon (1986) posited that prior to the
introduction of development administration in Nigeria, most developmental plans at the
community level as regard education was highly centralized and normally carried out in a top-
bottom approach with elite’s interest overriding that of the local people. But development
administration changed this elitist approach to educational planning through a bottom-top
approach that enabled the local people, state their problems and proffer solutions that are
viable .The above statement was reiterated by The Nigerian Chronicle (1976) as cited in Okon
(1986) Development administration achieved so much in the education sector, Scholarships were
awarded, schools and colleges built and maintained.
Ughamadu (1992) asserted that during the 1960s government financial investment in education
brought about quantitative expansion of the educational sector in order to resolve the inherent
problems of acute shortage of skilled manpower in all sectors of the country. Furthermore, the
1967 curriculum conference also showed the bottom-top approach of development
administration. This is because, the interest of the masses were accommodated since some
occupations were represented such as; market women, farmers etc The table below shows the
budgetary allocation to the education sector during the first, second, third and fourth national
development plans. Table
 4

Financial year Percentage of total expenditure

1955-1961 4.6%
1962-1968 8.5%
1970-1974 11.4%
1975-1980 13.8%
1981-1985 8.6%
An improvement in the funding of education during the colonial regional days down to
independence and oil burble era of the 70s. As rose from 4.6% in 1955-1961 to 13.8% in 1975-
1980. There was a -5.2% cut in the allocation to education between 1981 and 1985. This could
be attributed to the oil glut era in which the Nigerian economy witnessed some economic crises
coupled with debt burden which eventually, ushered in the shock therapy doctrine in 1986
known as the Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP).

THE CONCEPT OF DEVELOPMENT

The most important character of the concept of development is its complexity. This means that it
is composed of several interrelated aspects and this character is often referred to as multi-
dimensional. The several aspects of development include economic, social, political, and
administrative development. However, it is not uncommon to find that economic development is
emphasized over and above the other aspects. Our approach to the concept of development is not
only to analyse its complexity but also to understand the context within which it is desirable, this
context is that of underdevelopment. In other words, nations require advancement in the
enumerated aspects of development so as to arrive at the stage described as development .A third
element of development concerns the effect of the end result on society. That is to say, the result
of development should have a positive impact on the living conditions of individuals in that
situation (Sen, 1999). The most generally used definition of development is increase in gross
national income or what we call GNP (Obi and Nwanegbo, 2006:3). Others have defined
development to include social improvement, yet others have seen it in terms of increase in the
capacity of the political system. Sometimes, others do not make a distinction between
development and modernization. Another approach to defining development is to see it as a
process of change plus growth. However, such change and growth should manifest in socio-
economic progress and transformation of society.

Economic Development
Economic development is often portrayed simply as increase in GNP or income. To be sure,
economic development consists of the following processes: A marked increase in production
capacity which is a function of technological improvement and increased capacity of production
 5

that become sustained and irreversible. Furthermore, we should note that increased production
capacity is a function of increased savings (Jhingan, 2007:31). That is a deliberate policy which
diverts resources into productive investment must be pursued. An increase in production must be
accompanied by improvement in the distribution function. This has implications on the
availability of transportation, storage and commercial outlets. An important follow up to this
function is that consumption patterns must change in two respects quantitatively and
qualitatively. This however hinge upon increase in income. The overall effect of this element of
development process is to enhance the living conditions of average member of the society in
question.
Another measure of economic development is determined by the structure of the economy in two
senses: firstly, the structure of the labour force as it is distributed within the major components of
the economy such as the primary sector; secondary sector and tertiary sector. In an advanced
economy, the proportions are usually 10-20% in the primary sector; 40-60% in the secondary
sector and 50% or 20% in the tertiary sector. This distribution equally reflects the contributions
of these sectors to the national economy in terms of revenue and employment. The second
element is a further qualitative distribution of labour and therefore productivity in a particular
sector of the economy. the industrial sector which is in the secondary level. In a typically
advanced economic situation, it is usually found that labour is distributed in the proportions of
60% and 40% between manufacturing and basic industry respectively. In such an event, it is
clear that the economy is advanced because of greater value added on finished products (Jhingan,
2007:5).
The structure of a typically underdeveloped economy is on the contrary characterized by greater
concentration of labour in the primary sector and especially in the subsistent agriculture.
Similarly, there is greater concentration on basic industry such as mining and the production of
other industrial raw materials for export. It means therefore that for such an economy to become
advanced, not only must this structure of labour change, the relative contributions (value added)
must change; in other words, a clear movement towards manufacturing.

Political Development
A second element of the development formula is political development. Political development is
a very crucial aspect of the environment of development administration because the political
element determines above all others what happens to the efforts to bring about development. In
other words, the political system determines whether or not a suitable atmosphere exists for the
pursuit of other aspects of development. Political development generally concerns the capability
of a political system to meet certain basic needs. These include sovereignty (political
independence) meaning the ability of a country to stand on its own within the international
system; military capacity (ability to defend the nation from external aggression and contain
internal rebellion) and legitimacy of authority of the political regime to create acceptability. The
last element (political legitimacy) in the components of system capability is very significant and
on the whole determines the capacity of a political system to fulfill its other obligations
 6

(Onyeoziri, 2002). Political capability could be considered as a function of two variables,

namely: Political institutionalisation: It refers to the establishment of accepted norms (practices)
within the political system. We can therefore distinguish the following which constitute political
institutionalization and it comprises: rule of law which refers to respect for the constitution and
established ways of doing things. In other words, this is understood to be constitutionalism.
Another aspect of political institutionalization is the existence of a viable political culture which
is in turn determined by the rule of law and democratic stability (Rostov in Mclean and
McMillan, 2003:145).
Political participation: refers to that element within the political system which ensures that
individuals and groups whether minority or majority finds a stake within the system. Sometimes
political participation is described in western political thought as democracy (Ogundiya and
Baba, 2007:245). However, we can distinguish two elements that constitute political
participation, which are political mobilization and political representation. Political mobilization
is a must and a process which creates awareness of the political process and enables the citizenry
to actualize their interests. The extent to which citizens express clearly their interests determines
the quality of input and output of political discussion making. Political representation: since
direct democracy is no longer feasible in large modern nation- states and countries, avenues for
citizen representation offer creditable measures of the ability to participate effectively. While we
do not intend to go into the theory of legislature (types and compositions), the legislature remains
the most acceptable forum for political representation (Ezeani, 2010:114).
It is axiomatic to state that where various ingredients of political institutionalization and political
participation exist, the systems capability is assured. In other words, both eliminate the problems
associated with instability of regimes, lack of patriotism and disunity which characterized the
political environment of most developing countries. When therefore this situation obtains, the
political system is able to satisfy basic requirements of independence, defense and legitimacy.

Socio-cultural Development
Social development should be seen in conjunction with cultural development. As a concept,
social development can be understood by reference to the existence and access of the ordinary
man to certain facilities (physical) which enhance his wellbeing. Secondly, the existence of such
physical facilities which are accessible should not only enhance physical well-being alone but
should enhance psychological well-being equally. On the other hand, there must be other less
tangible facilities which in turn (when available) reinforce physical as well as psychological
well-being (Jhingan, 2007:11).The areas which concern social development in terms of physical
facilities include the existence of the following :law, order and public safety; education; health,
recreation; rehabilitation of the disabled; water; housing; electricity; transport; and
communication.
The availability and access of the facilities listed above to the ordinary citizen implies that his
well-being is enhanced materially or physically. On the other hand, physical or material well-
being serves to enhance the individual’s psychological well-being. For instance, the
conveniences afforded by comfortable environment serve to reduce every day pressures on the
 7

individual. Some of these conveniences like available and comfortable means of transportation,
well-equipped medical and educational facilities serve to reduce time wastages and frustration
which characterize situations in which such conveniences are lacking. On the whole, a socially
advanced environment in material as well as psychological terms serves to improve social
efficiency like people getting to work on time or emergencies in hospitals receiving prompt
attention, the educational system producing highly skilled and well motivated individuals, even
the attitude to work are changed for the better.
An advanced environment, socially speaking is characterized not only by the features described
above but by a well balanced living condition. Such a condition features ample attention being
devoted to work as well as leisure. That is to say, not only does the work environment induce
efficiency but the result enables the individual worker to earn enough to afford him good food,
relaxation and the capacity to participate in social life (politics, sports, music etc.).

Administrative Development
The context of development administration is one devoid of certain institutional constraints on
the efforts to develop. The last of these constraints is administrative in nature. That is to say,
administrative structures and managerial capacity are inadequate for the task of development.
Therefore to succeed in the development struggle, administrative capabilities have to be
improved consciously. There are two major areas of action in the effort to improve
administrative capability.
Firstly, organizational development is required. It is often described as change in administrative
structure which is directed from the top and is oriented towards the achievement of certain goals.
In the Nigerian context, such changes have taken the forms of civil service reforms and there
have been several including: the 1988 civil service reforms (Patrick koshoni); 1982 Gamaliel
Onosode; 1975/76 Ani commission, Williams (1975) commission; 1973/74 Jerome Udoji
commission; 1970 Simon Adebo commission; Adeyinka Morgan and Coker commissions/panels
among others. These reforms did not only affect the civil service in isolation but they affected
public enterprises as well. For instance, it is through the intervention of some of these
commissions of enquiry that public enterprises experienced rapid growth in Nigeria between
1970 and 1980. Similarly it was through their intervention that government began to think of
divestment (privatizing) of public enterprises (Ibietan and Oni, 2013:39).
The second area which characterizes the process of administrative development is attempt at
developing managerial capacity (skills) within the public sector. It is not very easy separating
activities related to organizational and structural development from activities aimed improving
managerial capacity. This is so because, all panels or commissions which have looked at the
performance of the civil service or public enterprises have always included recommendations for
structural reorganization or improvement as well as recommendations for improving managerial
performance. Looking at the documents of various commissions of enquiry, it is possible to
identify certain broad areas of action which they recommended for improving civil service
performance. Udoji in his recommendations stressed three areas: Improvement in working
conditions, salaries and fringe benefits. Adoption of MBO (management by objectives) as a
 8

system of operation in the civil service. This was calculated to introduce an efficiency criterion
in the civil service management and the salary awards were meant to justify a harder working
bureaucracy. The Udoji recommendation stressed the need for further training of civil servants.
In this case training was to be essentially in-service (Obi and Nwanegbo, 2006:135-138).
The Ani commission of enquiry attempted to introduce a system of planning, programming and
budgeting (PPBS) in the Nigerian civil service. This system carries along with it, the need not
only for programme budgeting, but also for Zero-Base Budgeting (ZBB). In other words, a
budgeting system based on current costs or prices as opposed to incremental budgeting (TBS)
which was the practice in the civil service. The Ani report equally stressed training.
Subsequent recommendations such as the Onosode endorsed most of the earlier reports but in
addition, raised a fundamental issue concerning efficiency in the public sector as against the
private sector. He therefore recommended privatizing publicly controlled enterprises, as they
would be more efficiently managed. The 1988 civil service reforms made three innovations in
the civil service structure calculated to enhance performance: introduction of the elongated salary
structure along with improved allowances in housing, transportation and the introduction of a
lunch subsidy. Secondly, professionalisation of the civil service was introduced in the sense that
officials in the service are expected to remain all their lives within a particular professional
cadre, such as finance, personnel, research, planning and statistics. This was calculated to
produce skilled and specialized individuals for better performance. Thirdly, the introduction of
the concept of team management (democratic management) refers to the neutralisation of the
roles of permanent secretaries which hitherto had been preponderant. It was expected that the
Director-General (permanent secretary) will operate in close collaboration with the minister or
commissioner on the one hand and with Directors and Deputy Directors on the other. And that
together, they should manage the ministry as a team (Abdulsalami, 1998:51). The foregoing
represented concrete efforts in the context of a developing environment to bring about
administrative development. To recap, for a system to be considered as developed, it must have
registered positive changes as described above in the economic, political, social and
administrative elements of the society.
 9

References
Abamba, G.O. (1997). History and development of education: a
textbook for students in Nigeria. Ibadan: End-Time Publishing
House LTD
Ake, C. (1981). A political economy of Africa. London: Longman
Group
Ake, C. (1996). Democracy and development in Africa.
Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution Press
Akhaine, S.O. (2016, October 27). Education in the age of neoliberalism: local and external
contact. Vanguard Newspaper
Alade, B., Dodondawa, O., Nwokoji, C., & Oyedeyi, I. (2020,
January 5). Finally, 2020 year of Nigeria vision is here: has the
nation attained the goal of being among 20 great economies?
Nigerian Tribune Newspaper
Achebe, C. (1983). The Trouble with Nigeria. Enugu: Fourth Dimension Publishers.
Almond, G. A; Powell, G. B; Strom, K; and Dalton, R. J. (eds.) (2000) Comparative Politics
Today: A
World View. Singapore: Pearson Education.
Etounga-Manguelle, D. (2000). “Does Africa Need a Cultural Adjustment Program?”, in
Harrison, L. E.
and Huntington, S.P. (eds.). Pp. 65-79.
Ezeani, E. O. (2010). Political Science: An Introduction. Abakaliki: Willyrose and Appleseed
Publishing
Company.
Haralambos, M, and Heald, R. M. (1999). Sociology: Themes and Perspectives (Nineteenth
Impression)
Oxford: University Press.
Ibietan, J. (2013). “Corruption and Public Accountability in the Nigerian Public Sector:
Interrogating the
 10

Omission”, in European Journal of Business and Management. Vol. 5(15). Pp. 41-48.
Ibietan, J. and Oghator, E. O. (2013). Trends in Development Planning in Nigeria: 1962 to Date,
in
Journal of Sustainable Development in Africa, Clarion University of Pennsylvania, USA. Vol.
15(4), Pp.
297-311.
Ibietan, J. and Oni, S. (2013) “The Weberian Bureaucratic Principles and Nigerian Public
Bureaucracy:
An Evaluation”, in The Quarterly Journal of Administration, (Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-
Ife) Vol.
XXXIII (2), July. Pp. 31-51.
Jhinga, M. L. (2007). The Economics of Development and Planning. Delhi: Vrinda Publications
(P) Ltd.