Administrative responsibility and moral action: Are these workable panaceas for strengthening the competency paradigm in nigeria's public service

Abstract

The real value of government and her public institutions to the people lies in her ability to formulate policies, mobilize resources for their implementation and deliver public service in an ethically responsive and effective manner. In Nigeria's case the need to provide public service prudentially seems to evade government and her public institutions. For the government, the failure is due to her public institutions' incompetence. Ironically, public institutions' incompetence is a consequence of government failure to relate with them ethically. The consequence is reflected in the disrespect for good work ethics and poor service delivery. This paper argues that government capacity to relate ethically with her public institutions will in turn trigger in them the desire to be ethically responsive to deliver public service better to Nigerian.