Strong Organisations in Weak States
A typical Public Sector Performance in Dysfunctional Environments
JOE ABAH
Articles By This Author
Nigerians In Theory – Available on Amazon
About the BookIn a humorous way, Nigerians In Theory… tries to depict the full richness of theNigerian character and the inherent tensions in that make up. This book is partlyin the same tradition, in that it sometimes takes a humorous look at variousaspects of Nigerian life. However, it goes further to try and capture the […]
Mr President, Please Talk To Us!
Government communication in Nigeria has been historically weak. Citizens hardly know what government is doing and government does not engage sufficiently with citizens. The communication gap between government and citizens provides ample opportunity for mischief-makers to fill the gap with fake news, unfounded rumours and the most outlandish conspiracy theories. Because the government communication machinery […]
EASING THE PAIN OF POLITICAL TRANSITIONS
One of the main tenets of democracy is that citizens get to choose their leaders every so often. In Nigeria, every four years. Historically, the period of transition from one government to another has been relatively seamless. The official photograph of the former leader is brought down, placed face-down on the floor and that of […]
Civil Servants or Evil Servants …Myth Versus Reality.
Whenever things go wrong in the Nigerian government, the civil servant always seems to get the blame. Therefore, such terms as useless, incompetent, corrupt, indisciplined, clueless, bloated, idle and overstaffed are freely used. From the media, to academics, to politicians, it is a free-for-all and the civil service is a pliable punching bag. Even the […]
20 Years of Ambivalent Governance Reforms in Nigeria
This year, Nigeria marks 20 years of unbroken democratic rule, the longest in its history. This is a big deal, particularly as military rule, which Nigeria was under for a large part of its history, does not ordinarily lend itself to accountability and due process. Democracy provides an opportunity to ensure that government focuses on […]