An Account For The Low Productivity In Public Corporations In Nigeria.

AN ACCOUNT FOR THE LOW PRODUCTIVITY IN PUBLIC CORPORATIONS IN NIGERIA.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 GENERAL BACKGROUND TO THE SUBJECT MATTER

            Public corporations are government owned institution established to engage in production of certain goods and services for socio-economic welfare of it’s citizens.  Such goods and services may be those, which the private sector may not provide adequately or may not provide at all for lack of incentive for maximum profit.

          The performance of some of the public corporations in terms of rendering or giving services to the public has been a matter of great concern to the country.

          The corporations have been performing below expectations of people, which do not justify the huge amount of money invested in them by the government.  What has been common in some public corporations is low productivity.  According to Mali Paul (1978, P.23), productivity is the measure of how well.

          Resources are brought together in organization as well being utilized for accomplishing a set of results.  Productivity is reaching the highest level of performance with the least expenditure of resources; the inverse of this is low productivity.

          The gross effects of low productivity in Nigerian Public Corporations have been affecting the lives of Nigerian negatively.  Given the rate of low productivity in these corporations, one may ask why these corporations are inherently characterized by low-productivity in spite of all government effects and financial to assistance to them which are aimed at improving the economy and thereby satisfying the ever increasing need for improved productivity.

          However, improving the performance and productivity level of public corporation is a good way of achieving a higher standard of living of people as well as boosting the prosperity of the overall Nigerian economy.

1.2 THE PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH THE SUBJECT      MATTER

There have been concerted   effort by the government and the

Organized private sectors to enhance productivity in public corporations for instance, the federal and state government often times organize seminars and

Workshops aimed at making it’s personnel’s in public corporations to

Increase productivity.  These efforts have been hampering by such problems

As: Bribery and corruption, poor attitude of the workers, leadership horse 

Trading and a host of others.  The low performance in some of the public

Corporations are some times associated with the personnel in these corporations.  The personnel’s or workers do not put in their best while d at times weak organizational norms which are very inconsistent with the type working, some stay idle all through days, others come late to work and others keep absent from work with out permission.

There is a general conflict to objectives among the managers and management of public corporations as well as general laxity amongst workers who believe that government work is nobody’s work.  According to Breach. W.P (1974. P 103), “People watch their own money closer than they watch other people’s money.  Infect, lazy workers restrictive labour union, and bumbling bureaucrats all contribute to in efficiency and low-productivity in public corporations in addition to all the above problems associated with low productivity in public corporations, government regulation pressure and political inherence on public corporations contribute to low productivity problem.

Again, according to Bowing Green Ohio, an inefficient and   ineffective managerial strategies who do not accomplish the main objectives which the organization has set out do accomplish and of people working in the organization conspired to be impediment to the attainment of high productivity in public corporations according to him, there is need to reform organizational norms as it concerns behavior of workers if high productivity is to be achieved.

1.3               PROBLEMS THAT THE STUDY WILL BE CONCERNED WITH.

The Problems of Productivity in Public Corporations in Nigeria is very

Versed, this study will be concerned with finding some of the main reasons for the persistent low Productivity in Public Corporations using the National Electric Power Authority as the case study.  Some of the reasons for the persistent low productivity in publications include:

1.    Poor attitude to new and changing technology.

2.     The effects of government regulation and legislative intrusion

3.     Wastage of resources

4.     .Lack of motivation of employees

5.     Changing view of authority

6.    Conflict objective by the leaders

7.    Poor financing

8.    Poor management

9.   Unresolved human conflicts and difficulties in cooperation resulting in

 organizational in effectiveness.

At the end of this study, recommendations and solutions on how to improve and increase the productive level or capacity of public corporations will be suggested which will definitely give the desired results.

1.4     THE IMPORTANCE OF STUDING THE AREA

          In view of the fact that the issue of low productivity in public corporations has become a matter of great concern to the general public and the various sectors of the Nigerian economy; any move or attempt aimed at solving the problem will be of very important to the society.

This study will be of immense important to the society in that it

will help determine the factors or problems limiting the enhanced productivity in public corporation in addition, the study will create enough avenue for proper evaluation of public the performance of all the public corporations with regards to their services to people.  Through the researches in this study, it will be easy to determine why low productivity is commonly associated with the public sector than the private sector.  Through this study, people will understand that pubic corporations and government have shortcomings, which conspired to form an impediment to sound productivity in the economy.  This study will enlighten the management of public corporation on the need to discharge their responsibility with diligent.  According to Schaller Bradley, (1981) high productivity attainment depends on the management decision and goals to be achieved; management of public corporations must establish the objectives of their organization and map out plans and strategies towards achieving. This requires basic investment decisions and general plans for utilizing plants and equipment and other available resources.

In addition to other importance of this study, the government will be in the best position to adopt the right strategies to ensure that public corporations fulfilled the government predetermined objectivities or aim for establishing them.  Finally, the study will serve as an effective reference item for suture studies.