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STAFF WELFARE AND INSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT..

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1   Background to the Study

The role of staff welfare and institutions in the path of service delivery cum development in the process of governance cannot be overemphasized. In Nigeria, as in other developing countries, governments are carrying the bulk of the burden of institutional development. With a heterogeneous social environment characterized by powerful contenders for state authority, Nigeria, perhaps more than any other country in Africa, faces greater challenges of institutional development (Okereke & Daniel, 2010). In Nigeria, the role of staff welfare services on the performance of civil service is a subject of great concern. For instance, in Lagos State incidents of neglect of welfare services of civil servants has been reported due to the absence of a comprehensive and sustainable welfare policy, inadequate and improper budgetary allocations by the government and corruption both in the budgeting and expenditure processes, making the performance of the Lagos State civil servants to remain sub-optimal as their welfare is not given due attention (Alemika, 2008). On its right, staff welfare is a corporate attitude or commitment reflected in the expressed care for employees at all levels, underpinning their work and the environment in which it is performed (Cowling & Mailer, 1992).

The nature of staff welfare among civil servants in Lagos State is held as very critical and important for quality service delivery to the public. Specifically, Coventry and Barker (1988) assert that staff welfare includes providing social club and sports facilities as appropriate, supervising staff and works’ canteens, running sick clubs and savings schemes; dealing with superannuation, pension funds and leave grants, making loans on hardship cases; arranging legal aid and giving advice on personal problems; making long service grants; providing assistance to staff transferred to another area and providing fringe benefits (such as payment during sickness, luncheon vouchers and other indirect advantages). These services if inadequate, will negatively impact on the performance of service delivery in the civil service. Hence proper mechanisms should be put in place to ensure that welfare services are adequately provided for to the civil servants (Kemboi, Thomas & Keter, 2013).

In Lagos State, the wider society looks up to the civil service not only to implement development goals and administer government policies on a day-to-day basis, but also to play significant roles in formulating development strategies, policies and programmes in such a way that will stimulate and accelerate a grand institutional development. Such desired institutional development are naturally expected to include reduced cost of delivering public services, increased efficiency and present a sustainable system that can stand on its own regardless the government in power (Lawal & Oluwatoyin, 2011). The Lagos State Civil Service (LSCS) was established on May 27th 1967. The unique role Lagos occupies in the economic and industrial sustenance of the nation has made it a place of abode for people from different parts of the country. This development makes the rate of population growth to be estimated at 300,000 persons per annum with a population density of about 1,308 persons per sq kilometer. This situation placed enormous responsibility on the LSCS to build a strong institutional mechanism capable of delivering the much-needed social services to the people (LSORD, 2006).

1.2  Statement of the Problem:

The Lagos State civil service today is a battered institution, which has virtually lost its attributes of anonymity, neutrality and security in tenure, an institution in which moral has reached its nadir, in which excessive caution, undue bureaucratic practice and in terminable delays have become the hallmarks. The institution is seemingly resistant to dynamic change, and has become the object of constant public criticism (FRN, 1988 in Lawal & Oluwatoyin, 2011). The challenges posed for the civil service by its increased size complexity responsibilities in Nigeria’s economic boom and depression, and made it a subject of public inquiry and target of mass purges by successive governments, all in an attempt to tailor it towards the accomplishment of societal goals. Not even the famous inquiries of Adebo Commission of 1974, Udoji Commission 1985, Philips and the Ayida Commission of 1997 have been able to remove those aforementioned drawbacks in the state civil services in Nigeria.

Despite incisive recommendations of the above-named panels as well as retrenchment exercise, the problems of the Lagos State civil service continued unabated. This has also limit the capacity of the civil service to actually play a meaningful role in fast-tracking development. Both the Nigerian Labour Laws and International Laws recognize the rights of workers to bargain collectively for the protection of the legitimate interest of workers which can be achieved (Howse, 1999). These laws are however not taken seriously by employers as they are not held responsible most times for labour offences and due to high unemployment rates in the country, employees often suffer in silence. The reason for not taking the laws seriously is as a result of lack of enforcement on the side of the institutions that have been put in place to monitor and ensure compliance (Danesi, 2010).

It is against the backdrop of this gap in oversight that Adewunmi and Adenugba (2010) point out that employers in Nigeria are taking advantage of the weak institutional and regulatory framework to the detriment of their employees. As long as this situation persists, workers’ right to collective bargaining especially for essential welfare package would continue to be abridged (Okene, 2006). Several studies such as Okereke & Daniel (2010); Lawal & Oluwatoyin (2011) and Oginni & Adesanya (2013)have been carried out to examine staff welfare and institutional development; but none of these studies have attempted to relate it to the Lagos State Civil Service (LSCS) which gap the propose study have helped to fill by relating staff welfare and institutional development in the Lagos State Civil Service.

1.3    Objective of the Study:

The main objective of this study is to examine Staff Welfare and Institutional Development in Lagos State Civil Service. While other specific objectives of this study are to:

i. To investigate the impact of personnel incentives schemes on public service delivery.

ii. To examine the effect of financial emolument on staff commitment to work in the Lagos Civil Service.

iii. To find out the effect of staff welfare on industrial harmony in Lagos State Civil Service.

iv. To provide plausible recommendation on how to improve the Lagos State Civil Service.

1.4   Research Questions:

This research work shall be guided by the following research questions:

1. Would staff welfare and institutional development have any impact on performance in the Lagos state civil service?

2. Is personnel incentive schemes related to public service delivery?

3. Is personnel financial emolument a significant predictor of staff commitment to work in the Lagos Civil Service

4. To what extent is can staff welfare affect industrial harmony in Lagos State Civil Service?

1.5    Research Hypotheses:

The under mentioned hypotheses were tested in the course of the research study:

Hypotheses 1

Ho: There is no significant relationship between staff welfare and institutional development   in Lagos state civil service.

Hi: There is a significant relationship between staff welfare and institutional     development   in Lagos state civil service.

Hypotheses 2

Ho: Personnel incentive schemes is not positively related to public service delivery

Hi: Personnel incentive schemes is positively related to public service delivery

Hypotheses 3

Ho: Personnel financial emolument is not a significant predictor of staff commitment to work in the Lagos Civil Service

Hi: Personnel financial emolument is a significant predictor of staff commitment to work in the Lagos Civil Service

Hypotheses 4

Ho: There is no significant relationship between staff welfare and industrial harmony   in Lagos State Civil Service.

Hi: There is a significant relationship between staff welfare and industrial harmony in  Lagos State Civil Service.

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