Civil service

Civil service refers to a body in the executive arm of government that assist in the formulation and execution of government policies. FEATURES OF CIVIL SERVICE

1. Political neutrality: They are politically neutral, that is they do not engage in    partisan politics.
2. Anonymity: They cannot speak to the public (press) on official issues because    they neither receive the praise nor the blame
3. Permanence: The civil service is permanent government institution and does not    change with government.
4. Impartiality: Workers are expected to show faith in any government in power.    They should serve the government in power without fear or favour
5. Merits: Employment of workers should be based on merits after series of    aptitudes test and interview
6. Expertise: Civil servants should be expert in the performance of their functions    and should display a high level expertise in this regards.
7. Hierarchy/Bureaucracy: Civil service is highly structured and hierarchical in    nature, from the highest to the lowest

STRUCTURE OF CIVIL SERVICE

1. Administrative Class: This is the highest class in the civil service and are involved    in the formulation of policies and advice the ministers on policy matters    2. Professional Class: This body offers professional/technical advice to the    management and handle technical issues in civil service. They include lawyers,    teachers, engineers, accountants etc.    3. Executive Class: They are responsible for implementation of government policies.    They include Executive Officer I, executive Officer II etc.    4. Clerical Class: This class carry out clerical duties in the ministries and are    responsible for the movement of files from one office to another.    5. Auxiliary/Manipulative Class: This class requires little or no formal education.    They perform menial jobs, they include carpenters, cleaners, messengers etc.    FUNCTIONS OF CIVIL SERVICE

2. Formulation of government policies: They provide information on the formulation    of government policies

3. Execution of policies: They assist in the execution of government policies and    programmes

4. Preparation of bills: Bills from the executive are prepared by civil service

5. Preparation of annual budgets: They prepare and execute annual budgets

6. Political education: They educate the citizens on governmental policies and    programmes

7. Provision of advice: They provide useful information and advice to political heads    in running their various ministries e.g. preparation of answers sent to political    heads

8. Record keeping: They take custody of all documents, files, records and all    properties of the government

PROBLEMS OF CIVIL SERVICE

1. Low incentive: Low incentive demoralizes workers which affects their    performances
2. Red-tapism: This slows down decision making and implementation
3. Political instability: This affects continuity of policies and political leaders
4. Bribery and corruption: They want to be financially induced before they carry out    their duties
5. Tribalism: This leads to the recruitment of unqualified personnel which eventually    hinders their efficiency and effectiveness
6. Luke-warm attitude to work: Most civil servants show lukewarm attitude to work

CONTROL OF CIVIL SERVICE

1. Civil/ Public service Commission: This body controls the appointment, promotion,    transfer etc. of civil servants
2. The General Order: This outlines the condition of service of civil servants
3. Judicial control: Policies made can be declared null and void by the judiciary
4. Hierarchical control: Within each ministry, senior cadre controls junior cadres
5. Parliamentary control: The parliament can control the supply of money and call a    minister to explain the actions of civil servants under his ministry
6. Executive control(Ministerial Control): The executive can give directives to the    subordinates
7. Public Complaints Commission(Ombudsman): This body receives complaints from aggrieved citizens on the violation of their rights