Administrative Practice in Nigeria: Implications

for National Development

M. A. Omolaja, President, International College of Management and Technology,
Ayetoro-Yewa, Nigeria
JEL: H83,N47

ABSTRACT – Administration cannot be practiced in isolation of the culture of the society. This
assertion implies that the knowledge, attitude, societal norms and orientation which people hold
epitomize their administrative philosophy and the way it is practiced. Administration in Nigeria is
practiced in ways and manners which will benefit the administrator and in most cases not in the best
interest of the common man. Whether in the private sector or in the public sector, the Nigerian
administrators would normally use their positions and every other resource at their disposal to amass
pecuniary interests for themselves. Hence, for a turn around and development of the economy, there
should be a reorientation of the society apparently through proper education and training for the
professional administrators as well as general attitudinal change to the way administrative functions
are performed; that is, a new administrative philosophy which will inculcate in the society the true and
genuine spirit of administration should be institutionalized in the country.

Anatomy of adminsitration

The simple Dictionary definition of the word ʺadministrationʺ is the management of

organizational affairs: that is, the day to day administration of an organization. In another
sense, administration implies ʺthe part of the government that manages public affairs
during the period of office of a president of a country, say, the United States of America or
Nigeria. Also administration may be used to mean the period of office of the leader of a
country, especially of the president of a country. For instance, during the Babangida
Administration in Nigeria.
Administration may also be explained in terms of providing, giving or application of
something. For illustration, Judges are responsible for administration of justice while
Nurses are responsible for administration of drugs in hospitals after the Doctorsʹ
prescription. August Adebayo (1995) defined administration as ʺthe organization and
direction of persons in order to accomplish a specified end.ʺ From the above anatomy of
administration. It would be crystal clear that there are two main concepts of
administration: One, as a process and two as personale at law; that is, as a legal entity.
However, it is self evident that administration must take place in any social setting; be it
as small as a family unit or as large as the universe. Whether you think of the private
sector organizations or their counterparts in the public sector, administration is
administration. The only difference is the way it is practiced. This also is dependent upon
the culture and norms of the organization in question. Whatever the nature and scope of
organizations, administration has to exist as every organization deals with human,
material and other resources which have to be harmonized, integrated or unified for the
common goal of corporate performance.
54 Economic Analysis 1-2 (2009) 53-64

Consequently, the General in the Army, the Vice Chancellor or President in the
university, the President of a business empire; all have under them a hierarchy of
subordinate officers with differentiated duties and responsibilities assigned to them. Even
the Almighty Creator himself is a good administrator and that is why there is a place for
everything and everything for a place in the universe.
Hence, when considered as a process, administration would consist of planning,
organizing, commanding, directing, leading, coordinating and controlling functions to be
performed in a predestined order towards predetermined goals. Every organization in
the contemporary society whether in Canada, Japan, United States of America or Nigeria,
consists of several individuals and groups connected together in a network of roles, duties
or responsibilities in a manner to accomplish the corporate objectives of the organization. In
industrial enterprises like the P.Z Nigeria Plc., First Bank of Nigeria Plc., as in the case of
the public sector organizations like the Ministry of Labor and Productivity, Ministry of
External Affairs, etc., the corporate productivity of the organization is dependent upon
the culture of administration. This claim becomes highly imperative because a large
number of employees have to be controlled, supervised, monitored, coordinated, etc.
If administration is considered as personale at law, then, it will be regarded as a legal
entity; that is, the symbol of unity within the organization. This perspective is evident in
the case of governmental organizations as is usually the case when a Governor of a State,
a Military Head of State or an Executive President makes a declaration that ʺ.....our
administration has provided free education at all levels . and free medical services.in the
past .years for the enjoyment of the massesʺ.
However, whether administration is considered as an executive function, a process or
a person, a group of persons performing administrative functions symbolizes the
administrator. From experience, the roles of administration within an organization or a
society are strategic, institutional, central and pivotal. It has now been widely
acknowledged that the position of an administrator is fundamentally significant in every
establishment being the pillar of success or otherwise as s/he needs to be central to
decision making process. It is because of the supremacy of administration and
administrators, especially in the complex contemporary organizations and because of the
turbulent or dynamic nature of the modern society, that discussions on them have
become commonplace in the organization theory and practice literature.

Philosophy of administration

Ordinarily, philosophy stands for the search for knowledge and understanding of the
universe and of human life or existence. When applied to the concept of administration, it
becomes philosophy of administration. In essence, philosophy of administration implies
the search for the body of knowledge including the origin, evolution and practice of
administration as well as the study of administrative culture. The origin of administration
can be traced to the beginning of the universe when the earth and heaven were created.
However, in management literature, the major work on administrative management
may be traced to the era of the classical school, and the major contributors then were
Henri Fayol, F.W Taylor, Frank and Lillian Giberath, etc. Each of these theorists used
 M.A. Omolaja / EA 1-2 (2009) 53-64 55

different approaches to study administration. For instance, Marx Webber, a sociologist

born in Germany in 1864, was the first theorist who was interested in knowing why
individuals obey command in organizations.
This led him to the concept of authority which represented the core of his study of
administration. He classified administrative authorities into charismatic, traditional and
bureaucratic types. The next theorist in the parlance of administration was Henri Fayo
(1949), a French man, who was probably the first classical theorist. He came up with his
ʺGeneral Principles of Managementʺ which formed the title of his first book. He provided
a list of what he considered the six major activities of an industrial undertaking. These are
technical, production, commercial, financial, security and accounting activities. Later he
listed his fourteen principles of management.
These include division of labor, authority, discipline, unity of command, unity of
direction and subordination of individual interest to general interest. Others are
remuneration, centralization, scalar chain, order, equality, stability of tenure of office, span
of control and espirit de corps.
These principles are relevant to the study of administration today as when they were
first propounded. It was his quest for sound knowledge of administration that made him
write his ʺIndustrial and General Administrationʺ in 1916 and also led him to establish the
Center of Administration in Paris to make sound administrative practice available to the
French civil and military agencies. This evolution continues through the human relations
school, neo-human relations school, system approach and contingency approach to the
study of administration and management.
From this analysis, it can be observed that the ideal administrative culture and
philosophy should follow realism, objectivity, rationalism and orderliness. In practice,
however, especially in developing countries, administration is at variance with these
requirements.

Administration culture in Nigeria

The administrative culture of a society cannot be fully discussed without a thorough

understanding of the culture of the society. Culture implies a complete way of life of
people in a society. That is, culture is tantamount to the code of value by which a group
or society lives. According to Edward J. Lurie (1979), culture ʺis a collection of people
who had been bounded together to achieve some common ends usually economic and
definitiveʺ. The economic ends include provision of basic things of life such as food, cloth
and shelter. On the other hand, the definitive ends aim to provide members of a society
with identities. Such identities will be in the form of ʹ I am a member of Ayetoro Club 80ʺ,
ʺI am a member of the Institute of Management Consultantsʺ, ʺI am a complete
gentlemanʺ or ʺ I am one of the elites in this countryʺ etc.
In the ʺNigerian Life and Cultureʺ edited by Oyeneye and Shoremi, culture has been
defined as ʺ that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, law , moral,
custom and all other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of a societyʺ.
Clyde Cluckhohn and Willains Kelly (1979) defined culture as ʺa historically derived
56 Economic Analysis 1-2 (2009) 53-64

system of explicit and inplicit design for living which tends to be shared by all or
specially designated members of a society.
Andah (1979) perceived culture as ʺall the material and non-material expressions of a
people and the process by which the expressions are communicatedʺ. Consequently,
culture is comprised of all the social, ethical, intellectual, scientific, artistic and
technological expressions and processes of a people usually related and live together in a
geographical contiguous location. It also includes what the people pass on to their
successors and how these are passed as well as the way they think.
From the aforementioned facts, it is crystal clear that every society has its own culture
and that this culture serves to dictate their attitudinal dispositions, inclinations,
orientations and behavior. Having said as much, what then are the features or
characteristics of the Nigerian culture which have actual or potential influence on the
administrative practice of the Nigerians? Since there are many tribes or ethnic groups in
Nigeria, the coverage of this Article shall be limited to the three major ethnic groups the
country; that is, the Yorubas, Hausas and the Igbos as samples of the ʺuniverseʺ.
Observing the general way of life of most Nigerians, one would observe that the
Nigerian culture is multifarious and multidimensional. However, the following are the
specific aspects of the culture which are of paramount significance to this paper:
a. Extravagant Spending; most Nigerians have imbibed the culture of wasteful
spending and ostentatious life styles which jeopardize their ability to grab
investment opportunities as they come. A Yoruba man, for instance, prefers to
spend his last kobo on funeral ceremony of his father, uncle or even in-laws.
This can be observed from the weekend rush along Lagos-Ijebu roads,
Abeokuta-Lagos expressway and evenwithin most popular Yoruba cities. Such
monies being wasted should have been gainfully applied for profitable
ventures.
b. Outrageous Taste and Fashion; closely related to the extravagant spending is the love
which most Nigerians have for the use of unnecessary and nonsensically
valued luxurious materials. It is not only here in Nigeria, but even in the cities
abroad like Japan and the United State of America, one would normally find
Nigerians in ʺbig carsʺ highly sophisticated gadgets, etc. Some would even park
about 6 to 7 or more cars in front of their houses for reasons best known to
them alone! Such excess funds should have been extended to other members of
the society or else invested in an economic activity probably in Agriculture,
Manufacturing or Service Industry. As a result, one would be directly or
indirectly contributing to the foreign exchange and employment opportunities
capacity of the country which would normally lead to the much needed
economic advancement.
c. Extended Family System; if only one person is affluent in a family, he would be
regarded as the bread winner to cater for the whole extended family. This is
not done in the advanced countries. Once one has taken care of this direct
biological children and wife, he is at liberty to invest his extra billions of dollars
on trade and commerce at will. However, this extended family system is being
curtailed by the present economic hardship in the country.
 M.A. Omolaja / EA 1-2 (2009) 53-64 57

d. Low Education; in the language of Alexander Pope, ʺA little learning is a dangerous

thing, so drink deep or taste not the Pierian springʺ. It was just of recent that
many Nigerians started to give their wards sound and befitting education
especially in the northern part of the country. It is possible to meet a typical
able-bodied Hausa man along the streets of cities like Lagos, Ibadan, Kaduna or
Kano selling about a dozen of kolanuts, one or two packets of cigarettes and
perhaps some biscuits!
As for the eastern part, the Igbos hardly cater for their wards beyond School
Certificate level. This people are usually found in small scale businesses in the
cities although many of them develop into giant businesses as time goes on.
Initially, instead of thinking in terms of some millions of Naira, the business
owner would be manipulating some five thousand naira or a little more. Birds
of these feathers cannot be expected to be much concerned with the national
development. They will rather be interested in their own selfish interests.
Although, there have been more efforts in this part of the country towards
higher education, the trend is expected to be better.
e. Polygamous Culture; the Holy Quran provides that a Muslim should marry two,
three or four wives. If he fears that he cannot do justice among them, he should
marry only one. This provision of the Islamic ʺConstitutionʺ has however been
misinterpreted. A man is expected to many two if he has power for four; three
if he can cater for six; and four if only he can maintain eight wives. Nowadays,
there are many Muslims having seven, eight or more wives despite the
limitation of maximum of four. The contribution of the Christian counterparts
is dicephalous. First, the Christians would normal boast of ʺone man, one wifeʺ
in the public. But there are many Christians with ʺOne man, one wifeʺ at home
with several concubines outside usually unknown to the wife at home, until
when the man dies and a chain of children is dumped for him as his. Shall we
call this posthumous children adoption?
On the other hand, those that do not deal with concubines would practice what
I can call ʺserial monogamyʺ. Here, one will normally have one wife at home at
a time. However, after two or three children and having found another ʺnew
bloodʺ and more beautiful one outside, the one at home would be ejected This
process continues until his death when several children would be dumped for
him perhaps half educated including some ruffians. There was even a Pastor
and founder of a church who died leaving not less than seven wives. Yet he
was a devoted Christians.
f. Power Tussle; the question of power tussle is not less gloomy. Nigerians have
witnessed more than enough changes of government during the last forty
years of post independence era. There have been many coups and counter-
coups de tat; many abortive, some successful. Majority of the coup plotters
had always claimed protection of public interests as their ultimate aims. Yet
ʺthere are several figures behind 6 other than 7ʺ. There is no doubt that most
coup executed were for the simple reasons of struggling for power; be it
economic or political.
58 Economic Analysis 1-2 (2009) 53-64

Successive governments have always been having their own tailor-made

development plans. Whenever there is a sudden change of government, such
a plan, however, laudable, would have to be shelved or truncated, and hence
the journey starts all over again! When then are we going to reach the
ʺPromised landʺ of economic advancement and self-reliance? Also there is the
question of power balance, power distribution or power rationalization
among the various ethnic groups in the country which also serves as the killer
of our national development.
g. Others; there are styles of administrative management, dressing and so on
which we employ in our daily activities especially to boost our egos! Can you
imagine an Agricultural Officer visiting a farmyard probably for inspection in
suit? A German Engineer would always be found with shorts and shirts
together with his tools in his hands. Every Nigerian, if given the chance, would
want to be a ʺTie-manʺ. It is true that practice makes perfect. However, if one
practices wrongly, the result comes out perfectly wrongly. Other facilitators of
the backwardness of the nationʹs economy and which has become the culture
of the society include tribalism, nepotism, favoritism and ʺCrown-the-Prince
Complexʺ. Knowledge knowing what to do but wisdom lies in knowing
when and how to do it. We have to change our styles as it appears that the sea
is becoming more fogy than when we set sail.
From this exposition, one can now imagine the impact of the Nigerian culture on the
way administration, is practiced, For instance, how would you expect a man with many
wives, children and extended family members to cater for not to look for money at all
cost to satisfy all these interests? Put such a man at the head of affairs of an organization
whether private or public, his major objectives would be how to amass wealth for the use
of his family.
Again, a man haring six or more cars together with many houses has to maintain
them. Also, he has to build houses for his children, wives and for use as motor parks.
He needs a substantial amount of money to do all these. Finally, the culture of
extravagancy and ostentatious lifestyle requires a large amount of money to maintain
and sustain. This requirement would not allow administration to be practiced
objectively and rationally for any national development.
Finally, the case of power tussle and general indiscipline as well as poor accountability
and control which have become institutionalized in the country would not allow a
typical Nigerian to be successful if put in positions of authority. All these are the
influences of culture on the way administration is practiced in most developing countries

Administrative practice in Nigeria

It has become widely acknowledged that there is the universality of administration.

The implication of this claim is that administrative duties and responsibilities tend to
remain constant irrespective of the location and time where and when they are performed
ceteris paribus. However, from experience, nothing remains the same except the change itself.
 M.A. Omolaja / EA 1-2 (2009) 53-64 59

Consequently, since culture differs across national boundaries and over time,
administrative responsibilities also differ in mode of performance. Hence, administrative
practice in Nigeria is dependent on the Nigerian culture while administrative practice in
Europe or in Asia is also dependent on the culture of the respective continents. This
assertion implies that the practice of administration is a function of cultural pattern of
behavior of the administrator; which implies non-homogeneity of administration.
Consider the major differences between the performance of administrative duties in
developing countries and the system in Europe, what do you think is the main
differences which you observe? It is nothing but cultural differences. Culture, generally
would influence, and be influenced by, what we do, how and when we do it, what we
wear, what we say, how we develop, our mode of dressing, our thinking faculty and
practically every aspect of our life.
The way a person is brought up, his family background, his class in the society, etc,
would definitely affect the way he thinks, behaves, his orientation and general attitudinal
disposition to his work, place of work and the society at large
Consequently, because of the cultural background of the Nigerians as discussed in the
previous sections, administrative practice in the country may be said to be at variance
from the ideal practice especially when compared to the European model. For instance,
administrative duties and responsibilities in Nigeria are not sufficiently organized,
coordinated, controlled, disciplined and sometimes lacks proper planning; reflecting the
culture of the society.
A typical illustration of the culture of administrative practice in Nigeria is the
hypothetical case of a Managing Director called Mr. Nigerman. Mr. Nigerman arrived at
the office in the morning about 9.50 a.m. looking tired and depressed. He had decided to
go through the report submitted by the Re-engineering Committee the previous day
before any other thing that day to enable him to digest the main contents before his
formal presentation to the Board of Directors by 10.00 a.m. The office opened at 8.00
a.m. and now he arrived in the office at 9.50 a.m. with only 10 minutes to glance
through the report before the Board meeting.
His subordinates who saw him getting out of his car and had been waiting for him
for one assistance or the other described his lateness as one of the benefits of being at the
top, and look at him in high esteem. What the subordinates with the erroneous belief
got to know later was that Mr. Nigerman had been up busy at home on one thing or the
other since 5.00 a.m. He had allowed himself some minutes to have his bath, have his
breakfast and dressed up for the office.
Just as he was about to leave home for the office, two elderly members of his
extended family walked in. Mr. Nigerman had greeted them and to comply with his
native custom or culture, he had to invite them to join him for the breakfast while the
august visitors declined telling him that they here okay already. Due to the status of the
visitors in his family, Mr. Nigerman was unable to advise them to go as it was believed
they had come because of the recognition of his own position and roles in the family.
He therefore lost his senses of self-control and had done his best to be polite and
friendly to them as a man with cultural etiquette. By the time the visitors left, Mr.
Nigerman was left with no option than to come late to the office.
60 Economic Analysis 1-2 (2009) 53-64

Already, some of the Board members had started arriving at the venue of the
meeting and messages had been pouring into Mr. Nigermanʹs office inviting him to
bring the report for presentation. Despite this problematic situation, another important
personality in the immediate community had come sitting down at the reception waiting
for his attention although uninvited. He had based his notion of visit on the basis that
that was the best time to ʺcatchʺ him before he is engrossed with office responsibilities.
On noticing the prevailing situations, the visitor had quietly left leaving a note in
annoyance that he was not duly recognized, and that he would show him how to show
respect to important personalities like him in the society. Presently Mr. Nigerman had no
more time to glance through the report and to contact some divisional heads to ask for
up-to-date information on certain issues pertaining to their operations. He also needed to
quickly dictate a minute concerning his comments on an urgent strategic decision.
It was then Mr. Nigerman rushed to the venue of the Board meeting as he was a few
minute late already. After the meeting the next two hours, he returned to his office
panting. His table had become disorganized and covered with heaps of files and papers
some of which were labeled ʺUrgentʺ and the others ʺFor Immediate Actionʺ. As he was
trying to settle down and tidy up his table, his secretary rushed in to tell him that the
commissioner had telephoned thrice and left a message inviting him to his office
concerning a negotiated contract which needed further consideration before decision is
made on its approval. Mr. Nigerman quickly rushed to the commissioner’s office where
papers and documents were referred to on several occasions. He was there for about an
hour before he returned again to his office.
The time had come for another meeting and he had to be there as there was nobody to
deputize for him. This was due to the fact that there was a little misunderstanding
between him and his second-in-command. His deputy, wanted autonomy on certain
issues which Mr. Nigerman was not prepared to grant in order that he would not loose
his esteemed recognition as the Alpha and Omega in the company. The meeting went on
until the closing time which was also behind the schedule.
Meanwhile some of the divisional heads had been waiting to brief. Mr. Nigerman
on certain pressing issues in the company. In the meantime, the august visitor who
left in annoyance in the morning came back having been pacified by a colleague who
understood better Mr. Nigermanʹs condition. Some others also were their to see him.
Consequently, for over two hours after the close of the office, the officer was still busy.
Finally tired, hungry and angry with himself and every other person around, he
prepared to go home without forgetting two or three other reports to be studied over
the night for action the next day!
Although the above case epitomizes a typical case of administrative process, the
process is more refined in the Western administrative mechanism. From the case, it is
apparently clear that such a process is unorganized, lacks orderliness, unstructured,
and control process is very poor; reflecting the administrative culture in Nigeria.
The British administrative culture is orderly, controlled and very structured. A
Briton, for instance, would not because of pecuniary interest waste a-day holiday; not
even a rest period. On the contrary, a Nigerian, apart from preparing to work
overtime, is also prepared to wok in two or thee palaces within 24 hours to earn what
 M.A. Omolaja / EA 1-2 (2009) 53-64 61

is called abnormal profits in order to show off as an important person in the society.
What he has forgetter is that whatever he gains in form of pecuniary interest, he has lost
in quality of life!
In the European administrative practice, division of labor, specialization of labor
and the principles propounded by early management and administrative
philosophers including Elton Mayo, Henri Fayol, F. W. Taylor, Marx Webber, etc, are
respected and practiced to the letter. Management and administrative practice
demands that work should be delegated to subordinates with full responsibility
assigned and with absolute confidence in performance. In the British system of
administration, so be it; in the developing Nigeria, however, the reverse is usually the
case.
As a further comparison, the rule of privacy is normally respected in Europe. You
cannot pay an European an unscheduled visit. The game is so played in such of way that
even the closest friend has to book an appointment before a visit to an office not to talk of
a private home. Again, in the British model, there is nothing like power tussle.
Consequently, there is no dignity in arrogating power to oneself. Responsibilities,
resources and benefits are shared on the basis of an agreed upon formula. This is due to
the fact the British administrative culture allows for the practice of administrative functions
of planning organizing, etc, according to intended design.

Impact of organizational politics

Organizational politics has become the permanent culture of every modern

organization or society. Whether in Europe or in Africa, the impact of organizational
politics is being felt significantly. However, in Nigeria undue attention is being paid to
organizational politics and other subjective variables giving room for mediocrity against
meritocracy. This is affecting the corporate performance of the Nigerian Organizations
both in the private sector and in the public sector. Because of the federalism and its
concomitant societal systems of federal character; quota and representative mechanism,
people who would not normally qualify to be in positions are being put in positions of
authority.
This has affected and still affecting their administrative performance, and
consequently causing backwardness to the economy. Also affected is the morale and
confidence on the part of highly qualified professional administrators and career officers
who are relegated to the back on political grounds. Arising from this phenomenon is the
fact that hard-work has no more place in the society the concept of hard-work is
apparently respondent on the way the authority in question denies it. If a hardworking
subordinate is adjudged by his supervisor or manager as being slow, inexperience and
lazy worker, then he is taken to be so and consequently he is not qualified for promotion
or advancement. On the other hand, if an unqualified employee is favored for
promotion by his superior, he enjoyed the fruit of organizational polities which
apparently he is very good at playing.
62 Economic Analysis 1-2 (2009) 53-64

Impact on national development

National development implies development in all sectors of the economy. It covers

development in Gross National Product, development in Agriculture, in Industry, in
Culture, in Education, and so on. Consequently, national development comes from all the
facets of the economy. By implication, all the sectors, including administrative
functions and office holders, must develop for accelerated national development. For
meaningful national development to take place, administrations in the private and
public organizations must be practiced the way it is done in the western society with
little modifications in line with the situations on ground.
For instance, the culture of polygamy, power tussle, extravagance and ostentatious
spending have all contributed to the downward trend in the economv. Hence, these
should all be discontinued. Again, seasoned and dedicated administrators with
required exposure and experience should be encouraged by giving them appropriate
recognition and status instead of promoting mediocrity. The ideal use of management
principles of authority, delegation, subordination of individual interest to common
objectives, etc. should be practiced. However, administration in Nigeria can be cured of
the negative culture at several levels using several criteria. The levels include the
governmental, social groups like schools, among peers, among friends, and changes
originated from within the individual members of the society.
In fact, no decree or constitution can force a Nigerian to behave entirely contrary to his
will. For instance, despite the gravity of punishment meted for drug trafficking offences,
Nigerians are still prominent in dealings involving cocaine, heroine and similar hard
drugs due to absence of commensurate employment. Because of the fact that it is possible
to force a horse to a river, it is not possible to force it to drink water from the river. Most
of the negative ethos of the Nigerian administrative culture can be made more liberal for
meaningful national development through the use of organizational or administrative
psychology to appeal to the senses of the participants individually and collectively.
Also, a kind of economic development awareness programs via effective
administrative performance throughout the nooks and crannies of the economy may also
be relevant. This can be organized by some special machinery of government like the
Ministry of Information and Culture, Family Support Program, Centre for Management
Development, Centre for Strategic and Policy Studies, etc.
Granted that the aforementioned administrative cultural reforms can be refined to
effect the demands of modern administration, though Nigeria is economically down
today, a more prosperous future is ahead. In terms of availability of manpower resources
for effective administration, it is inappropriate to think that this country does not possess
enough people in the administrative cadre whether generalists or specialists. The fact still
remains that the country lacks the appropriate ideology with the required substances to
tap and utilize the nation’s abundant human resources effectively and efficiently. I am
convinced that this country has enough manpower machinery but our problem is
decisions on the use they are put individually and collectively.
In actual fact, what we need at this stage of our national development is an
Agricultural analogy in growing or developing administrative talents rather than the
 M.A. Omolaja / EA 1-2 (2009) 53-64 63

industrial one to man facture them. If we have a correct administrative theory, idea or
culture but merely prate about it, pigeonhole it, and do not put it into practice, then that
theory, philosophy or culture, however laudable, beautiful or practical, is of no significance.

Summary and conclusion

This paper started with the anatomy or etymological basis of ʺadministrationʺ: This
was followed by the scope and nature of administration, administrative functions and
administrators. In the second section of the article, the philosophy of administration was
presented with particular reference to administration in the Nigerian context.
Next is a brief discussion of the Nigerian culture especially the aspect that are contrary
to the norm of the Western culture and the ideal practice of administration. Also,
administrative practice in Nigeria was explicitly analysed, discussed and necessary
illustrations were made. This would definitely allow the reader to understand the nature
and significance of administrative culture in the Nigerian society. One would also be able
to understand the reason while an officer in Nigeria behaves the way he does.
Consequently, administration in Nigeria was compared with the European model at
one time or the other in this exposition drawing references particularly from the British
mechanism. The Nigerian administrative culture was said to be unorganized, lacks
planning, unstructured and practiced in a disorderly society or environment. This was
said to be part of the variables that are contributing to the backwardness of the national
development in the country.
The contribution of organizational politics was also discussed. Here, politics was said
to have eaten deep into the administrative system in Nigeria.
As a result, the system was said to allow for mediocrity to the detriment of meritocracy
in the scheme of things discouraging the practice of administration in an ideal sense, and
the participation of qualified, experienced, seasoned and professional administrators.
Consequently, it was claimed that the only authority that can define handwork is the
superior officer which may be based on his own subjective personal judgment of what is
normal. In this case, if a hardworking employee is adjudged to be lazy, so be it!
The last point that was presented is the implication of the culture of administrative
practice in the country on national development. Here, national development was
explained to include development in all the ramifications of an economy. Hence, if the
economy is to develop, all the facets of it must not be left out in the scheme of things.
Administration, administrative duties and administrators are said to have roles to play in
any developmental process.
Conclusively, it has been made clear from this article that the administrative practice in
Nigeria is taking place within the boundaries of two extremists: that is, the administrative
culture or the ethos of the mechanism on the one hand and the national development on
the other. If the national development is, therefore, our target, then some kinds of trade-
offs should be maintained between the two. That is, our wasteful attitudes and behavior
should be reconciled with the national objective which is the ʺpromised landʺ of national
development via economic, social, cultural, technological and political emancipation.
64 Economic Analysis 1-2 (2009) 53-64

Also, there should be a proper re-orientation of the administrative culture and

philosophy in the country for a turn-around and development of the economy.

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