Ibadan Journal of the Social Sciences
Volume 4, No. 2, 2006
Pages 120-134
DOI: 10.36108/ijss/6002.40.0250
Improved Public Policy Delivery in Nigeria: The role of ethics and accountability
Ikeanyibe Okey Marcellus
Department of Political Science and Public Administration, Benson Idahosa University, Benin City
&
Imhanlahimi Joseph E.
Department of Political Science and Public Administration, University of Benin
Abstract
This paper reviews the role of ethics and accountability in ensuring improved public policy delivery in Nigeria. It reiterates that effective public policy delivery requires a consistent interlink between public organizations’ internal measures of control and codes of conduct and some external measures of supervision and control. It further reiterates the obvious — that most public policies in Nigeria are elitist, hence, they mask hidden interests. The position of the paper is that most public policies are not formulated and implemented with the public interest as the focus; that even when policies are people oriented, they face the greater hurdle of unethical conduct and behaviour, which ultimately lead to misappropriation of resources meant for the public. Thus, it recommends the need for: a stronger link between internal organizational rules and regulation measures and committed external mechanisms of supervision and control; popular participation in politics; greater involvement of professional analysts in policy designs; and for openness and transparency in government financial dealings.
Keywords: Policy delivery, political officeholder, accountability, ethics, organizational control mechanism