Productivity measurement and growth in Nigeria: challenges and prospects

Productivity (growth) measurements (describing the assessment of an economy’s rate of change in the ratio of a volume measure of output to a volume measure of input use) and related analysis are regular undertakings by staff of economic development of most nations and development institutions such as the OECD. Although they strive to accomplish objectives related to studying efficiency or the achievement of maximum output physically achievable under the use of current technology and given inputs, accounting for the contribution of real costs savings; introduction of benchmarks for production processes and to highlight living standards obtaining at points in time, its emphasis has been at the expense of examination of issues related to society (institutions), history, innovation and productivity change, which are concerned with promoting growth beyond mere productivity accounting. This paper has attempted to address all these issues as they pertain to Nigeria’s rather stagnant or declining economy. This slight modification was prompted by changes from philosophers concerned with the wider area of productivity measurement and change. The literature agrees that productivity measurement (growth accounting) only “identified the significance of different proximate sources of growth” but fails to employ institutional, historical case studies to investigate the underlying causes of the growth, innovation and productivity change. Details of deficiencies related to the foregoing issues are examined and policy recommendations drafted and presented to assist practitioners, policy and decision makers and other stakeholders.productivity, change, improvement, growth, labour, corruption.

Sub-national regional development and degree-awarding tertiary educational institutions in Nigeria: descriptive, geo-demographic and geo-spatial analyses

Public and private investments in educational institutions as a means of catalysing economic growth has been recognized a veritable strategy for developing human capital, increasing productivity and competitiveness at various regional levels. Nigeria’s multiplicity of cultural groups whose political sensitivity to (in)equality in the sharing of nationally pooled resources has been a source of conflicts including the 1967-70 civil war, presents an ideal scenario for understanding the extent of balance or otherwise of tertiary educational opportunities across the national landscape. This has not been sufficiently addressed in the academic literature. This article reports findings of a study of the provision of degree-awarding tertiary educational institutions (TEIs) by governments and private entities in Nigeria’s sub-national regions. Geo-demographic-spatial and description analyses were used to analyze secondary data. We found among others that: the numbers of TEIs provided in the sub-national regions (geo-political zones and their constituent states) have not been determined by the population size of the sub-national regions (state/territory); highest concentration/localisation of TEIs were in Nigeria’s SouthWest geo-political zone. It is argued that the full government financing of education implemented in the former (South) Western Region about half a century ago (since the 1950s) laid the foundation for creating critically needed human capital mass that has continued to regenerate in multi-dimensional strategies for establishing more TEIs thereby promoting regional development in the present South-West Region thereby contrasting with Nigeria’s other geo-political regions

Incentive Structure and Work Attitude among Junior Staff in Cross River State Civil Service

This study investigates whether incentive structure plays a significant role in the work attitude of junior civil servants in Nigeria. Five different incentive items were tested by data collected. These include monetary, job security, promotion, good work environment, and social/official recognition. These five sub-variables were ranked in their order of importance. Frequency distribution, descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation coefficient and T-test statistical techniques were used to analyze data obtained. It was found that junior civil servants considered monetary incentives highest on their ranking, and that incentive structure as a whole significantly affected work attitude among junior staff in the Civil Service

The Nature and Weighting of Major Determinants of Women Participation in Policy Process in Nigeria: Evidence from Akwa Ibom State

This study investigates the factors responsible for the very low number of women participating in policy process in Akwa-Ibom, Nigeria. Stratified random sampling was used in this study for the purpose of separating the respondents into educated (HND/B.Sc. and above) and less educated. Responses from educated respondents were used in this study. Data were collected by distributing and retrieving 900 questionnaires across the three senatorial districts of the state (300 in each senatorial district). The various factors tested were economic, cultural, physical, mental, psychological, religion and ideology. Frequency distribution statistics is used to analyze data obtained. It was found that 66% of respondents considered economic factor as most responsible for the low number of women participating in policy processes in Akwa-Ibom State, Nigeria

Politics of Revenue Allocation in Nigeria: Paths Not Taken, Issues Not Resolved by the National Political Reform Conference (Nprc)

Unquestionably one of the most controversial issues in Nigeria’s political history – Revenue Allocation/Fiscal Federalism – saga expectedly reared its unyielding head in the National Political Reform Conference (NPRC) held at Abuja (nation’s capital city) between February and June 2006. Memoranda on Revenue Allocation and Fiscal Federalism came under the NPRC’s working platform called “Reforms of the structure of Government and Governance”. Among major contentious issues contained in the Terms of Reference (TOR) adopted by the NPRC’s Committee on Revenue Allocation and Fiscal Federalism (and debated by NPRC) are: the separation of Office of Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF) from Office of Accountant-General of Federal Government (AGFG); illegal withholding of accruals by some agencies of the Federal Government; inventing generally acceptable Revenue Allocation Principles and Formula; Joint State/Local Government Account; and the establishing of Independent Mechanism for Period Review of matters relating to Revenue Allocation. How far were these and other concomitant issues addressed by the NPRC? To what extent was the path of consensual  (in contrast to antagonistic) politics explored in dealing with these issues? To what extent were the recurrent controversies surrounding Revenue Allocation in Nigeria resolved? How far did NPRC go in dealing with the deep-rooted contradictions associated with Nigeria’s peculiar answers to these questions was the main task of this paper. In the face of evidence before us, the paper argues that, by not taking some critical paths, in dealing with the question of Revenue Allocation in Nigeria, the NPRC culpably left many important issues unresolved. Thus, the cause of advancing the nation has not been served as far as the politics of Revenue Allocation is concerned