AN ASSESSMENT OF THE PUBLIC MANAGEMENT PERFORMANCE OF PUBLIC ENTERPRISE IN NIGERIA

1.1 Introduction

Public cooperation in Nigeria has been considered insufficient and wistful. This is because they have viewed it with the profit criterion. Kindleberger (1986) however, think that this is usually not appropriate to use the performance standard of the private sector. They are hoses in deferent colours, the objective of private business is profit, while the government enterprises is service to the society or promotion of general welfare. In many developing economy, the government is the main initiator and promoter of economic development in any nation, especially in Nigeria. In developing countries, government usually intervenes in some areas of the economic in which the private sector cannot perform.

As a prelude to other parts of this study, this chapter will discuss the background upon which this study was initiated, the statement of problems that led to this study, the Aim and Objectives of the study. Others are Significance of the study, Scope of work, Limitations of the Study and Definition of technical terms.

1.2 Background of Study

An assessment of the public performance of public enterprises in Nigeria, a case study of Rivers state transport company covers the production and accessibility of Rivers state companies their functions, objectives and mode of performance.

The Rivers state transport company is a multinational company that operate nationwide in convening people goods and services to the general public through an established law registered in the cooperate affair commission that allow it operation on the state as a legal entity different from the government body, but managed and run by the government appointed officials who also make returned to the government.

It would be recalled however, that in the fifties and sixties, agriculture was the main stay of the Nigeria economy. The early seventies earned for Nigeria loge erude oil revenue at a level that never was anticipated. This new dimension got government involved more with widely diversified investments in areas that spun both the traditional public sector and exclusive private sector business.

As a result of this development in Chide Oil, Agriculture that was the main stay of our economy was later given less attention. Owing to this circumstance, the government investment was sponsored mostly by the oil revenues. The oil boom era (1974-1979) has been described as the golden era for public investment.

The government invested in over 30 parastatals and companies within this period. Most of them have been unprofitable some cannot even meet their operating cost and have depended on government subvention for their year management and survival.

Olisa (1985) said that prior to independent and after Nigeria was faced with the problem of attaining her social economic objectives, there was no well destined capitalist class, that could operate the much needed development through their productive and industrializing activities. The civil service at that time was inappropriate for accelerated development and the country was saddened with the problem of running many businesses. These parastatals are established outside the civil service and this allowed for greater freedom of action quicker decision making which will promote their full efficiency and effectiveness in administering their function to the general well being and welfare of the public. This corporation is managed through government appointment officials who could utilize the profit accruing from their operations in catering for the public interest (Onwudunmi, 1970).

Ugwu (1990) said that in Nigeria, it is very unfortunate that, the government has topic development and this is because the management of these enterprises have constituted the bane of these enterprises most of them failed to meet people's expectations in terms of provision of goods and services and development in general. The commercially oriented ones neither make profits nor even sustain themselves. All efforts by successive government yield no positive result despite various commissions of inquiring and review parties. The performance of these enterprises still shorts of people expectation. It is based on this that the researcher finds the need to investigate these problems in Rivers state transport.

Therefore, in Rivers State Transport where the research was carried out, the activities that was conducted is to know the Public Management Performance of Public Enterprise in Nigeria.

1.3 Statement of the Problem

It is very important to note that the public enterprise in any economy has important role to play in the rapid socio economic development of the country. Government owned enterprises and business in Nigeria are established to accelerate the pace of economic development in which government is the major investor. Due to the important roles associated with the major public enterprises in Nigeria, there is need for good management for its efficiency, it is a fact that government spend large sum of money in setting up these enterprises and this looks forward to making profit.

As a result if inefficiency in running the enterprise, federal government have in recent years set up committee which studied the public corporation and parastatals and recommendation of privatization and commercialization of some of these enterprise.

These enterprises performance so poorly than private owned business, since public enterprises are important in growth of any economy, there is the need to investigate to problems of public enterprises in Nigeria. Also there is need to identify the reason for criticism leveled against them.

Despite the enormous investment in public enterprises in Nigeria obviously not getting good value for the money being spent or invested on these public enterprises, this gives the decision to this research on an assessment of the management performance of the public enterprise in Nigeria in Rivers state” using Rivers state transport company as a case study (RSTC).

1.4 Aim and Objective of the Study

This aim of the study is to assess of the management performance of public enterprises in Nigeria in Rivers state with a view to identifying these problems and therefore coming up with solution to them as related to the aforementioned corporation. In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were laid out as follows:

1. To identify some of problems of managing facing the public enterprises like inadequate finance, poor management skill infrastructural facilities etc.
2. To examine the influence of the problems on the corporation in participation and the state as a whole.
3. To identify if there is an impact of government interference on their performance.
4. To give recommendation based on the finding of the study and suggesting suitable ways and strategies of improving the management efficiency of duties.

1.5 Research Questions

The study came up with research questions so as to be able to ascertain the above stated objectives. The specific research questions for the study are stated below as follows:

• Can the government tackle the problems of the management of public enterprise in Nigeria?
• Could this problem of public enterprises enable them create employment opportunities in Nigeria?
• How can management proficiency be determined in public enterprise?
• How effectiveness should the public enterprise in business operation?
• In what way could the solution of these problem help RSTC to improve in their management performance?
• What impact could it create in transportation of good in RSTC production?

1.6 Research Hypothesis

In order to pursue the objective of this study, the following generalized statements have been designed to guide and aids in obtaining the result for the experiment to be conducted. For this work, the null hypothesis will be represented with H0 while the alternative hypothesis will be represented with hypothesis H1.

H0: There is no significant relationship between the Public Management Performance and Public Enterprise in Rivers State Transport

H1: There is significant relationship between the Public Management Performance and Public Enterprise in Rivers State Transport

1.7 Significance of Study

In third world countries, public enterprises are noted for their inefficiency and waste of resources. To save the situation and injury is needed in this sector of our economy especially at this time of economic difficulties at this time of our economy facing the country.

The country cannot afford to encourage not entertain any kind of economic waste in our public enterprises since it efficiencies maximized, it will definitely have a positive effect on the improve standard of living of the general public. This is the significance if this is study. It is hoped that the study of the problems of managing in the public enterprise in River state (RSTC) will help management sort some managerial problems so that both workers and organizations will benefit and the public enterprises will achieve more in future.

1.8 Scope of the Study

The study seeks to cover various problems of managing identified in the government owned establishment. Anambra motors manufacturing company. The scope of this study covers whatever problems that will hinder the profitability of this company sustainability and continued growth in the management of public enterprises they have so many opportunities to study and requires series of contacts in their company.

1.9 Limitation Of The Study

This is the process that various management facing Anambra motors manufacturing company, their limitation in term of time involvement from staff of the organization being studies and administrative bottleneck act as impediment to smooth carry out of this work.

1.10 Definition of Terms

Ware House: A warehouse is a commercial building for storage of goods. Warehouse is used by many factories, importers and exporters, wholesale transporters business customers etc, in storing of materials not need at a pot. They are usually large pain building in industries parts of town. They come equipped with docks to load and unload trucks of sometimes are loaded directly from railways airport or supports they also often have cranes and formalities for moving goods.

Marketing: Is seen as the creative management function, which promotes trade and employment by assessing consumer needs and initiating research and development to meet them. It coordinates the resources of production and distribution of goods and services determine and direct the nature and scale or the total effort required to sell profitably the maximum production to the ultimate user.

Consumer Market: The consumer market deals with the last final consumer who buys the product for their own satisfaction personal use or student consumer, you could possibly be a member of the market of the consumer market covers a wide.

Enterprise management service: This provides complete life cycle and configuration management of enterprise assets through and integrated for suite, we provide cradle to grave service utilizing a suite of product for standardized repetitive process for procurement the enterprise management service data base provides the resources for continuously assessing and improving customer services.

Sale: Sales or the activity of selling an integral part of commercial activities mastering sales is considered by many as some sort for persuading “art on the contrary” the methodological approach of selling refers to it as a systematic process of repetitive and measurable milestone by which a sales person rate his offering enabling the buyer to visualized how to achieve his good in a economic way. Selling is a practical implementation of marking it often forms a separate grouping in an corporate structure employing a separate specialist operatives known as sale men.