THE EFFECT OF ADMINISTRATIVE CONTROL ON THE EXECUTIVES IN IMO STATE

1.0 Introduction

1.1 Background of the Study

Over the years, arguments have been made as to whether it is reasonable to control administration school of thought has it that if administration is not controlled by a superior authority within the polity, would over-stretch its powers to a point of dictatorship.

P.E Ollana (1975) argues that is necessary to control administration in order to compete it to more in the same state with the ruling party else, the ruling party would wake up and discover that its programmes and policies have been dis-oblige on the alter of bureaucratic sabotage. In this vein, the concept of using the higher bureaucrats as a confidential advisor to the political class, the minister as in the west minister, parliamentary model is quite as in the know in inter-developed democracy of the third world.

Mition Esman, et al (1969) said, when he contended that the control of bureaucracy in the context of most of the developing countries is a misplaced priority on that, might seriously retard the rate of progress. We ought to be more concerned with the increase in the capacity of bureaucracy to perform and this we see as a function of greatly enhanced professional capability and operational autonomy, rate the further controls.

Esman point of emphasis is vital as they under-score the rate or true intention of development of administration which is increase in state and bureaucratic control over individual human being.

Based on the above, it then means that a measure of control of administration is a sine qua-non in any given political system. It is a civil polity or military dispensation control of administration by a superior responsibility policy and programmes are made good, it is necessary for the political execution to carry out and implement the policies of the political executive.

Administration is an instrument for achieving public policy. It could sometimes be an impediment. The civil service is fashioned in a manner that will develop a procedure which sometimes makes the acceptance of new policy and programme difficult. This is much more fervent when a former political executive had stayed in office for long and had gathered a lot of loyalist and support, some cases in point abound.

The British labour government after (1945) met some resistance from the conservative administrative class in British civil service. The same was experienced in Germany during Wilmer republic. These resistances were associated with the policy thrust of the government support and loyalty to the regime. If system were not check-mated, it becomes obvious and its programmes and policies would suffer undue setback, it therefore becomes plausible to review and adopt a means for the control of bureaucracy.

In Nigeria, the collapse of the first republic and the attendant military bureaucratic relationship, posed a hurdle on the control of bureaucracy. When the military struck on the 5th of January 1966, all the political structures of the state were disbanded, the leadership vacuum this created was filled by the higher civil service bureaucrats.

First by incorporation and lately accretion as of right. General T.V Aguiyi-Ironsi enacted them. “the 1966, this act transferred the functions of individual member of the year 1966 federal executive council (F.E.C) to appropriate permanent secretaries and the heads of extra ministerial departments”. This led to an unjustified high level of political involvement of the part of higher administration with a great commissioner.

This action resulted into an undue grip of the service and made administration exist in an unparallel manner, in any attempt to control it consequently, they are of super-permanent secretaries emerged.

These permanent (super) secretaries held an undue siege on any government in power until 1945, when the late general Murtala Mohammed carried the first and foremost civil service, purged in an attempt to control administration. It was the conclusion of the 1975 purge that became explicit to the higher administration that it controls even a guest manner.

For the avoidance of doubt, a meaningful success of July, 1975 purge, was an affirmation that political neutrality of the civil service is a fundamental feature of a democratic government and too essential for its efficient operation. It must be maintained even at the cost of some loss of political liberty by certain, of those who elect to enter into services.

Most important to be observed is the truth already, so much and so fortunately insisted upon by our civil service reformers.

Namely that administration lies outside the proper sphere of politics.

Administrative questions are not political questions. Although politics sets the task for administration, it should not be suffered to manipulation of its offices, this is distinction of high authority.

In course of this discourse, a pertinent question that would be answered will revolve on the role of the executive politics in the control of administration with Imo state civil service as a case study.

The process or modus operandi for such a control and how efficacious they are answerable to these questions from the premise of the study.

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1.2 Statement of the Problems

The need to control administration by a superior authority has been a tropical issue it has generated a great deal of controversy among scholars and commentators on national issues.

Much as it is argued that the control of administration would enhance speedy decision making, efficient information system, problem solving of administration is seen as a panacea for removing obstacles in decision making that requires immediate political action.

Administration is accused of convert and over delay in the ability to respond to issues. Since administration appears too centralized in its modus oprandi, its control would result on decentralization of division of course of events and' quick implementation.

Consequently the main thrust or the critical issues of the project intends to investigate are:

1. Is it necessary to control administration?
2. What is the modus operandi or machinery in the control of administration?

The present work is fundamentally concerned with the issues raise above.

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1.3 Objectives of the Study

Whenever a social scientist engages in a research, be it political or educational, he must have an objective or purpose. Also such a scholarly exercise must have some significance either in contribution to some already existing body of knowledge or entirely a new professor, David singe has rightly asserted that a researcher is usually motivated by some objective to seek answer to certain questions about social phenomenon. He puts thus “basically the purpose of any scholarly activities is the acquisition and condition of in turn to aid, solving certain human problems or to satisfy the intellectual or unrealistic desire or objectives.

The study clearly defines the actual study the researcher is involved with. Further investigation on the relevance of administrations and reasons for which it is necessary that administration should be controlled or how best the control would be modified.

This is why this study is centered on the control of administration by the executive politician.

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1.4 Research Questions

The research questions are:

• What is Administration?
• What is administrative control?
• How does this administrative control affect the executive?
• To what extent can the need for control measures be installed in the administrative machinery of the government?
• Does the general control, regulation and supervision of the civil service whether at the federal or state level fall under the schedule of the federal and state civil service commissions respectively?

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1.5 Significance of the Study

It this work is successfully completed, the management of federal character commission in public and that of Nigerian Public in general will benefit from the work, since the work will expose in controlling of admission.

This will help the executive to control the administration in the case of policy makers to formulate good recruitment policies in common.

This awareness will equally be created among the staff within the services as it will help them in better understanding between the roles of the executive in the control of administrative issues.

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1.6 Scope of the Study

The study covers the major element in the role of the executive in the control of administration, such as civil service, public servants, which include; planning, controlling, directing as well the implementation of administration with a particular reference to Imo state service.

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1.7 Limitations of the Study

In the process of research the following are the limitations I encountered.

Firstly, there is limitation imposed by lean financial resources, which expressly affected the number of visits to the selected ministries.

Secondly, given the tight schedule of the researcher, time available for the work, was also a limiting factor.

Thirdly, a lot of difficulties were encountered in the course of collecting information and data for the study; these constraints attitude of respondents and unwillingness of the parts of administrative to release, some official documents, all these hampered availability of certain information that would have helped the researcher.

Finally, the high cost of transportation, occasionally ill health were also encountered.

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1.8 Definition of Terms

Imo state civil service: Is the arm of the federal civil service carried out for the people of Imo state.

Executive: This is an amalgam of politically elected officials of appointees vested with the power to implement the policies and programmes of the government.

Control of administration: This relates to the central of bureaucratic class by the political executive in the act of government.