IMPACT OF PUBLIC SERVICE REFORMS ON WORKERS’ PRODUCTIVITY IN THE FEDERAL CIVIL SERVICE, ABUJA, NIGERIA

Abstract

Public service performance challenges in Nigeria date back to the colonialperiod, leading to the introduction of many reforms as a remedy to those maladies. Thosereforms, however, have not achieved any significant results. This study, therefore, sought toassess the implications of reforms in achieving organizational stability, particularly in theNigerian civil service. It also delved into factors that led to public service reforms andascertained their benefits to the general performance of civil servants. The study adopted adescriptive survey design using questionnaires and an interview guide to generate its primarydata. The target population was made up of all the 94,511 workers in the federal civil servicein Abuja. A sample of 622 participants was selected using Taro Yamane (1967) throughmultistage and simple random sampling techniques. Major findings of the study show thatreforms were considered a potential measure of organisational ineffective and inefficientservice delivery. It was discovered that the reasons why reforms have not achieved theirprimary objective were corruption and the parochial interests of the officials. The studyrecommends that the government should desist from all subtleness by intensifying efforts at allcosts through a genuine willingness to tackle favouritism, nepotism and others that jeopardisegovernment reforms in the civil service. Also, corrupt officials must be dealt with decisivelyto serve as a deterrent for future occurrences.