PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND DEVELOPMENT PLANNING IN NIGERIA: A CRITICAL EVALUATION OF NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLANS (1962-2020)

Abstract

The title of this study is Public Administration and Development Planning inNigeria: A Critical Evaluation of National Development Plans (1962-2020). The objectives of thestudy include examining the role of public administration in development planning in Nigeria,critically evaluating various national development plans in Nigeria to identify their specificchallenges, and proffering solutions aimed at ameliorating these challenges to enhance betternational development plans. To achieve these objectives, the research methodology adoptedincludes the use of the documentary research design, the use of qualitative descriptive analysis forthe analysis of the generated data, the area of study in Nigeria, and the population of the studyincludes various stakeholders in public administration, while data was collected from secondarysources. The findings made include that public administration plays a very crucial role indevelopment planning in Nigeria; the various national development plans after evaluation hadspecific challenges that were unique to each national development plan; the solutions were actuallyproffered, but to a great extent, the various political leadership did not actually address thatconcerns raised due to sundry issues. The recommendations made include enhancing the role ofpublic administration in national development plans, which requires a comprehensive approachthat integrates policy interventions in public administration and human capital development forsustainable national development; each national development needs to be re-evaluated to betterunderstand its inherent specific challenges and the use of a multi-sector approach to planning andimplementation of public sector programs and policies.