CHALLENGES CONFRONTING MANAGERS IN PUBLIC ENTERPRISES IN NIGERIA
ABSTRACT
The evolution of public sector enterprises often takes one of two forms. First, they could evolve from local calls or responses to an ad-hoc economic crisis, a specific shortage, flagrant abuse of monopoly or oligopoly powers by private producers, economic bottlenecks and scarcities, apparent market failures in resource allocation, etc. It is economic crises that create socioeconomic conditions that justify public intervention. Alternatively, the evolution can take the process of a carefully planned body of ideas involving the issues of management, financial control, and/or pricing. In most situations, the primary interests of the society such as “welfarism” [1] are predetermined and postulated. These two processes have characterized the evolution of public sector enterprises in Nigeria, which dates back to the precolonial era. The looks at the uses of public enterprises and the challenges the management face in running all these establishment. The public sector in Nigeria has suffered setbacks which are largely attributed to ineffective and inefficient management.
Keywords: Privatization, Organization, Efficiency, Performance management, Nigerian public service
INTRODUCTION
Public Enterprises , were created in both developed and developing countries to address market deficits & capital short-falls, promote economic development, reduce mass unemployment and/or ensure national control over the overall direction of the economy, especially in developing countries. By providing capital and technology to strategic areas where the private sector either shied away from or lacked the capacity to invest (such as heavy industries, infrastructure etc), most governments resorted to Public Enterprises to increase capital formation, produce essential goods at lower costs, create employment and generally contribute to the economic development of the nation state. This trend continued till...