MEANING OF PUBLIC SERVICE

Public service is popularly called the

Civil Service in Nigeria. Public service is a body

of professional administrators who help the

executive arm of government to implement

government policies and programmes. These

professional Administrators are referred to as

Public Servants or Civil Servants.

Public Service Nigeria refers to the various

government ministries and extra-ministerial

department excluding public corporations,

armed forces, police and Local government

Administration.

Public servants who work in the public service

are employed as professional administrators to

advice government and execute its policies. The

Public service is usually head by a Permanent

secretary and is made up of workers from grade

level 01 to grade level 17.

STRUCTURE OF PUBLIC SERVICE IN NIGERIA

Nigeria adopted the British civil service

The structure divides public service into fiv

classes which are:

1.Administrative class

2. Professional class
3. Executive class

4. Clerical class

5. Sub-clerical class

ADMINISTRATIVE CLASS

This class is the highest class in the

public service and it comprises the

administrative officers who include; permanent

or principal secretaries, director-general, deputy

and assistant director general, as well as

principal officers etc. The permanent secretary

is the Chief-Administrative officer and

service within a ministry). We have eight grades

professional head of the Ministry (public

in the administrative class of the civil service

director) at the top and Administrative officer

with Administrative officer grade 1 (who is a

grade VIII at the bottom level.

The entire Administrative class has the

political head of the ministry and to formulate

responsibility to advice the minister who is the

and implement government policies that relate

to the ministry. Recruitment into Administrative

class in public service has a minimum academic

requirement of a first degree from a university.

Officers of professional class are civil

aspect of government programmes and policies.

servants who execute specialized and technical

They include professionals like: Doctors,

Accountants, Architects, Engineers,

Statisticians, Lawyers, Surveyors and

Teachers.

Professional civil servants assist government in

their area of skills and expertise. A minimum of first degree in relevant discipline is required for
operates. The three basic characteristics

entry into the professional class of the civil

public service are:

service.

EXECUTIVE CLASS

Executive class of the public service

implements the policies, programmes and

decisions of the government. Officers in this

class include technologists, nurses, personal

and confidential secretaries. The executive

class ensures the day to day running of the

ministry. Requirement for recruitment into the

executive class include: Advance level GCE,

Professional Diplomas, Polytechnic and

University graduates with OND, HND or a

degree certificate,
CLERICAL CLASS

Clerical class comprises officers who

carry out routine work such as typing, driving

etc in the civil service. These officers include:

typists, drivers, office clerks, craft men etc.

Requirement for recruitment into the clerical

class of the civil service is ordinary level GCE,

Secondary School Certificate and Trade Test

Certificate.

SUB-CLERICAL CLASS

This class of officers renders manual

service. They are people with no-education or

maximum qualification of primary school

leaving certificate. These are people employed

in the lowest cadre of grade level 01 in the civil

service Officers in this class include:

messengers, bricklayers, cleaners, watchmen,

office assistants, garden boys, mechanics etc.

They are auxiliary workers in the

ministry.

CHARACTERISTICS OF

THE PUBLIC SERVICE

Public service has three major

characteristics that separate it from other

organizations. These characteristics serve as

1. PERMANENCE

2. ANONYMOUS

3. NEUTRAL

PERMANENCE

The civil service and civil serva

operate as a permanent institution of the sta

even when government changes. The rule c

civil service requires that a civil servant can on

retire after putting 35 years into service or at th

age of 60 years. The only condition that coul

terminate their appointment contrary to the term

mentioned above is in a case of misconduc

Civil service provide a stable structure to effec

government policies and as such continue th

execution of government policies even whe

such government is no more in power,

The permanence of public service brings abou

stability and continuity in governmen

programmes which later translate int

growth and development.

ANONYMOUS

The Minister is the political head of

ministry while the permanent secretary and othe

civil servants in the ministry are responsible fo

civil servants in a ministry carries out their dutie

principle of anonymous explain the fact that a

responsibility for the success and failure c

in the name of the minister who takes publ

his/her ministry. That is when public servants i

ministry's programmes; the praise goes to th

a ministry perform well in the execution of the

minister. If there is failure within the ministr

the minister also takes responsibility for t

failure because every thing in the ministry

done in his/her name. Public servants therefo

need to be recognized by the public because the

operate in the background and do not necessam

are simply doing the job for which they a

employed to do.

NEUTRAL

Civil servants are expected to be neutral

in the discharge of their duties. Civil servants

should not participate actively in politics. Any

civil servant that wishes to contest elective post

has to retire first. Civil servant should bury their

political opinion when on duty. They should be

impartial and unbiased in the execution of

government policies. Civil servants because of

work under different government with different

ideologies, agenda and manifestoes. Even when

the programmes of the government are in

conflict with their personal opinion, civil

servants should make their private life personal

and carry out their duties religiously.