The Fluctuating Fortunes of Civil Servants in Nigeria

All countries of the world, no matter the political system they operate, depend heavily on their civil services for effective and efficient management of their public affairs. The civil servants, who man these civil services, are equally important in the formulation and implementation of public policies for the good of the citizenry of the countries. However, over the years in Nigeria, the importance of civil servants, particularly the top civil servants and the role they play in the process of governance has not been clearly brought into public lime-light. The level of this recognition varied from one government to the other. This paper examines the involvement of top civil servants (permanent secretaries) vis-à-vis the involvement of the political executives (ministers). The paper concludes that the two government functionaries should receive adequate recognition so that they can perform their roles in a complimentary manner for the smooth running of government business for nation building and national development.