ADDRESSING POLITICIANS-CIVIL SERVANTS CONFLICTS IN THE NIGERIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT SYSTEM

Abstract

A little attention has been paid to one of the most critical relationship between civil servants and politicians in Nigeria. To a certain extent, the neat distinctions of the politicians and civil servants were always more theoretical than real.  However, modern government has had a way of eroding whatever truth, there was to this distinction. In modern government, implementation failures are often the biggest and most significant political problems a government will face. No wonder we are left asking ourselves three critical questions: Where does policy stop and implementation begins? What is the responsibility of the civil servant to the political appointee and vice-versa?  In addition, who should be held accountable?. The paper examined the institutional interface of politics and administration in the Nigerian Local Government System. Secondary data were collected mainly from relevant textbooks, official documents of various ministries, reports and proceedings papers. These conflicts emanate from several sources ranging from political instability, poor financial base, and unlawful demand for an increase in wages, mismanagement of revenue allocations by the elected or appointed politicians who managed the socioeconomic and political programs of the rural populace. Then, with the existence of these conflict situations, the managers of the system are expected to have sound conflict management strategies. The inability of government bureaucracy to deliver the much- needed services to the citizens and the resultant decline in the standard of living of the people may be held by the same as a conclusive evidence of a failed Nigerian state