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The Role Of Ethics And Public Accountability In Fostering Local Government Development
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CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
There
has been a considerable debate in the literature of political science
and dating back to the period of Thomas Hobbes as to whether the state,
as a sovereign entity, should be accountable to anyone or whether it
should be treated as a moral and responsible agent. The consensus now
seems to be that while the state must be self-accounting on the basis of
the constitution and the laws of the country, the individuals who
exercise power on behalf of the state whether appointed or elected, must
be accountable for the actions they take on behalf of the state as a
prerequisite for national development (Adamolekun, 2013).
One of the
most important and significant features of most modern societies today
is the emergence of a powerful state bureaucracy. This, has raised the
issue of bureaucratic power which can be abused by the bureaucrats,
either for selfish ends (especially for personal or family enrichment)
or in the course of their dealings with private citizens. In regard to
this latter issue, attention is usually drawn to the weak position of
the citizens in relation to the powerful state bureaucracy. Most modern
states have devised some methods of dealing with problems that may
emerge from this interaction. In Nigeria, the public complaints
commission, usually called the ombudsman system, has been established to
act as a grievance redressing mechanism for the populace (Agarah, cited
in Tunde and Omobolaji, 2009).
Apart from that there are some other
internal mechanisms and control measures put in place to ensure that the
bureaucracy conduct its business within some ethical parameters. These
internal mechanisms not only provide an ethical environment within which
the bureaucracy is expected to perform its responsibilities but also
act as a form of accountability to foster national development in
Nigeria. These are the civil service rules (CSR) which replaced the
general orders bequeathed to the public service by the colonialists and
the civil Service Handbook. The CSR is the grand norm for service
conduct and it covers appointment to separation from the service,
discipline, salary, leave, and reward for performance (Abdullahi, 2013).
Ethics
means moral codes of conduct (Vittal, 2002). The concept of ethics
occupied a central piece in the art of governance. In 172BC, the
Babylonian code of Hammuurabi stipulated ethical rule of conduct for
their judges and military officers. The Aristotle of the Greek had
prevailed on the citizens as well as the public office holders to
separate private activities and ownership from public activities and
ownership. Both China and Britain as early as 622 BC had propagated the
prominence of merit and non partisan service, as essential conditions
for the public service in a bid to foster national development.
Every
society must observe certain codes of conduct, else such society cannot
achieve growth or attain national development. The same also applies to
an organization. Ethics implies the idea of trust. If our society is to
function well, we need to be able to trust one another, and expect our
leaders to do their work well, obey the law, and try to make the world a
better place. Such vices as mismanagement of public funds, cheating,
stealing, and selfishness should be discouraged as they are actions
capable of hindering national development in Nigeria (Ikotun, 2004).
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ABSRACT - [ Total Page(s): 1 ]This study examined the role of ethics and public accountability in fostering local government development in Lagos State having Badagry Local Government Area (LGA) as its case study. The study adopted descriptive research design, as a total of ninety three (93) copies of questionnaire were administered to the respondents during the study; while a total of ninety (90) copies were properly filled and returned for the analysis. The objectives of the study were to evaluate the cause and effect fact ... Continue reading---
