The Relevance of Motivation in Public Service in Nigeria

Motivation is one of the key elements in employee productivity and its importance is such that even when workers, in this context public servants, have other factors which include clear work objectives and right skills, without sufficient motivation, they would still not get the job done in line with the work objectives. This paper, thus, examines the concept of motivation as the fulcrum of productive public service. This is interrogated with the aim of ascertaining whether this spurring agent is ideally prioritized and sustained or cyclically attenuated in the Nigeria’s public service environment. This work is apt in the face of the current pathetic and recurring incidences of delayed payments and outright non-payment of salaries and other entitlements to public servants by their government employers. It comes at a time when few top bureaucrats are being arrested, prosecuted and even imprisoned for corrupt enrichments as well as the time when the current minimum wage and any other benefits can barely sustain the workers owing to the current inflation and recession. Prioritizing motivation, undoubtedly, engenders and enhances zeal and commitment and is a guarantor of high productivity and attainment of organizational set-goals on consistent basis. Consequently, this paper seeks to investigate if public servants in Nigeria are motivated, on one hand, and why service delivery in the public service appears so poor, on the other hand. To undertake the discourse, the paper examines the concept and theoretical perspectives of motivation. It then proceeds with a review of Nigeria’s public service, particularly ascertaining whether the public servants are motivated or not. It also sets an agenda for the country’s public service in the 21st century. The work concludes with a case for a refocus on workers’ motivation as a decisive strategy for crafting a productive workforce and attaining goals in Nigeria’s public service sector. Keywords: Motivation, Reward, Satisfaction, Productivity, Service Delivery.