Riggsian Ecological Thesis and the Character of Nigeria’s Bureaucracy

The role of public administration in effective governance, irrespective of the geo-economic categorization of the level of a nation's development: i%north” or “south”, cannot be overstressed. The character of public administration depends on. or can be largely shaped. by its ecological influence, as rightly posited by Fred W. Riggs (1961) in his various ecological models of society. The objective of this study is to provide an expository’ and “curve fitting’’ explication of the character of Nigeria's public administration, within the context of Riggsian ecological thesis. In the content analytical approach, the study examines the characteristics of Nigeria’s Bureaucracy and attempts to provide insights into the environmental influences on its modus operandi. The study finds, among others, that the key features of Nigeria’s Bureaucracy include ascription, corruption and inefficiency, due to the high presence and influence of vestiges of “atavistic” fused societal model. To overcome the undesirable character of Nigeria's Bureaucracy, therefore it is recommended, among others, that reforms aimed at its repositioning, with the cardinal objective of eliminating the vices and enthroning achievement and efficiency, should be undertaken by Government.