New Public Administration Practice and Good Governance in Nigeria: The Dilemma and Way Forward

Public administration has been practiced indispensably by the governments the world over with focus on management of government affairs. The administrative mechanism enhances coordination of government activities and the sequence delivery of services for public interest. Between 1960s and 80s, experts in the field clamoured for a change in the normative to suit the perception of globalization and liberalization activities and also, public administrators to be accountable to the public. Therefore, the nomenclature new public administration emerged to break the boundary between the general public and administrators with emphasis on ethical values to promote good governance. This study, therefore, set out to examine the dilemmas of new public administration practice and good governance in Nigeria. The paper adopted descriptive method of research and also anchored on public choice theory. The paper revealed some dilemma in practical approaches to implementation of new public administration principles particularly, non-adherent to the ethical values and rule of law in dispensation of government businesses by the public office holders. As a way forward, the paper recommended robust re-orientation for public officials on ethical values and ensure judiciary system assume new meaning and content in the dispensation of justice on offenders of ethics of the public service. These will give direction to changes in the whole public administrative system and make progress for the realization of good governance.