A Professor of Political Science and Public Service Management at Dennis Osadebay University, Kelly-Bryan Ovie Ejumudo, has identified massive corruption, ethnicity, and the interplay of religion and politics as major factors crippling Nigeria’s public service.
Ejumudo made the assertion while delivering the 4th inaugural lecture of the university titled “A Binocular Dissection and X-ray of the Plaguing Caterpillar, Palmerworm, Cankerworm and Locust in Nigeria’s Public Service.”
According to him, leadership failure remains at the heart of the crisis bedevilling the nation’s bureaucracy, leading to the erosion of meritocracy, declining public trust, and poor service delivery.
He noted that the situation has forced many talented professionals to disengage from public service, while also contributing to stunted national development, rising insecurity, and social unrest.
The professor further lamented that the public service has increasingly become a hub for looting and rent-seeking, adding that reforms introduced by successive administrations have largely remained unimplemented.
Ejumudo also blamed what he described as “followership complicity,” arguing that citizens have, over time, enabled and legitimised ineffective and unethical leadership practices.
To address the challenges, he called on public servants—both elected and appointed—to subordinate personal interests to the collective good through self-discipline, self-regulation, and value reorientation.
He stressed the need for reforms that go beyond rhetoric, advocating a holistic and institutionalised transformation that promotes excellence, efficiency, and effectiveness in public service delivery.
In his remarks, the Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof Ben Oghojafor, who was represented by Emmanuel Inoni, commended Ejumudo for his insightful lecture.
He called on stakeholders across the country to undertake what he described as “surgical reforms” in all sectors of national life to align with the aspirations of Nigerians and the vision of the nation’s founding fathers.
The event was attended by academics, lawmakers, and members of the clergy.
