International Journal of Public Administration and Management Research

Enhancing Performance Sustainability: Unveiling the Challenges for Public Enterprises in Nigeria's North-Central States

2025-10-28T14:08:08+00:00

Public enterprises in Nigeria’s North-Central States play a crucial role in delivering essential services, fostering economic growth, and promoting regional development. Despite their significance, these enterprises often face persistent challenges that hinder their performance sustainability and service efficiency. The inability to maintain operational effectiveness has been linked to issues such as poor staffing structures and excessive government interference. This study investigated the factors influencing the performance sustainability of public enterprises in Nigeria’s North-Central States. Specifically, it aimed to: (i) assess whether staff composition affects the efficiency of public enterprises, and (ii) determine whether government interference affects the quality of service delivery. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. Primary data were collected through structured questionnaire administered on a sample of 191 employees and management staff of selected public enterprises across the region. Data were analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics to evaluate relationships between variables. The findings revealed that staff composition significantly influences the efficiency of public enterprises, as inappropriate skill distribution and recruitment practices reduce productivity and innovation. And that, government interference negatively affects service quality by disrupting management autonomy and operational decision-making processes. Based on these findings, the study recommends that public enterprises adopt merit-based recruitment and that, the government should minimize undue interference and allow professional managers to exercise operational independence, ensuring improved service delivery and long-term performance sustainability.

Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) Program and Poverty Reduction in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Nigeria

2025-11-08T16:03:38+00:00

This study examined the role of the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) programme in contributing to poverty reduction and household welfare improvement in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, Nigeria. Anchored on Amartya Sen’s Capability Approach as the theoretical framework, the research employed a survey research design with a sample size of 300 respondents. The analysis focused on two objectives: assessing the extent to which the CCT contributes to poverty reduction and identifying the major challenges affecting its effectiveness in Abuja. Findings revealed that the CCT has positively enhanced household welfare by improving the ability of families to meet basic needs, increasing school attendance among children, and promoting better utilization of healthcare services. The programme was also found to reduce reliance on borrowing for essentials, thereby serving as a viable social safety net. However, several challenges undermine its effectiveness, including irregular and late payments, inadequate transfer amounts amidst inflation, targeting errors that exclude eligible households, and weak monitoring and enforcement of conditionalities. These systemic issues limit the programme’s long-term sustainability and developmental outcomes. The study recommends that government should strengthen CCT implementation by ensuring regular and timely disbursement, increasing the transfer amount to reflect the rising cost of living, and improving targeting accuracy through the National Social Register. Furthermore, lifting the suspension on the CCT since the onset of the Tinubu administration, digitalizing payment systems, and strengthening monitoring frameworks will be critical in ensuring that transfers translate into sustainable poverty reduction and enhanced human development outcomes in the FCT.