INTRODUCTION
Government
sector simply means the sector purposely established by government at all
levels for rendering essential services to the general public. The main motive
of the establishment is not channeled for profit making venture but to render
essential services to the citizenry.
Government
sector such as ministries, departments, parastatals, hospital educational
institutions, humanitarian agencies etc do not have profit as their main
purpose for existing. This does not mean that they cannot or do not operate at
profit, their main reason for existing is to provide services for which they
are established. Government sector is made up civil servants and public servants.
Civil Service is a component public bureaucracy or service in which
the non military workers, employees are engaged in the government service often
employed through competitive examination. The appointment of employees by the
government is on permanent basis subject to good conduct during the years of
service.
Civil
service is a place where great body of men and women translate laws into action
within local government state and the entire country. They are employed in the
government civil service and the works in the minister parastatals of the
government.
Public service is different form
civil service because public service embraces the civil service and other
parastatals. Commissions and agencies of the government which help for proper
provision of goods and services to the people. A public servant is a person
employed in the public sector of the economy. The employ of civil service in
Nigeria was laid by Lord Lugard as Governor General of Nigeria (1912-1919).
Governor Clifford who succeeded him in 1921 put the civil service into action
by building a central secretariat in Lagos. The Nigeria Civil Service is
modeled on the British civil service which set up service during colonial days.
Private Sector: Means a process which involves the efforts of an individual
in identifying viable opportunities in a business environment and obtaining and
managing the resources needed to exploit those opportunities in private sector,
the proprietor(s) take all the profits and bears all the losses as the case may
be. They have absolute control of their businesses. Private sectors can be
formed by not less than two but the maximum must not exceed fifty, excluding past
and present employed of the company, A shareholder in the private company is
not permitted to transfer his shares without the consent of the company.
ARGUMENT FOR
Because
government sector as discussed above is being owned by the government, either
the local, state or federal government and because natural resources of the
“country” is always managed mostly and controlled by the government, the people
working in the government sector most times
earn more than those working in the private sector
Job security:
Since
government is owned by everybody; all citizens of that country, all that
concerns her citizens are being followed in due process including dismissal of
a public or civil servant in the local government area state or federal levels
of the government unlike the private sector that is owned by one or group of
person who have every right to dismiss any of their workers without normal due
process.
Flexibility and low monitory:
Since
government is a sector that involves every body and are not profit oriented,
they are always flexible in supervising their workers and use to allow the
workers to contribute to their affairs as in Human relation movement by
Mary
parker Follet (1960). He said that when workers are allowed to participate in
affair that concerns them, they fell happy. It will give them the since of
belonging and will lead to increase in productivity. Unlike the private sector
that mostly inspect their workers believing in managerial theories by Taylor
(1900-1935) which said that workers should be manipulated to increase
productivity.
No risk of business closure:
Civil service is a component of
public bureaucracy or service which the non-military worker are employed in
government services to work in any ministry or department of the government.
They ensure the continuity of the government in any ministry or department of
the government. They ensures the continuity of the government in any country and
government as a body can not close instead it can change so the workers under
it have no fear of business closure unlike the private sectors that can close
due to poor management or natural disaster just because they have limited
resources.
Government on retirement pays
pension and gratitude to their workers while private sectors pay only gratuity.
Government is a non profit making body their aim is to service and better the
lot of their citizens while private enterprise motive is to satisfy their
consumers and then make the highest profit.
ARGUMENT AGAINST
Low
payment:
Since a private sector is an
enterprise owned by one or group of persons, it always come in small or large
scale enterprise. They always have the problem of insufficient fund either to
start the business or for expansion so the small scale business operators will
like employ unskilled workers mostly their relatives that will be paid little
amount
No job security: since private sector
is owned by one or group of persons the owner has the right to demise any of
his workers without a normal due process.
Effective management: The owner of the business which
is always the manager as the case may be, closely inspect his business ensure
increase in productivity.
Risk of business closure: Death of
an active member or the owner of the business can lead to the closure of the
business there by rendering the workers unemployed
Profit making motive: Since their
motive is always to make profit, they like manipulating their workers to
achieve their goal.
Corruption and embezzlement of fund
is very common in the government sector unlike the private sector that is
always monitored closely by the owner or the manager of the enterprise.
SUMMARY/CONCLUSION
Base
on the points above government sector is created by the three tiers of
government in order to render essential services to the general public. Government
sector is not channeled for profit making venture but to render essential
services. Staffs employed in the government sector enjoy better conditions of
service such as job security, protection of the members of the public from
exploitation and so on more than those in the private sector for instance those
in the private sector take all the profits and bear all the losses as they are.
They also have absolute control of their businesses.
RECOMMENDATION
Since it is more profitable to gain
employment in government sector than private sector I hereby make the following
recommendations.
1. Government at all levels should improve
on the provision of essentials services to the people working in the government
sector.
2. Government should make appropriate law to
guarantee job security to the citizenry particularly those working in the
government sector. This will go along way making them know the dos and don’ts
of government sector.
4. More job opportunities should be
created to accommodate unemployed and able bodied youth in society.
REFERENCES
Mbanefo, C.A.O (1995) Introduction to business management
pg 8-9
Igwe, B.N. (2005) Public Sector Accounting
Ani, Wilson Uchenna (1988) government and publish
sector accounting “(A professional approach) Immaculate publication ltd, no 2
Aku Street, Ogui New layout Enugu pg. 95-107.
Nwankwo, B.C. (1990) Authority in government pg
151-153.