INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
The civil service of any nation is the centerpiece of its administrative activities and performance and its output mirrors the performance of the ruling government charged with the formation and implementation of public policies – i.e. a documented guide action. In a nutshell, the civil service is the governmental bureaucratic organization that implements all public policies, which are properly and legitimately enacted by the government in power.
The Nigerian civil service is a creation of the British colonial Administration. The structure and orientation, though, fine-tuned in correlation to some standards of colonial administration, was predominantly towards the maintenance of laws and order; the stability of colonial administration; pursuance of colonial interest, particularly the exploitative extraction of revenue.
According to Augustus Adebayo (1982), the civil service is not a creation of modern regime, rather it has its roots in history and dates back to the time of ancient civilization. The ancient Chinese Empire during the Han Dynasty, 202 B.C., recognizes the need to have a permanent official to implement government decisions.
In contemporary time the civil bureaucrats have become highly involved in policy making, a feature that has led Rourke (1976) to observe that:
Much of what ultimately comes to be regarded as the president’s legislative programme stems in the first instance from the advice of bureaucrats in the executive establishment. Located as they are in intimate contact with the everyday process of government, bureaucrats have an unexcelled vantage point from which to see the need for new legislative.
This perception of bureaucrats depicts their knowledge and expertise in handling social problems. Hence the success of any government will depend to a large extent on the efficiency of the civil service. In an address in support of pay increase for American Civil Servants, President J.F. Kennedy affirmed that the success of the American nation and his government “depend in the last analysis on the quality of our career service” (Rourke, 1976). It is in apparent recognition of the prime importance of the role of bureaucrats that welfare package or fringe benefits are provided for in the initial employment contract of the career civil servants, which include allowances and pension rights.
The study with special focus on the Edo State Civil Service examines pension and its attendant reform administration in Nigeria.