CAUSES OF LOW PRODUCTIVITY BY PUBLIC SERVICE WORKERS

​​​​​​Background of the study: Productivity is very vital for the development of any country because it will help to improve the standard and quality of life of the citizens.  The issue of low productivity by public service workers has in recent time been a matter of great concern to the nation.  Let us first of all define the term or rather make an attempt to the definition of productivity.  Productivity simply means the rate or efficiency of work especially in industrial production.  Therefore, low productivity is simply the slow rate and inefficiency of work in production.  Increased productivity will help to improve the conditions of the environment as well as enhance security.  This is why David Ricado stated in his study of population “that food needs to grow at a geometrical rate in order to meet the demand of the growing population.  This emphasizes the need for increased productivity. Yesufu T. M. (1962) was of the view that productivity can be defined as the ratio between output and all the resources used in production, i.e. capital, labour, raw materials etc.  The problem of raising output is one of making the most efficient use of all available resources.   With these definitions, one may ask – Why is the Nigerian Public Service workers inherently characterized by low productivity inspite all government’s efforts to improve productivity?  Increasing productivity is a way of increasing the ability of people to do what they want to do as such that it can provide the wherewithal for achieving a higher standard of living for those suffering from low income and inversely boosting the prosperity of the overall Nigerian economy.