ATTITUDE OF NIGERIANS TOWARDS GOVERNMENT OWNED PROPERTIES (A CASE STUDY OF INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT AND TECHNOLOGY ENUGU)

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

A meaningful conception of Nigerians attitude towards government owned properties involves the management and control of the infrastructural facilities, social facilities, properties, projects etc of the government, by people who are working for or under the government umbrella.  Long lasting and positive effects of these properties owned by the governments, lies in the hands of the people managing them.

        Carelessness, reluctance abandonment, neglect and overlooking of these government properties will yield nothing but making the working condition and environment unfavorable and unsuitable for the people that are still to be employed to take over the positions of their predecessors. People always from the attitude of mismanaging and even destroying the properties belonging to the government bearing in mind that it is not their business. After all if the government like they should check the faring of their properties and put them in order and that they are not their slaves or servants.

        These impressions are rude and hammerless and also uncalled for. There is an adage that says that charity beings at home. One who mismanages some ones belongings will one day have his own belongings mismanaging by another person and see who bad and painful it is. Government properties have to be admitted, welcomed and handled with care and not abandoing, outrulling, overlooking and neglecting them for no reasons. Up to this level, that our country is yet underdeveloped, this one of the negative effect of the Nigerians attitude towards government properties. This is caused by political instability which entails the series of changes of government system which includes withdrawal and stoppage of the completion of projects of the past administrations and imitations of new policies and laid down rules of the present new administration. This thereby brings about negative attitude and behaviors towards the maintenance and up keeping of the already projects and properties at hand.

        It is on the above premise and more that the researcher undertook a research project on the Nigerian attitude towards government owned properties (a case study of Institute of Management and Technology IMT Enugu) Enugu State.

        There are consistency of two vast campuses which make up the institute vis campus 1 and 3. The Campus 1 (one) is located and situated at the entrance of the campus through the main gate. This part of the campus is made up of the of the offices of the lecturers and the academic offices or the exams and records unit, office of the Rector, Registrar and other senior lecturers. Also the offices of the campus staffs.

        The other part of the campus known as the campus 3 (three) comprises of the lecture, classes and the students hostels and other lecturer offices including the school library.

        Most of the buildings, facilities and equipments etc that made up the institution right from the origination and birth of the institute of management and technology since 1973 it came to be, are still existing despite that most of them are worn-out and dilapidated.

        This is very obvious because since the birth of the academy series of administration has come and gone yet there is no change or improvement in the advancement of the institution. This should not be so. Is it because the institution is under the government of Enugu State? It is quite believable that if the institute is owned  by private body, it is likely to be more advanced and attractive. This attitude of “I dont  care” towards the properties of government is very unfair and up surd, and needed to be looked into.

        The spirit of carelessness continues to prolong and have come an order of the day in everything owned by the government. Despite the generation of money from all corners of the institution both the allowances by the state government, yet development of the institution is still seemed as very ambiguous thing to do. The abandonment and neglect of government owned properties in the institution not only make the institution wear an ugly look, but also degrades the level of the institution in the midst of other educational institutes of higher learning. This gives rise to the dwindling of the famousity of the institution despite many past years of the government properties in the institute of management and technology which needed some attention.

1)     The dilapidated student’s hotels.

2)     Poor learning environments (lecture  rooms)

3)     Out-fitted offices of some lectures

4)     Un-equipped laboratory rooms for the engineering students in the institution premises.

5)     Lack of maintenance of the office fixtures such as the air conditioners, furniture’s, ceilings, roofs and floors of the lecturers office.                 

Due to all the observations and the negative impacts that is created towards government properties, all because of the attitudes of the personnel’s managing the institution prompted the researcher to undertake a research projects on this project topic “Nigerian Attitude Towards Government Owned Properties (A case study of Institute of Management and Technology).

1.1    BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

        The non-concern attitude of Nigerians towards government owned properties militates against the sustenance and maintenance of government properties. People feel that the government have every right to take care of their abandoned projects and properties. With their ignorant credibility, people justify over issues concerning the government that they loot and exploit the nation’s wealth from all the corners of the economic sectors, therefore all the projects and properties they build should as well be maintained and cared for by them that imitated them.    

        Most  people just for some reasons very known and confidential to them hate everything concerning the government and for this they never value anything belonging to the government. Concerning to this, we should ask ourselves, what is this government in question?

        To be able to show clarity over deaf ears given to government properties, government is a body, institution or machinery which directs the affairs of a given nation or state. These affairs are all the things concerning the activities of the populace of the nation. Therefore, this equally means that helping the government to maintain their properties will also support the growth and development of the country.

        Also in terms of the institutional development mostly on that of the institute of management and technology, the personnel’s in charge are expected to use the generated funds especially from the development levy paid by the students to maintain and sustain the properties of government in order to save them from damages and dilapidations. This will help bring about development of the institution. People should not be criticizing the government but should join hands to support and maintain the projects and properties of the government in order to attain development in all the sectors of the economy.

1.2    STATEMENT OF PROBLEMS       

        This research work address Nigerian attitudes towards government owned properties. The effect of the carelessness and negligence attitude on the properties of government in the institution of management and technology Enugu should be a source of worry and ought to provoke this type of research.

        Nowadays when every school of higher learning strives for development and  standardization through self help, this institution seems to “leave it for government to carryout”. This situation makes the institution to remain in the state of ‘forward never and backward ever’.

        With this problem of negligence of maintaining the government properties in the institution, one can doubt about the production of elicit students from the institution in that kind of poor premises. This should really serve as a shameful identification to the management authority and the educational board as a whole.

1.3    OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

        The main objectives of this research project is to find out the problems  and important issues associated with the Nigerians abandonment of governments properties in the institute of management and technology Enugu and to bring solutions to these problems and issues to the knowledge of the public. It also aims at identifying those vital causes of such negligence and attitudes that impede the development of the institute of management and technology, Enugu.

1.4    RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1)     What are the causes of the abandoning attitude of individuals over government properties.

2)     What is the role of institute of management and technology towards maintaining the properties of government in the institution.

3)     Can the maintenance of government owned properties in the school be of positive effect to the institution. 

1.5 RESEARCH HYPOTHESES

Hypothesis 1

H0: There is no significant impact of Nigerians attitude on government owned properties.

H1: There is a significant impact of Nigerians attitude on government owned properties.

Hypothesis 2

H0: There is no significant relationship between maintenance of government properties and development of the institution.

H1: There is a significant relationship between maintenance of government properties and development of the institution.

1.6    SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY           

        This research project will appeal to those at the helm of affairs especially the members of the institution boards of the school management to implement maintenance and development programs and projects in the institution.

        Students of public administration and sociology/history will find this work useful. This work will equally serve as a reference piece. Since the work is not comprehensive, prospective researchers would use this work as their spring board, and elucidate more on the essence of the properties of the government in the development of the  school of higher learnings especially in the institute of management and technology, Enugu.

        The negative effect of the attitudes towards properties of government should be identified, fought and stopped to allow social and economic development. The researcher aims at being the first to delve into this type of work.

        Also the research work is a partial fulfillment for the award of higher national diploma certificate for the researcher.

1.7   OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY     

This research work is presented in 5 chapters.  Chapter 1 is the introduction which includes background of the study, statement of the problem, objective of study, significance of study, scope, limitations and overview of the study.

        Chapter 2 is literature review which includes introduction conceptu7al framework and summary of reviewed literature.

        Chapter 3 is research methodology and design which include research design, re-statement of the  problems etc.

        Chapter 4 is data presentation and analysis which includes presentation based data, presentation of data according to question/questionnaires.

        Chapter 5 is the summary of findings, conclusion and recommendation.

1.8 DEFINITION OF TERMS

a)     Attitude: This Oxford-Advanced Learner’s Dictionary defines attitude as a way of thinking about somebody or something or behaving towards somebody or something.

b)     Administration: According to Dr. G. Ugwu, administration is the act of managing a public  or governmental affairs inorder to achieve or attain a positive aim.

c)     Dilapidated: Means a building or a furniture being or kept in bad state of repairing.

d)     et al:         And others

e)     Properties: Things that belong to a person or persons (buildings, furniture, equipments) etc.