Towards a Better Public Service Management in Nigeria: The ‘Target-Setting’ Technique to the Rescue

Abstract

In the face of decidedly poor public service delivery in Nigeria over time, series of public sector  reforms had been undertaken with varying  outcomes. In form, scope and dimension, these reforms had been characteristically different. An important innovation introduced in one   of the major nation-wide reforms is the ‘Target-Setting Technique’. As a management tool, the technique was deigned to improve  service-delivery in the public sector in Nigeria. This paper is an effort to assess how far this administrative innovation has succeeded in achieving its goal. Using the descriptive analytical approach, the paper examine the face s and application  of the technique. The conclusion drawn is that the coming of the mechanism had changed little or  nothing as far service-delivery in the public sector in Nigeria is concerned.