CHAPTER ONE
1.0 Introduction
Right from the beginning the Nigerian administration registered it
importance with an unprofitable government companies and left no one in
doubt as to its plan to sell them off to the public if only to make them
more efficient. Before the promulgation of Decree No. 25, 1988
Commercialization and Privatization programme, the Buhari’s
administration (in 1984) and focused attention on the necessity of
restructuring the Nigerian economy when it established a number of study
groups to address various aspects of the Nigerian economy. The former
Chief of General Staff Commodore Ebite Ukiwe, Ex-ray the magnitude of
waste emanating from government parastatals and companies. According to
him between 1979 to 1985, government suck about N23 billion those
ventures, equity made of N11.4 billion while N10.4 billion was give as
loans granted within the same period and as disappointing a paltry
average of less than 10%.
The General Buhari called the attention of the leaders of industries
and told them that the days of big government where over policy watchers
were left in no doubt that the era of commercialization and
privatization is down on the Nigerian economy.
This era would be characterized by way of partnership where the
government are to provide the needed services and infrastructures, to
keep the wheel of development moving. According to the arrangement of
the decision to privatize and commercialize the government companies and
fully exercise of the companies is therefore the logical climax of two
years trend.
The companies under full commercialization will receive some
subvention but will be expected to generate at least fifty percent of
their financial needs for their operation.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
It is no doubtful whether commercialization will be the panacea. It
is possible that Nigeria would be exchanging one evil with another.
There is higher probability that commercialization may improve
operational efficiency of the affected companies.
There is also doubt about government pursuit will swell either from
the sales of equities from saving the money that would have still be
invested in these ventures now being commercialized. More so, serious
fear is that commercialization will further enlarge the gulf between the
few rich politicians and the multitude of deprived people as only the
rich minority can buy the shares that will be sold.
The various publications and writings on the impact of
commercialization of public enterprises on the Nigerian economy have
remained more of descriptive study. Much studies have not been carried
out empirically to place the concept of commercialization in proper
settings as far as the Nigerian economic welfare is concerned via the
positive of public enterprises. Hence this study is geared towards the
above facts.
1.3 Purpose of the Study
The purpose of the study is the review of the existing literature on
the topic: Impact of Commercialization on the Nigerian Public
Enterprises”.
1.4 Significance of the Study
The significance of this research is that, it gives us an insight on
the importance of commercialization on the Nigeria public enterprises.
It is very significant because it gives us the information on how
commercialization contributes positively to the regulation and
restructuring of NITEL Plc.
It also makes us know that commercialization will improve or develop
the Nigeria economy. It help the management of NITEL to know that if
fully commercialized, it strengthen the financial accounting control at
the enterprises level.
It gives us the insight that commercialization affects the operational efficiency of the Nigeria public enterprises.
1.5 Scope and Limitations of the Study
This research work is simply on the impact of commercialization on
the Nigerian economy. The research is mostly in NITEL plc. And
therefore, the researcher tries his best to use his disposal to obtain a
comprehensive and thorough data so as to enable him present a good
work.
This work as organized in orderly manner and the researcher
encountered into some problems which include finance, mobility,
under-developed scientific facilities unequipped libraries,
uncooperative attitude from respondents to research question etc.
1.6 Definition of Terms
i) Commercialization: This
is the way by which some of the government parastatals and companies
change some amount of money to cover expenses. Commercialization can be
defined as the re-organization of enterprises wholly or partially owned
by the government whereby such enterprises shall operate as profit
making commercial ventures.
ii) Public Enterprises:
According to Section 22 of the 1979 Constitution of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria, it is defined as a body set up by government to
carryout, in the public interest, different kinds of operations or
render various types of services.
iii) Impact:
Though there is no direct definition, but according to learners English
Dictionary, it is described as the impression effect consequences of
something over the other.
iv) NITEL:
It means Nigerian Telecommunications Limited. It is therefore an
enterprise which renders communication services to the public. Two
persons in different locations speak to each other with the aid of cable
or wireless equipments through the services rendering by these
enterprises.
v) Privatization: This is a process of transferring ownership and control of government-owned enterprise to privates. It may be full or partial.