Consequences of Poor Service

Back to: Civic Education Primary 5

Welcome to class.

Today, we will conclude on Government’s main services by looking at the consequences of poor services. Let’s go.

GOVERNMENT’S MAIN SERVICES II

Consequences of Poor Services

If the services offered by the government do not work well, the following will happen:

• Lack of trust: The citizens will be dissatisfied and will not trust the government any more.
• High cost of living: Private individuals will provide some of those services and charge very high rates for them. For example, if the supply of electricity is poor, manufacturers will be forced to spend a lot of money on generators and diesel, then whatever they produce will be very expensive.
• Ineffective workforce: If for instance, government schools are poorly built, not equipped and the teachers are not paid, the teachers will find it difficult to teach there. They will look for other ways to earn an income. Also, if the police are unpaid, they will not be willing to protect the people.
• Disorganization and confusion: People will be unruly if government services are poor.
• Insecurity: When streetlights do not work or when there are power outages, thieves will hide and operate in the affected areas.
• Anarchy and frustration: When people are frustrated because of poor services, they may go on strike or riot.

 

Why Government is Unable to Provide Services

Sometimes, people hope to enjoy government services but they get disappointed because the services are either unavailable or they are available but poor.

The following are some reasons that are responsible for the inability of government to provide services.

• Population increase: Many government facilities cannot serve the people because when such facilities were established, Nigerians were much fewer than they are now. The population has increased greatly. For instance, government universities can no longer admit all the people who wish to have university education.
• Insensibility: Some government officials do not care about serving the people. Some of them do not go to work regularly and even when they come to work, they are lazy.
• Corruption: Some government officials are corrupt. When the government gives them money to buy and maintain equipment which should serve the people, such officials convert such money to their own private use.
• Inadequate planning: Some of our past leaders planned to operate these services without considering the fact that population would increase. They add provision just for the number of people available at the time the facilities were being established.
• Lack of maintenance culture: Some of the equipment with which government services are operated are obsolete. They were not maintained over the years and were not replaced with new ones. Examples of organisations that have been very much affected by this kind of problem are Power Holding Company of Nigeria, Nigeria Telecommunications Ltd, and the Water Corporations.

 

Helping the Government to Provide Services

• Workers and traders should pay their taxes regularly because government uses the money from taxes to do things like maintaining roads, equipping hospitals and schools and paying workers.
• People should pay bills and rates (such as water rates and electricity bills) regularly.
• When children attend government schools, their parents should buy books for them and pay any development levies imposed by the school.
• Those who undertake government contracts should be honest by providing high quality services and supplying the right kind of equipment for which they are to be paid.
• Communities should organize self-help programmes. For example, those who have the means could provide boreholes and pipe borne water in their communities. They could establish and equip community clinics. Men and women who have the means could set up and run non-governmental organisations to help less privileged people. This will help reduce the number of people who depend on government.

 

Quiz

1. Identify three consequences of poor services and briefly explain each of them.
2. Give three reasons why government may not be able to provide services.

Explain each reason you have given in a few sentences.

3. State three ways in which we can help government to provide services.

 

 

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