Friday, 21 August 2015

Institutionalizing ethics in Nigerian Public Administration: is Code of Ethics described?

Every government of country of the world and organizations that describes progress and development have created atmosphere that promotes ethical decision-making by institutionalizing ethics and morals in their places of work by establishing code of ethics. According to Onah cited by Ezeani (2006) a code is a statement of policies principles or rules that guide behavior.  To him code is a statement of policies, principles of rules that guide behavior.
Logically, a code of ethics for public servants should state and emphasize those actions by employees that would lead to the realization of the organizational goals and at the same time not sacrificing other interests inside or outside the organization.
The question that is to be answered at the juncture remains:
Is code of ethics desirable? Or as chandler (1983) asked “can the language of a code possibly comprehend the diversity of the field and the complexity of the problems of moral reasoning? “In the United States of America there are arguments against, and for a code of ethics.
The arguments in the United States against ethical code are lingered on practicality, procedure, and administrative theory. The practical argumentum against code of ethics is based on the functions clarion call for caution in moral affairs. Those who criticize code of ethics are of the view that the tradition of American Public Administration requires that the citizens live with moderate degree of immorality and shun the occasional self-righteous moralist who forgets that men and women are not angels (chandler cited by Ezani, 2006).
The procedural argument against code of ethics places premium on consensus, and builds consensus around the agreement to agree on nothing substantive. Morality can never be forged from one ideal form thus; the lack of stated purpose is regarded as America’s fundamental strengths because it has allowed the country to define its purpose and compromise on principles, in order to achieve political stability.
The unanimity of agreement against a code of ethics from administrative theory subscribes and honours the tradition of the value natural administrator who has no discretion and, therefore, no moral responsibility (Weber, 1946 and Wilson, 1978). To Weber (1978), “the bureaucratic marlin” in which the honour of the civil servants conscientiously the order of superior authorities, “exactly as if the order agreed with his own conviction. This holds even if the order appears wrong to him, and if, despite the civil servants remonstrance, the authority insists on the order. Without this moral discipline and self-denial, in the highest sense, the whole apparatus would fall to pieces” in this regard, the crux of the administrative theory argument is that bureaucracy by its natural and functioning sometimes promotes immoral conduct among bureaucrats. It is therefore, unnecessary to have a code of ethics in any administrative system.

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