An Analysis of Public Enterprises in Edo State (a Case Study of Water Board Benin City)

ABSTRACT This work examined an analysis of Public Enterprises in Edo State with reference to Edo State Urban water board, Benin City. Public enterprise has long been an important instrument of public intervention in the development process in Nigeria. So, from within the public sector, there has been in the country emergence and development of public enterprises that combine the characteristics of public administration with some key attributes of a private enterprise. These entities are usually created because of the desire to infuse more flexibility and more efficiency in the organization of some government activities. This sector, however, has been facing serious challenges from privatization movement since the mid-1970 as its theories and assumptions came under severe attack. The size and importance of the sector has since been declining. This work, therefore, attempted to assess the performance of public enterprises in the country. The study used mainly secondary data for its analysis. It was revealed that the reason why Public Enterprises is performing below average is because there is an acute shortage of personnel especially occasioned by the mass retrenchment. There is also shortage of funds to carry out it activities, Recruitment of incompetent staffs. It was, therefore, recommended that since no organization can survive and perform effectively without fund, adequate fund should be made available for the enterprise to render its service to the public. It also recommended that urgent steps should be taken towards the recruitment of competent individuals for the board.