CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1  BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
Human resources are cardinal element of development. The over all development of a country revolves on the level of manpower utilization. This has made manpower planning and development imperative for any successful organization. Maintaining a competitive edge in any segment where multiple players exist is only possible with people and talent. It has got an important place in the arena of industrialization. Manpower planning and development are two important pillars for achieving effectiveness and efficiency in organization.
It has been observed that both pre and post colonial administrations of Nigeria had failed to accord adequate regard to manpower planning and development. Labour was relegated to background among other factors of production. The human resources planning and staff development for national growth and development were distorted. These affected the availability of human resources for improvement of socio-economic and political development during the first and second national development planning.
This was made clearly in Nnadozie (2004), he states thus; the unrealistic nature of the 1962-68 plan objectives and targets become more apparent when they are juxtaposed with the financial, technical and managerial capabilities of the country.
In recognition of the needs for human resources planning led to introducing of the policy for Manpower Planning and Development in Nigeria at the period of 1960’s and 70’s. Specifically, in the year 1962, federal republic of Nigeria created National manpower board (NMB) with the responsibility for determining the manpower needs and developments. To enhance the manpower need in local government, federal military Government in 1978 selected three universities, University Nigeria, Nsukka, Obefemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife and Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.
Though ideals do not approximate reality, the socio-economic and political development of Nigeria state has become elusive due to inappropriate and inadequate manpower planning and development. Planning in Nigerian public service has become a gambling affair. Public service in Nigeria especially local government usually embark on manpower planning with inadequate data on the evolutionary trends of an organization, partly on organization’s personnel, external relations, and general organization’s objectives.
Development of workers is no longer a matter of a necessity to much management as a result of inability to forecast future manpower needs in relation to the organizations’ objectives. Training in local government, despite the selection of the universities named above to under take training of local government workers; training is still sporadic, unstructured and unsystematic. There is little emphasis on training for technical and professional staff; such as surveyors, accountants, engineer and doctors. This finally retards the progress of an organization.
The resources of organization are diverse but human resources is recognized as the most important out of other resources required for effective and efficient service delivery in local government. Human resources are the key to rapid socio-economic development and efficient service delivery. In addition, Mwagbala (2005) posits that “it is Human resources of a nation not its capital, nor its material resources that determines the nature of, direction and pace of its socio-economic development. Essentially, nations are built through the creative, productive and innovative hardworking of people. At best financial resources can only facilitates production, but real wealthy is increased by productive labour activity.