馃嚦馃嚞NigeriaWest Africa
Ceremonial public sector boards in Nigeria: a diagnosis of governance theatre
via Punch Nigeria11 min read
This article, part of a series on public sector boards in Nigeria, identifies the "ceremonial board" as a pervasive and damaging issue. These boards conduct meetings with extreme formality and adherence to protocol, creating an appearance of good governance without actual substantive work. The author describes a typical ceremonial board meeting, characterized by pre-scheduled events, protocol-driven seating, professional but unchallenging presentations, and quick approvals without genuine debate. The article suggests four structural reasons for this phenomenon: ceremony requires no preparation from directors, it avoids the awkwardness of disagreement, it comforts Chief Executives by not testing their judgment, and it aligns with a broader cultural disposition in Nigeria that confuses professionalism with formality. The author proposes a "boardroom conversation test" with seven markers to identify ceremonial boards, noting that most Nigerian public sector boards score low. The good news, according to the author, is that these boards can be transformed through a Chair's willingness to insist on a different format, including restructuring agendas to prioritize strategic matters, redesigning information packs, explicitly requiring consideration of counter-recommendations, scheduling reserved sessions without management, and encouraging disagreement. The article concludes by stating that while fixing individual parts is insufficient, the entire system can be reset by appointing au
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This summary was AI-generated from a story originally published by Punch Nigeria.
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