Intergenerational Partnership in Civil Service: A Poverty Eradication and Peace Culture-Building Tool

Abstract

Nigeria is blessed with an abundance of human and natural resources. It is the 6th largest exporter of crude oil, formerly the largest exporter of palm oil in the world. It has the gas reserves in Africa including a vast accumulation of other natural resources and a population of about 147 million people, but it is one of the poorest and least developed countries in the world. This contradiction seems to evidence the fact that resources alone are not sufficient to engender growth and national development to occur, the resources (human and material) must be employed to serve the positive needs of man. The human resources, both young people and older generation must be encouraged to work, initiate, to interact and direct material resources towards solving practical problems and creating conveniences for man. There is need to create and promote opportunities for constructive interaction between young people and older generation and promoting intergenerational communication at work. The reality is that except everybody is given an opportunity to contribute his or her own quota toward meeting individual and collective needs, the number of poor people will continue to increase sporadically and crime rate escalates outrageously. The paper addresses the problem of poverty and inequality among civil servants in the South-East region of Nigeria. Selected members of the civil service were interviewed. The study revealed that the state of things implicitly and ultimately speaks of a class-society where communal association becomes a basis for enjoying social benefits and good leadership positions. This, in turn, creates unnecessary violence and conflict among the workers. Also, the salary structure of an average worker is in no way commensurate to the cost of things in the market. This paper contends that the absence of intergenerational partnership and solidarity portends serious negative problem.