PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT AND GOOD GOVERNANCE: AN EVALUATION OF SINGAPOREAN EXPERIENCE AND LESSON FOR NIGERIA

The focus of this study is to examine the relationship between Good Governance and Singapore’s success story and draw lessons for Nigeria. The adopted methodology was secondary, while liberalist theory was preferred as tool of analysis. Performance measurement provides transparency and related costs, which increasingly account for a very significant proportion of most organisation’s operating expenses. Good governance has eight major characteristics such as: participation, consensus oriented, accountability, transparency, responsiveness, effectiveness and efficiency, equitable and inclusiveness and follows the rule of law. It assures that corruption is minimized, the views of minorities are taken into account and that the voices of the most vulnerable in society are heard in decision-making. There are several common challenges associated with governance. Some of the most common challenges involving governance include: Lack of identifying accountability, Governance members lacking authority, Procedures and policies that are not well communicated to governance and the organizations responsible to them, Expansive scope at the start or as the project proceeds, Focus on governance tools and applications, as opposed to processes, Lack of transparency. Five building blocks that helped Singapore succeed are: Potential success from initial conditions, the will to focus on an ambitious goal and run the distance, Discipline, Opportunities open to all candidates, and Incentives for victory. Discipline was evident in stringent anti-corruption legislation and consistent prosecution of transgressors starting at the top. Every effort was made to reduce opportunities for bribery.