The productivity of public corporations is believed to be enhanced when there is

Step 1: Analyze the question The question asks what factor is believed to improve the productivity of public corporations (government-owned enterprises such as NEPA/PHCN, NNPC, Nigerian Railway Corporation and others).

Step 2: Explain the concept Public corporations in Nigeria often perform poorly because of:

• Political interference in appointments, contracts and day-to-day management
• Poor management and corruption
• Lack of autonomy in decision-making
• Inadequate funding

For public corporations to be productive, managers need autonomy, so they can run the organization on commercial and professional principles instead of political considerations.

Step 3: Evaluate each option

• A. Increase in employment rate: Hiring more workers does not raise productivity. It can cause overstaffing and "bloated" payrolls, which lower efficiency.
• B. Redeployment of staff: Moving staff around does not address the root causes of poor performance. It may even cause disruption.
• C. Increase in working hours: Longer hours do not automatically mean higher output. Productivity depends on efficiency and management, not just time spent at work.
• D. Less political interference: Correct. When politicians stop meddling, management can hire on merit, make sound business decisions and operate efficiently. This is the standard point made in Government textbooks on public corporations.

Step 4: Answer The correct option is D. less political interference.

Exam Tip: In Government questions on public corporations, whenever you see "productivity," "efficiency," or "performance," think autonomy, good management, adequate funding, and less government or political interference. Options that talk about simply adding people or hours are usually distractors.