The Civil Service is an administrative institution of

1. Analyze the question The question asks which body the Civil Service belongs to as an administrative institution. In other words, it asks where the Civil Service fits within the structure of government.

2. Explain the concept Government has three arms:

• Legislature makes laws.
• Executive implements and enforces laws.
• Judiciary interprets laws and settles disputes.

The Civil Service is the permanent, non-political body of professional administrators (ministries, departments and agencies). It is made up of career officers who carry out government policies and programmes. These officers work under the direction of the political executive (President, Governors, Ministers/Commissioners), and the Permanent Secretary is the administrative head of each ministry. This makes the Civil Service the administrative machinery of the executive arm.

3. Step-by-step elimination

• A. The executive arm of government: Correct. Civil servants implement the policies and decisions of the executive.
• B. Public corporations: Wrong. Public corporations (e.g., NNPC, NEPA/PHCN in the past) are government-owned commercial or service bodies with their own boards. They are separate from the Civil Service.
• C. Para-military organization: Wrong. Para-military bodies (e.g., Customs, Immigration, Civil Defence) are uniformed, armed-style services. The Civil Service is not one.
• D. A business enterprise: Wrong. The Civil Service exists to serve the public and is not run for profit.

4. Answer The Civil Service is an administrative institution of the executive arm of government.

5. Exam tip Remember the phrase: "Civil servants carry out what the executive decides." If a question links the Civil Service to implementing policy, think "executive". Also remember the key features of the Civil Service: permanence, neutrality, anonymity and merit-based recruitment.