Author(s) :

Okposio George; Prof. Eugene O Eugene.

Volume/Issue :

Abstract :

This paper examines how Nigeria’s post-2015 public service reforms reshaped the institutional mandate and research mission of NITR between 2015 and 2023. While existing works on Nigerian public service reform have largely focused on ministries and service-delivery agencies, limited attention has been paid to how reform logic affect specialised research institutions whose outputs are long-term and knowledge-intensive. The study addresses this gap by interrogating the reform instruments such as fiscal controls, digital governance systems, and performance-based management reconfigured NITR’s operational priorities and strategic orientation. The study adopts a qualitative historical and institutional approach, drawing on policy documents, official circulars, audit reports, in-depth interviews with senior officials from NITR, the Bureau of Public Service Reforms, the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, and the Federal Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology (FMIST), and a few secondary sources. The findings show that public service reforms compelled NITR to reposition its mandate from a predominantly research-driven institution to a development-oriented public agency, enhancing accountability and policy relevance while constraining scientific autonomy and long-term research capacity. The paper concludes that mandate repositioning at NITR represents a strategic leadership response to reform pressures, highlighting the need for reform frameworks that balance performance accountability with sustained scientific inquiry. Keywords: Public Service Reforms; mandate repositioning; Nigerian Institute for Trypanosomiasis Research (NITR); strategic adaptation; scientific autonomy

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