Abstract

Myriads of issues today confront public administration globally. From withstanding the excruciating turbulence orchestrated by COVID-19 to the contending disruptive innovations of the 4th industrial revolution, public administration is at crossroads and therefore, cannot feign ignorance of her expected role of thorough professionalism and standing tall amidst these challenges. This study, therefore, x-rayed the contemporary issues, problems and difficulties mitigating effective professional conduct and delivery of public administration in Nigeria amidst the intervening prevalent factors. Methodologically, the qualitative research design was adopted and thematic issues were effectively and intellectually interrogated. The study was anchored on strategic management theory as expounded by David (2005); Mohd Khairuddin Hashim (2005). They drew insights from the profit‐maximizing and competition‐based theory, resource‐based theory, survival‐based theory, human resource-based theory, agency theory and contingency theory. The study found among other things that; - policy development across Nigeria's public administration is not driven by research outcomes and thus widens the gap between public policy and professional service delivery. - Incoherence, poor policy communication, poor policy institutionalization and lack of technovation components are factors that impede professionalism in public administration in contemporary times. Finally, it is prescribed that to foster professionalism in public administration in Nigeria, policymakers should do more by inculcating the preponderances relating to policy incoherence, poor policy communication, poor policy institutionalization and apparent lack of technovation.