The state bureaucracy grew out of the need to rationally and efficiently tackle and accomplish societal goals. This is so, because it stands for the needed institutions and legal framework of a functional state. However, the bureaucracy in Nigeria has not lived to its expectations. It is characterized by dismal performance. This poor performance can be attributed to so many factors, among which are the politicization of the state bureaucracy, corruption, deviation from stated norms and

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... s; the spoil system of recruitment and structural defects. Thus, the state bureaucracy operates below expectation especially in its role in public policy formulation and implementation. This paper highlights the challenges of the state bureaucracy in policyformulation and implementation in Nigeria. The study also offers suggestions for repositioning the system to overcome the challenges.