Abstract: | This paper examines the growth and structure of federal government expenditures in Nigeria with a view to ascertaining if the results fit with those of similar studies which try to establish a general pattern of government expenditures. On the basis of federal government expenditures for the 1959/60-1979/80 fiscal years, it was found that the size of the government sector measured by the ratio of I expenditures to GNP was on the increase over the review period and that the rising trend was not associated with any functional component of federal government expenditures. These results corroborate the results of similar studies, for example LALL (1969), LOTZ (1970) and ENWEZE (1973). It was also found that the share of expenditures in social and community services in total expenditures did not show any tendency to rise faster than other functional components of government expenditure. The observed pattern of government expenditures can be explained largely from the perspective of the stage of development in which Nigeria found herself. App., bibliogr., notes. |