FEDERAL CHARACTER AND RECRUITMENT IN THE NIGERIAN CIVIL SERVICE: PROSPECTS AND IMPLICATIONS IGBOKWE-IBETO, Chinyeaka Justine PhD Department of Public Administration Faculty of Management Sciences Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka [email protected] Tel: +234-80-38778042 Synopsis Every organization depends on the effective use of its available resources in order to achieve its objectives. The efficiency and effectiveness of any work place whether the private or the public sector largely depend on the caliber of the work force. The availability of a competent and effective labour force does not just happen by chance but through an articulated recruitment and selection exercise. Within the framework of bureaucratic, efficiency and effectiveness theories, eclectic approach; the paper examines the prospects and implications of character principle on recruitment in the Nigerian public service so as to determine how the federal character has aided or hindered efficiency and productivity in the service. It observed that the federal character has hindered efficiency and productivity in the service. Yet, it has not really achieved its main objective of ethnic balancing and national integration in appointments and placement of civil servants at federal, state or local government rather it has been used by the elite and politicians to serve their selfish interest by bringing in their own people to fill the positions allocated to their states and not necessarily giving all members of the ethnic group level playing ground apply for such positions. The paper recommends that merit should be incorporated into the federal character principle and that whatever errors might have occurred in recruitment as a result of the principle can be corrected through proper training and development within the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs). The competition for quota should also be available to all and the federal character principle should be implemented judiciously, and transparently.
Posted on: Fri, 12 Jul 2013 11:36:50 +0000
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