POLITICS OF RECRUITMENT IN THE CIVIL SERVICE (1999-2010)

This research work examined politicization of recruitment in the Enugu State Civil Service 1999-2010. The study contends that the efficiency and effectiveness of any work place whether private or public largely depend on the calibre of the workforce. The availability of a competent and effective labour force does not just happen by chance but through an articulate recruitment and selection exercise. However, recruitment and selection procedures in the Nigerian public service have been severely politicized by both politicians and top bureaucrats. In other words, recruitment and selection procedures are subverted and replaced with informal processes which make employment of competent people difficult. The data used in this study was collected from both primary and secondary sources. The primary method or sources of data collection included the use of a research instrument, (the questionnaire) and interview. Some research questions were asked as guide to the respondents in order to elicit first hand information on the subject matter. The questionnaire contained twenty one structured questions designed in both open and close ended style. In addition, the questionnaire was validated and administered accordingly. Secondary sources of data collection on the other hand, included textbooks, journal, government documents and internet materials. Three hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. They were: (1) There is a significant relationship between politicization of recruitment of staff and ineffective performance of Enugu State Civil Service. (2) Bureaucratic corruption in Enugu State Civil Service induces politicization of recruitment processes.

(3) Politicization of recruitment of staff in Enugu State Civil Service leads to poor service delivery. The study adopted the use of simple percentage, tables and descriptive content approach for data analysis. The data analysis revealed that; the recruitment and selection procedures in public service in Nigeria are not strictly followed during employment of staff; politicization and other informal processes dominate the established recruitment and selection procedures during employment of staff; merit principle do not always count to secure employment in public service rather the use federal character, quota system, indigeneship, son of soil syndrome, etc. are mostly considered; there is an established relationship between inefficiency of the Nigerian civil service and weak recruitment and selection processes. Based on the above findings, the study recommended that more strict measures should be introduced to ensure meritocracy in staff recruitment and selection in the civil service in Nigeria and in Enugu State Civil Service.

The efficiency and effectiveness of any work place (whether the private or the public sector) largely depend on the caliber of the workforce. The availability of a competent and effective labour force does not just happen by chance but through an articulated recruitment exercise (Peretomode and Peretomode 2001). Recruitment is a set of activities used to obtain a sufficient number of the right people at the right time from the right place (Nickels et al; 1999), and its purpose is to select those who best meet the needs of the work place, and to develop and maintain a qualified and adequate workforce through which an organization can fulfill its human resource plan (Biobele, 2007). A recruitment process begins by specifying human resources requirements (numbers, skills mix, levels, time frame), which are the typical result of job analysis and human resource planning activities (Cascio, 1986). Information from job analysis and human resource planning activities activates the next phase in the recruitment process, namely, attracting potentially qualified candidates to apply for vacant positions in an organization. This can be done through recruitment within the organization (internal sources), and or recruitment outside the organization (external sources). After this phase, the organization should devise selection tools to help sort out the relative qualifications of the job applicants and appraise their potentials for being good performers in a particular job (Jones et al; 2000). Those tools include applications and resumes, interviews, reference checks, tests (Snell, 1999).