Staff Recruitment and Selection Process in the Nigerian Public Service: What is to be done?

Abstract

The recruitment and selection of staff in any organization be it public or private sector is of paramount importance to the organization.  This is so because it is the staff that turns the vision and mission of the organization into reality.  Thus, the objectives of any organization can only be realized through the effective co-ordination of the human resource (staff) of the organization.  This paper attempts an examination of the process of staff recruitment and selection in the public service of Nigeria.

Five relevant research questions were raised and addressed.  Descriptive statistics was used to analyse the data collected from respondents to the questionnaire designed for this purpose.  The results obtained showed that merit is often jettisoned on the altar of ethnicity and religion in recruitment into the public service in Nigeria.  Since the public service is directly controlled and regulated by the government, the Nigerian Federal Character    Principle was largely complied with. The study also reveals that though there are stipulated periods for recruitment and selection into the public service, these are often sidelined. This paper concludes by recommending that for government to operate the most efficient administrative service that would be beneficial to all, her recruitment and selection policies into the Nigerian public services should be unfettered. It should be able to absorb the most qualified, technically sound, disciplined and committed human resource that would in turn help government achieve the objectives of governance.