Manpower Development and the Performance of Civil Servants in Anambra State, Nigeria, 1996-2006

This thesis examined the manpower development programmes and policies in the Anambra State Civil Service between 1996 and 2006, and their impact on the performance of civil servants in the state. The specific objectives of the study were: to find out whether manpower development programmes and policies in the Anambra State Civil Service led to professionalization of civil servants in the state, investigate the effect of political instability on manpower training and development in the state; and examine how development programmes in the state civil service affected the performance of civil servants in the state.

Data for this study was generated through primary and secondary sources. The primary data were collected through questionnaire and oral interviews. The population of this study was the civil servants in Anambra State as at December, 2006 which was 4,629. Stratified Random sampling method was used in the administration of the questionnaire that covered both the senior and junior staff from the twenty-three (23) ministries and extra-ministerial departments in the state. The workforce was stratified as follows: Senior staff (both senior and middle management staff, 3,019; while the junior staff was 1,610 which gave the ratio of two senior staff to one junior staff (2:1). Computing for a confidence level of 95% using EPIINFO version 6-computer software package, an expected frequency 25% and worst expected frequency of 20% was arrived at, thereby having a total sample size of 348. 10% non-response was also computed which gave 35, thereby making the final size 383. Questionnaires were randomly distributed to 12 senior and 6 junior staff respectively in each ministry/extra-ministerial department, observing the ratio 2:1.

Inferential and descriptive statistics were used in the analysis of the questionnaires collected. Oral interviews were equally conducted with the Director of Training in the Office of the Head of Service, and Training Officers in the 23 ministries/extra-ministerial departments. In addition, secondary data were sourced from books, journals, governments gazettes and internet materials. Finally, David Easton’s system theory was used to analyze the study.

This study is divided into six chapters:

The study revealed that manpower development in the Anambra State Civil Service have not improved the performance of Civil Servants in the state. The study showed that manpower development programmes in Anambra State civil service between 1996 and 2006 did not lead to professionalization of the civil servants in the state. This was because of the poor or almost nonfunding of these development programmes by the state which denied more than 95% of the civil servants of the opportunity of developing themselves in their specialized areas since they joined the civil service. Consequently, political instability which resulted from frequent changes in the political leadership of the state to a large extent affected negatively the implementation of this policy on development of civil servants in the state. It is evident as shown in the study that Anambra state had a chequered history occasioned by constant political crisis which made the respective Chief Executives in the respective regimes to devote more time and resources to ensure that their positions were secured at the expense of other development programmes, including manpower development programmes in the state civil service. 98% of the senior staff and 96% of the junior staff in the Anambra State civil service admitted this.

Poor implementation of manpower development programmes and policies negatively affected the performance of the civil servants in the Anambra state civil service as shown in the study. Majority of both the senior and junior staff in most ministries/extra-ministerial departments have been so much frustrated that they could not achieve higher level of performance in their jobs. This seemed to have restricted the Anambra State Civil Servants to low performance in their job. Therefore 85 % of the Senior Staff and 78% of the junior staff expressed lack of confidence in the manpower development exercise. The study therefore concludes that the manpower development programmes in the Anambra State Civil Service were poorly implemented or carried out and therefore, left much to be desired to enhance performance of the civil servants in the state.