1.0 Introduction
1.1 Background of the Study
In this study it shall look at an essential arm of the public service “the permanent civil servant” such is the central position on public service, management and because government depend on public wholly on them than any other arm of the efficient execution of the policies and programmes, the public cannot afford to be unconcerned in the type and caliber of persons managing its operating as Akpan rightly reported, “That personnel recruitment imported involves putting the right person in the job.
Also Ajakemo B.C defined “recruitment as a process of seeking and attracting a supply of people from which qualified candidates for job vacancies can be selected. As stipulated on the civil service reform of 1988, it is required that as from 1st April, 1988, each ministry shall have a department of personnel management for the management of their employees. Under this department, there shall exist a personnel management, board to handle the appointment, promotion, transfer and disciple of staff.
The reform also pointed on the issue of the changing of the post of permanent secretary to director general which is a professional post and non-permanent again. Therefore, we shall look at the general system of civil service management with special references to recruitment and result orientation through proper assessment. This paper has to look in to problems in the staff recruitment, strength of work force, government policies as well as cadre of the workers and soon entry into various posts of the service as well as the financial competence of the service with regards to the type of workforce needed.
Having known that the entry and strength of workforce is determined by the head of the civil service through the establishment and posts are the responsibility of the respective departments based on the recent implementation guidelines on the 1988 reform of the service. The actual examination of candidates rest wholly with a constitutionally independent being the civil service commission.
However, this central race of the local government public service commission in the recruitment and discipline of staff will change or is a subject to change when the implementation guideline with respect to civil service structure as continued in president Ibrahim Babangida's budget speech of December 31, 1988 as implemented. The new policy empowers the various ministries to appeal discipline and promote their own staff and give the public service commission the responsibilities of staff training and man power development, protection civil servants against discrimination and victimization, monitoring as public complaints commission.
In recent years, these problems of unemployment and poor staff recruitment exercise are increasingly receiving world wide consideration from various authors and researchers is partially on the size of the local civil service which has grown beyond the immediate need of the service nor was it related to the economic and financial resources of the local government. These are things this paper has to look upon but before we proceed into that, I will like to have a resume of what the civil servant is all about. The civil servant was defined by Ajakemo B.C as “These servant of the government other than political or judicial office holders who are employed in a civil capacity and whose remuneration is paid out of money provided by the legislature.
An appraisal of the problems confronting the civil service must bear in mind the following points that build up its features and characteristics, despite criticism of the organization, selection and promotion the civil service has claimed exceptional achievement of the impactiality, integrity, anonymity and incompatibility.
Considerable effective policy making power lies with the civil service and any discussion of the defects in the service must not be allowed to hide behind the practice of anonymity and ministerial responsibility and in the existing context of public administration, the civil service must be judged as a management organization and its effectiveness assessed as far as possible on principles which would applied to management organization of the public administration.
Meanwhile, it is the intension of the study to state the requirement propounded by Fulton as regard to recruitment and to know how these guideline is to be followed.
The Fulton committee stated the requirements of the civil servants under modern conditions to be practical judgment and negotiating skill and professionalism.
It is also, the aim of the study to find out why problems exist is staff recruitment pattern in service, the causes and reasons for the persistence.
1.2 Statement of Problem
The civil service in Nigeria and in most other countries for the machinery through which the government carries out its stated objectives. Civil servant has the general order, rules and regulations guiding it in the pursuit of its goal.
That is, it is a highly bureaucratic organization and one of the means through which government in power tries to legitimize itself and command allegiance from the society also through which government budgets promises and proposals are fulfilled, therefore, society sees civil service as indispensable machinery of the government and as such demands from it, as the society grows more complete so also the burden of the government and in turn, the civil service. Unfortunately, there have been different levels of corrupt practices, leveled against the civil service by the press and some eminent Nigerians.
The civil service has been accused of indulging in dishonesty, nepotism, favouritism, embezzlement and misappropriation of public fund and property.
The rate of moral bribery and abuse of office in general has reached an analyzing and disturbing stage in the local government. That is a matter for regret that most public servants tend to subdue their political life pattern especially in the civil service and the general public. Civil service is expected to give full value for the money spent on it and to ne contented.
1.3 Objectives of the Study
This study is aimed towards the following objectives:
- To determine the inability of the civil service to place the most qualified personnel in a particular job advertised for.
- To find out the causes of poor system of competitive examination and selection such as unfair and why unopened staff recruitment exercise prevailed in the service.
- To find out whether the strength of workforce entry point and other factors that encourages discrimination and how their militated against proper staff recruitment pattern of the civil service.
- To determine various ways through which government employment policies create problem to recruitment
- To suggest ways to eliminate problems in our staff recruitment exercise or reducing its impacts in civil service.
1.4 Research Questions
Majority of the workers in Ahiazu Mbaise local government civil service were recruited in line with the civil service general order.
- Do civil servants engage in corrupt recruitment practices?
- What are the factors that hamper effectiveness of local government civil service?
- Where does the problem of recruitment prevail most?
- What counts most in recruiting civil servants in Ahiazu Mbaise local government?
1.5 Significance of the Study
A problem riddling society like ours cannot be given effective and attainment of its objectives becomes practically impossible. This study examines the structural pattern and process of recruitment and suggests its remedy in order words, this study will make people conscious of the societal weaknesses.
The significance of the study also lies in its potentiality of serving as reference tool for both individuals, organizations and government policy makers who desire to eliminate all obstacles militating against the upward mobility of the aspiring majority of manpower into ministerial positions whereby lessening the severity of the manpower shortage.
This study with exposition of the patterns and processes of problems in staff recruitment may help the government to reduce the practice and impact of corruption in recruitment in the civil service and perhaps in the society at large.
The exposition will lead to identification of the weak areas with a view of making the effectiveness of government is to a very great extent determined by the efficiency and competence of the civil service.
1.6 Scope of the Study
The scope of the study encompasses the structural review of the Ahiazu Mbaise local government civil service in the former British colony of Nigeria bone the stamp of racial basis of recruitment therefore civil service is not a creation of modern times but has its root in history and dates back to the time of ancient civilization.
Having highlighted the scope of the study, the research work is based empirically on the sources. These are the primary source of questionnaires and the interview administered to people and the secondary source of data which include making use of the local government itself or headquarter libraries and other reference works.
1.7 Limitations of the Study
Most research projects like research work is persistent with certain limitations that always confront students or researchers engaging in research work.
Some of these problems are that of time constraints, finance etc
Time Constraint:
There is always lack of time to carry out thorough study that will be independent and able to stand the test of time. Inadequate time for the respondents to go through the questionnaire thereby done haphazardly.
Problem of Finance:
The carrying out and the execution of research work that can be immensely valuable is becoming increasingly different, if not impossible when one takes cognizance of costs involves in good research work.
Lack of Proper Statistical Data:
There is equally the problem of getting the right population size of the study which limits the study.
1.8 Definition of Terms
Criterion:
This stands for standard of judgment. It could be called a yardstick in this write-up upon which administrators make their decision devoid of impersonal and a political tie.
Government Policies / Regulations:
It stands for rules, laws in the constitution that guide the civil servants in their decision making. It could be related to anything e.g. quota representation.
White Collar Job:
The objectives of white collar job has been used in the write-up, it is a general term taking us beyond the clerk and including other grades such as executive scientists professionals and technical staff.
Office:
This is a place where information is received, sorted, acted upon, filled and passed on.
Generalisis:
Non career civil servants know all before the caliber of people in the civil service and mainly secretary but they are no longer there.
They have given way to specialist and professionalist e.g. changing of the post of permanent secretary (Administrative post) to director general which is professional.
Hierarchy:
This is one of the Max Weber's idea construct of bureaucracy that maintains merit. There are some other principles such as impersonality achievement legality and specialization that support them.
