EFFECT OF POLITICIZATION OF APPOINTMENT OF EMPLOYEES ON SERVICE DELIVERY IN THE ENUGU STATE CIVIL SERVICE

Abstract

The much desired efficiency, effectiveness, high productivity and service delivery in the public sector organizations appear to remain elusive despite several reforms in the sector since independence with a view to achieving the much desired efficiency and effectiveness. The broad objective of this work is to evaluate the implications of politicization of employees’ appointment in the public service of Enugu State. The design adopted in the study is the descriptive survey design. The total population of the study who are staff of the chosen ministries as stated by the Payroll Units under Civil Service commission is 7,163. The sample size as determined by the application of the Taro Yamene formula was three hundred and seventy nine (379). The sampling technique was purposive. The study revealed the various ways politicization manifests in appointments in Enugu State Civil Service, to include zoning formular, god-fatherism-express order by political heads to appoint their preferred candidates, appointment racketeering (through gratification in kind and cash). The study identified inefficiency resulting from appointment of unqualified and incompetent staff, low productivity resulting from appointment of incompetent party stalwarts. Finally, having addressed the deep internal systemic issues, the work recommended that the  appointment and recruitment of workers should be based strictly on qualification and professional competences; workers should be recruited when need be and politicians should not turn the public organizations to "welfare agency" by randomly providing jobs for their unemployed party stalwarts. And there is need for anti-graft agencies to help in checking corruption in appointments and there should be surveillance committee on illegal appointments in public sector. The researchers concluded that the inability of the public organizations in Nigeria to render effective and efficient service is largely due to high level of politicization of appointments and recruitments in the civil service rather than purely on qualification and professional competences. Therefore, for the civil service to perform better in terms of efficient and effective service delivery there is need to depoliticize career employments/appointments.