FEDERAL CHARACTER PRINCIPLES: ITS IMPACT AND CHALLENGES IN NIGERIA

Abstract

Studies revealed that no nation can attain development for the enhancement of the living standards of the people without a public service that is well organized to implement government policies. As a result, federal character principles in Nigeria represents equitable representation of individuals in the civil service and prevent the dominance of persons from a few states or ethnic groups in the workplace or political governance Nigeria. The principle is often poorly implemented in Nigeria as enshrined in the constitution, making enforcement difficult and the commission tasked with enforcing the principles lacks the power to impose sanctions or violation. With regard to these, the paper examined federal character principles, impact and challenges in Nigeria public service. With the adoption and analysis of secondary method of data generation, the study observed that the implementation of the federal character principle in Nigerian public service tends to encourage unethical behaviour amongst public officials as it circumscribes merit in the area of manpower procurement and promotion. The study concludes that for Nigerian public service to achieve its mandate of facilitating development, there is need for the government to reappraise the implementation of the federal character principles through the enforcement of merit, anchored on public service reform initiatives that can galvanize human capacity and governmental institutions for sustainable development.