EFFECT OF NEPOTISM IN THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS OF THE DELTA STATE CIVIL SERVICE FROM (2021 – 2025)

Abstract

This study empirically examined the effects of nepotism in the recruitment process of the Delta State Civil Service between 2021 and 2025. Theoretically anchored on the Patron-Client Theory, the study investigated the extent to which nepotistic practices influence candidate selection, compromise merit-based hiring, diminish workforce productivity, and affect public trust. A descriptive survey research design was adopted to carry out the investigation. The target population comprised public servants and job applicants within government ministries in Asaba. Using purposive and stratified random sampling techniques, a sample size of 350 respondents was selected, from which 320 valid questionnaires were successfully retrieved and analyzed. Data collection was executed using a structured four-point Likert scale instrument, and the obtained data was statistically analyzed using frequency counts, simple percentages, and the Chi-Square test at a 0.05 level of significance.
The empirical findings revealed that personal connections and political affiliations exert an overriding influence on candidate selection, with formal guidelines frequently bypassed to favor well-connected individuals. Secondly, nepotism severely undermines meritocracy, resulting in a system of reverse selection where highly qualified candidates are systematically sidelined. Thirdly, these practices drastically reduce employee efficiency and organizational performance by placing an unfair operational burden on competent staff, destroying workplace morale, and weakening discipline.
Finally, favoritism completely damages public trust, fostering deep youth apathy and institutional alienation. Consequently, the study concludes that informal patronage networks have overshadowed formal bureaucratic procedures. It is therefore recommended that the state government guarantee the absolute administrative independence of the Civil Service Commission, digitalize the recruitment process through e-recruitment portals, strictly enforce merit-based employment criteria, and establish independent oversight committees to audit public employment exercises.