EVALUATION OF THE EFFECT OF TRIBE AND ETHNICITY IN THE COMPOSITION AND MANAGEMENT OF NIGERIA’S PUBLIC BUREAUCRACY: A HUMAN RESOURCE AND PUBLIC POLICY APPROACH

Abstract

This paper uses empirical studies and case studies to examine the role of ethnicity and tribalism in the Nigerian public bureaucracy. The paper is anchored on social dominance theory and bureaucratic theory. The paper, based on a triangulation approach (content analysis combined with a survey), reveals that tribal affiliation, followed by religion, is the topmost factor influencing the composition and management of the Nigerian federal bureaucracy. The study reveals that ethnic and tribal ties between different ethnic groups have a significant impact on bureaucratic processes and administrative functions such as recruitment and appointments. The study reveals that bureaucrats in Nigeria use administrative discretion to alter public policies and influence public values in favor of their kinship. This causes public bureaucracy to become irrational, unethical, divisive, parochial, and unmeritorious as ethnic and racial prejudices and biases take precedence in the composition and management of the public sector. The paper recommends inclusive governance and must redesign the institutional structure by creating an overarching level of board management to oversee the affairs of the Federal Character Commission (FCC) to reduce its apparent politicization or skewness that contradicts the original tenets upon which it was founded.