POLITICAL INTERFERENCE AND BUREAUCRATIC EFFICIENCY IN KOGI STATE CIVIL SERVICE- 2003-2010
ABSTRACT
This study examined political interference and bureaucratic efficiency in Kogi state civil service from 2003 – 2010. The researcher went into this investigation having been irked by the hue and cry of bureaucratic inefficiency and ineffectiveness in the Kogi state for nearly a decade. Disturbed by the failure of the state bureaucracy to deliver efficient and effective services to the people of the state, the researcher undertook this study to: (1) determine how the character of the political regime impinge on bureaucratic matters such as recruitment, selection, placement, etc in the state civil service; (2) assess the effects of political interference on bureaucratic structures and personnel management in the state civil service; and (3) ascertain how political interference impedes bureaucratic efficiency in Kogi state civil service. The research design adopted in this study was a survey method. The population for the study was purposively drawn from the top management and senior cadres in the state civil service. Three major hypotheses were formulated for the study. Questionnaire and interview were the primary data collection instruments, while the secondary data were generated from literature and other related documents. The data collected were analysed by mean with a bench-mark of 3.5 as the decision rule, while chi-square was used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 (95%) significance level. The findings of the study showed that the extractive character of the political regime impinged on bureaucratic matters as it did not allow the normal bureaucratic procedures to be observed in Kogi state civil service. The findings also showed that political interference has brought about a shift in loyalty from bureaucratic structures to political godfathers, thus weakening the bureaucratic structures in the Kogi state civil service and these impeded bureaucratic efficiency and service delivery. Some recommendations were made which include amongst others, the need to remove partisan politics from bureaucratic matters such as recruitment, selection, placement and routine administrative activities, as well as the need to strengthen the institutional control mechanisms in the state public service so as to bring about the much needed efficiency and effectiveness into the Kogi state civil service.