Twenty-third International Conference on Diversity in Organizations, Communities & Nations

Abstract

The pattern of governance by the different ethnic nationalities that make up Nigeria has made it difficult for there to be an agreeable style of governance. The ethnic groups all had different modes of governance which viewed political structure cum governance differently. These pre-colonial tendencies in governance have constituted a serious barrier in the formation of a truly national political structure strong enough to support the democracy experience in Nigeria. The Federal Character Principle came into being as a way of creating a sense of belonging in all Nigerians. Thus, the thrust of this paper is an in-depth analysis of the Federal Character Principle as an instrument for retooling Nigeria’s diversity for inclusive governance and sustainable development. Through a documentary search, the study examines the application of the principle and its effect on key principles that promote effective public service delivery and sustainable The implementation of the principle has impinged on the application of the merit principle in public service recruitment and selection which is key to effective service delivery and sustainable development. The paper makes some recommendations towards a more effective application of the Federal Character Principle. These include application of the principle only at the entry level into public service while climbing up the ladder should depend solely on merit. Recruitment for post requiring specialist trainings should not be based on Federal Character Principle but strictly on merit.