Recruitment in Public Tertiary Education in Nigeria: Problems and Way Forward

Abstract

Purpose: This paper examined the challenges faced by Nigerian tertiary institutions when conducting recruitment exercise to filling in staff into the various public tertiary institutions.

Methods: Content analysis was adopted for the paper. Both secondary and primary data were used in the paper to support points raised. The data were sources from national and international dailies, published, unpublished papers and articles and reference materials.

Conclusion: This paper concluded that inadequate funding, bureaucratic bottlenecks, federal character principals, political influence, corruption, embargo, strike actions and lack of professional individual and personnel are the challenges hindering effective recruitment exercise in the Nigerian tertiary institutions.

Recommendations: The government should increase the funding of all public tertiary institutions in Nigeria. This will help to recruit both academic and non-academic staff in right qualities and quantities at due time. Full autonomy status should be granted to all Nigerian tertiary institutions and should be practiced. This will help to stop politicians and public officers from influencing recruitment processes in the system. This will also help to remove the tertiary institutions from government policies of embargo on recruitment and recruitment based on federal character principles.