Bureaucracy and Service Delivery in Akwa Ibom State Civil Service

The persistent issues concerning service delivery in the public service led to an investigation into the relationship between bureaucracy and service delivery in Akwa Ibom State. The research was conducted to understand the issue of merit-based appointments and professionalism in service delivery. A survey research design was used, and a sample of 356 civil servants was selected through a multi-stage sampling method across ministries, departments, and agencies. Data was collected through a structured questionnaire and was analysed by means of descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation. The results showed that there is a positive, statistically significant correlation between merit-based appointment and service delivery, and between professionalism and service delivery. The research determined that the lack of effectiveness in the delivery of public services in the state is inherently caused by the weaknesses in these bureaucratic pillars. In particular, political considerations in appointments undermine professionalism, whereas ambiguous recruitment practices and a robust accountability system undermine performance and weaken trust among the population. Subsequently, the study suggested that an open, technology-based, merit-based recruitment process should be institutionalised to remove political favours, and that a continuous professional development system should be established as a mandatory requirement to improve the skills of civil servants. These are reforms which are critical in changing service delivery and in creating sustainable development in Akwa Ibom State Civil Service.