Federal character principle was adopted in Nigerian public service to enhance equity, merit and national stability. This paper employed documentary research to examine the factors affecting effective enforcement of the federal character principle and sound recruitment in the Nigerian federal civil service. Arithmetic equality, delegation of recruitment functions, latent position of the federal character commission in the recruitment process, politicization, unofficial policy of elimination by substitution and inadequate human and financial resources were identified as the prevalent factors affecting the effective enforcement of the principle of federal character and sound recruitment in the Nigerian federal civil service. It was therefore posited that the issue of politicization in the recruitment process should be eliminated. It was also recommended that the federal character commission should be effectively involved in the recruitment process, be adequately funded and properly staffed to reinforce the principles of justice and merit and bring into the Nigerian federal civil service competent manpower that will promote ethical conduct and national stability.
Federal character commission, federal character principle, federal civil service commission, Nigerian federal civil service, recruitment
