Institutionalising ethnic representation: How effective is affirmative action in Nigeria?

Abstract

To deal with the tensions created by ethnic diversity and inequalities, many African countries have instituted affirmative action programmes ranging from informal ethnic balancing to explicit quotas. This study examines the reasons for affirmative action in Nigeria and the effectiveness of the Federal Character Commission (FCC) that was set up to oversee the programme. It argues that the affirmative action is an important aspect of governance in divided societies. Furthermore, while the FCC has not succeeded in achieving its formal objectives, it has nevertheless encouraged the non-violent resolution of ethnic grievances. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

What happened to the border? The role of mobile information technology devices on employees’ work-life balance

“…Conversely, anecdotal evidence shows that the dominant view among Nigerians is that the FCP has not succeeded in achieving its lofty objectives. Nonetheless, Mustapha (2009) argues that FCP has encouraged the non-violent resolution of ethnic grievances. This is a laudable achievement but one that needs to be balanced more carefully in terms of recruitment and selection process and strategies as well as global best practices.…”

“…The volatility in the Nigerian labour market is a result of "skills mismatching" (Petters and Asuquo, 2009) The Federal Character Principle (FCP), which gave rise to a quota system in Nigeria, was established in order to solve the problems of inequality and marginalisation. It is aimed at avoiding the predominance of persons from certain states, ethnic or other sectional groups in government agencies and other public sector organisations (Fajana et al, 2011 On the other hand, the Quota System Policy (QSP) aims to rationally distribute national wealth and resources in such a way that every ethnic and racial group will be wellrepresented (Mustapha, 2007;Son-Thierry and Weil, 2010). Recruitment practices in the public and private sectors have similarities and differences.…”

“…This article also questions the efficacy of the FCP and the QSP in terms of the recruitment of productive employees. Researchers have argued that the FCP and the QSP have been unable to appreciably achieve their intended objectives (Bodunrin, 1989;Mustapha, 2009;Tiemo and Arubayi, 2012). Based on the responses from the managers' experiences, we argue that good prospective employees are possibly missed, particularly if the recruitment and selection process is aligned with the FCP and the QSP.…”

The challenges of employee resourcing: the perceptions of managers in Nigeria

“…On the other hand, the Quota System Policy (QSP) aims to rationally distribute national wealth and resources in such a way that every ethnic and racial group will be wellrepresented (Mustapha, 2007;Son-Thierry and Weil, 2010). Recruitment practices in the public and private sectors have similarities and differences.…”

Inequality in Political Power: A Fundamental (and Overlooked) Dimension of Inequality

“…Beyond this, it is important to ensure representation of major groups at all levels of government by either formal or informal conventions. For example, in Nigeria, the Federal Character Principle ensures broad representation of major groups in powerful governmental positions, while in Ghana the same is achieved through informal conventions (Mustapha, 2007;Langer, 2008). Reducing political HIs is especially important for political stability, as the evidence suggests that socio-economic inequalities are particularly likely to lead to violence in the presence of political inequalities (Cederman et al, 2010).…”