An Assessment of the Effect of Manpower Supply on Service Delivery at Taraba State Civil Service Commission, Jalingo

The persistent inadequacies in manpower supply, created a significant gap between the expected and actual performance of the civil service in delivering public services. This study examined the effect of manpower supply on service delivery in the civil service. The sample size of 61 was arrived at using census sampling technique. The study adopted public administration Theory as the theoretical framework. Descriptive survey design enabled the description of the current state of civil service and data were generated from mixed-method approach which combines qualitative interviews and quantitative data generated from questionnaire. Quantitative responses obtained from the Questionnaire were analyzed by descriptive statistic while qualitative data obtained through interview were analyzed thematically. Findings from this research reveal that frequent recruitment provide adequate supply of manpower in Taraba state civil service but the selection process is anchored with political interference, nepotism and favoritism. Such interference in the selection process has paralyzed the merit-based approach and contributed to the employment of unqualified and unskilled staff that required effective training to meet up with contemporary challenges in the civil service. Furthermore, corruption has engulfed the civil service and it paved way to a nonchalant attitude and mismanagement of government resources. Therefore, the study recommends Independent and automated recruitment system, Sanction for corrupt behaviors, invest in staff training, enhancing resources management, legislative policy reforms and promoting transparency in recruitment should be in the forefront.