Effectiveness of Internal Versus External Recruitment on Employee Performance in Polytechnics: A study of Selected Federal Polytechnics in North Central Nigeria

Authors

Abstract

This study examined the effectiveness of internal versus external recruitment on employee performance in polytechnics, using selected federal polytechnics in North Central Nigeria as a case study. Recruitment remains one of the most consequential human resource functions in tertiary institutions, yet public polytechnics in Nigeria continue to grapple with the choice between promoting existing staff into vacant positions and sourcing new employees from the open labour market. Anchored on Human Capital Theory and Person-Organisation Fit Theory, the study adopted a descriptive survey research design. A sample of 410 academic and non-academic staff was drawn from five federal polytechnics in North Central Nigeria- Federal Polytechnic, Bida (Niger State); Federal Polytechnic, Idah (Kogi State); Federal Polytechnic, Offa (Kwara State); Federal Polytechnic, Nasarawa (Nasarawa State); and Federal Polytechnic, Wannune (Benue State) - using a multi-stage stratified random sampling technique. A structured questionnaire, validated by experts and pilot-tested with a Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of 0.86, was the main instrument of data collection. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation and percentages) and inferential statistics (independent-samples t-test and multiple regression analysis) at the 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed that both internal and external recruitment practices have a statistically significant positive effect on employee performance, but internal recruitment exerted a stronger effect on productivity, job commitment and institutional loyalty, while external

Keywords

Orature, oramedia, agricultural extension, indigenous knowledge, folk media, rural farmers, Nigeria

DOI

10.0000/wijamssae.v1i3.effectiveness-of-internal-versus-external-recruitm

References

AFAP Partnership. (2024). Young farmers struggle with high costs and scarcity of machinery. AFAP Partnership.
Aker, J. C. (2011). Dial "A" for agriculture: A review of information and communication technologies for
agricultural extension in developing countries. Agricultural Economics, 42(6), 631–647.
Altieri, M. A. (2004). Linking ecologists and traditional farmers in the search for sustainable agriculture. Frontiers
in Ecology and the Environment, 2(1), 35–42.
Anderson, J. R. (2007). Agricultural advisory services. World Bank.
Anderson, J. R., & Feder, G. (2007). Agricultural extension. In R. E. Evenson & P. Pingali (Eds.), Handbook of
agricultural economics (Vol. 3, pp. 2343–2378). Elsevier.
Ayim, C., Kassahun, A., Tekinerdogan, B., & Addison, C. (2020). Adoption of ICT innovations in the agriculture
sector in Africa: A systematic literature review. ArXiv.
Berkes, F. (2012). Sacred ecology (3rd ed.). Routledge.
Birner, R., Davis, K., Pender, J., Nkonya, E., Anandajayasekeram, P., Ekboir, J., Mbabu, A., Spielman, D. J.,
Horna, D., Benin, S., & Cohen, M. (2009). From best practice to best fit: A framework for designing and analyzing pluralistic agricultural advisory services worldwide. The Journal of Agricultural Education
and Extension, 15(4), 341–355.
Birkhaeuser, D., Evenson, R. E., & Feder, G. (1991). The economic impact of agricultural extension: A
review. Economic Development and Cultural Change, 39(3), 607–650.
Chambers, R. (1997). Whose reality counts? Putting the first last. Intermediate Technology Publications.
Christoplos, I. (2010). Mobilizing the potential of rural and agricultural extension. Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations.
Daudu, S., & Anyanwu, A. C. (2010). Folk media preferences and prospects for agricultural extension service
delivery in Benue State, Nigeria. Tropical Agricultural Research and Extension, 12(1), 47–50.
Davis, K. (2008). Extension in sub-Saharan Africa: Overview and assessment of past and current models and
future prospects. Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education, 15(3), 15–28.
Davis, K., Babu, S., & Ragasa, C. (2019). Agricultural extension: Global status and future directions. Academic
Press.
Davis, K., Franzel, S., Hildebrand, P., & Place, N. (2004). Extending technologies among small-scale farmers in
Africa: Lessons from participatory approaches. Development in Practice, 14(1–2), 77–86.
Delta Agriculturist. (2026). Influence of traditional communication media in the dissemination of crop-based
technologies among farmers in South-East Senatorial District, Rivers State. Delta Agriculturist.
Emerald. (2026). Radio's role in agricultural development: A review of broadcasting strategies for farmer
education in South-West Nigeria. Emerald Publishing.
Europe PMC. (n.d.). Olorunfemi et al. Europe PMC.
FAO. (2024). Trainer's guide: Improving extension work with rural women. Food and Agriculture Organization.
FAO AGRIS. (2025). Indigenous knowledge systems (IKS) and sustainable agriculture: The case of sorghum
production in Lesotho. FAO AGRIS.
FAO AGRIS. (2026). Perspectives on communicating 21st-century agricultural innovations to Nigerian rural
farmers. FAO AGRIS.
Feder, G., Willett, A., & Zijp, W. (2001). Agricultural extension: Generic challenges and some ingredients for
solutions. In S. Wolf & D. Zilberman (Eds.), Knowledge generation and technical change: Institutional
innovation in agriculture (pp. 313–356). Kluwer Academic Publishers.
Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security. (2025). FG inaugurates NEEP back-end office to enhance
extension service delivery. Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.
Finnegan, R. (2012). Oral literature in Africa. Open Book Publishers.
Folayan, B. J., Komolafe, E. O., Obi-Okoye, A., Banjo, A. O., & Odenike, O. T. (2025). An exploratory
assessment of the effectiveness of oramedia in communicating new agricultural terminologies and
techniques among farmers in Osun State, Nigeria. Journal of the Saudi Society of Agricultural Sciences,
24(3), 1–8.
Freire, P. (1970). Pedagogy of the oppressed. Continuum.
Freire, P. (1976). Education: The practice of freedom. Writers and Readers Publishing Cooperative.
Frontiers. (2025). Constraints impeding extension agents in disseminating climate-smart agricultural
practices. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems.
Grenier, L. (1998). Working with indigenous knowledge: A guide for researchers. International Development
Research Centre.
Hammersley, M. (2013). The myth of research-based policy and practice. SAGE Publications.
IHSN. (2010). Scientific and technical information and rural development. International Household Survey
Network.
IITA. (2026). When the rains no longer follow the rules: The push to connect farmers with climate solutions.
International Institute of Tropical Agriculture.
JOLLS. (2025). Linguistic techniques employed by agricultural extension workers in post-conflict Borno
State. International Journal of Arts, Languages, Linguistics and Literary Studies, 14(2).
Klerkx, L., van Mierlo, B., & Leeuwis, C. (2012). Evolution of systems approaches to agricultural innovation:
Concepts, analysis and interventions. In I. Darnhofer, D. Gibbon, & B. Dedieu (Eds.), Farming systems
research into the 21st century: The new dynamic (pp. 457–483). Springer.
Leeuwis, C. (2004). Communication for rural innovation: Rethinking agricultural extension (3rd ed.). Blackwell
Science.
Leeuwis, C., & Aarts, N. (2011). Rethinking communication in innovation processes: Creating space for change
in complex systems. Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension, 17(1), 21–36.
Msuya, T. S., & Lalika, M. C. S. (2017). Use of indigenous knowledge systems in agricultural production among
rural farmers. Journal of Agricultural Extension and Rural Development, 9(6), 87–95.
Nakasone, E., Torero, M., & Minten, B. (2014). The power of information: The ICT revolution in agricultural
development. Annual Review of Resource Economics, 6, 533–550.
Ngam, G. N. (2017). Orature and African indigenous economies: An ecocritical reading of the African
folktale. Semantic Scholar.
Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o. (1986). Decolonising the mind: The politics of language in African literature. James Currey.
Nwulu, F. N. (2026). Urban farmers, English and local language: Challenges associated with the use of both
languages in agricultural communication. CINEFORUM, 66(1).
Okeke, M. N., Nwalieji, H. U., & Uzuegbunam, C. O. (2024). Emerging role of information communication
technologies in extension service delivery in Nigeria: A review. Agricultural Extension Society of
Nigeria.
Ong, W. J. (1982). Orality and literacy: The technologizing of the word. Methuen.
Pretty, J. N. (1995). Participatory learning for sustainable agriculture. World Development, 23(8), 1247–1263.
Ragasa, C., Ulimwengu, J., Randriamamonjy, J., & Badibanga, T. (2016). Factors affecting performance of
agricultural extension: Evidence from Democratic Republic of Congo. The Journal of Agricultural
Education and Extension, 22(2), 113–143.
Rivera, W. M., & Qamar, M. K. (2003). Agricultural extension, rural development and the food security
challenge. Food and Agriculture Organization.
Rogers, E. M. (2003). Diffusion of innovations (5th ed.). Free Press.
Roling, N. (1988). Extension science: Information systems in agricultural development. Cambridge University
Press.
Scoones, I., & Thompson, J. (1994). Beyond farmer first: Rural people's knowledge, agricultural research and
extension practice. Intermediate Technology Publications.
Sillitoe, P. (1998). The development of indigenous knowledge: A new applied anthropology. Current
Anthropology, 39(2), 223–252.
Spielman, D. J., Davis, K., Negash, M., & Ayele, G. (2011). Rural innovation systems and networks: Findings
from a study of Ethiopian smallholders. Agricultural Human Values, 28, 195–212.
Swanson, B. E. (2008). Global review of good agricultural extension and advisory service practices. Food and
Agriculture Organization.
Swanson, B. E., & Rajalahti, R. (2010). Strengthening agricultural extension and advisory systems: Procedures
for assessing, transforming, and evaluating extension systems. World Bank.
Taylor & Francis. (2014). Factors influencing use of traditional communication methods in information
dissemination among farmers in Osun State, Nigeria. Taylor & Francis.
Taylor & Francis. (2025). Lead farmer extension and engagement: A case of Zango and Kofa drylands in North
Western Nigeria. Taylor & Francis.
Tiwari, S. P. (2022). Information and communication technology initiatives for knowledge sharing in
agriculture. ArXiv.
Van den Ban, A. W., & Hawkins, H. S. (1996). Agricultural extension. Blackwell Science.
Vansina, J. (1985). Oral tradition as history. University of Wisconsin Press.
Warren, D. M. (1991). Using indigenous knowledge in agricultural development. World Bank.
Yahaya, M. K., & Aina, B. (2024). Communication and social change: Lessons from cassava technology transfer
in Nigeria. FAO AGRIS.
Zirimu, P. (1992). The concept of orature. Makerere University.