In Nigeria, who you know can open the door. The harder question is what happens after you walk through it. Here is what the research and real cases say about connections, nepotism, and merit, and how to keep all three honest.

Let's start with a reality most Nigerian job seekers already know: connections matter. A phone call from the right person can move a CV from the bottom of the pile to the top of the shortlist, and this happens in government agencies, private firms, and everything in between. The question that follows is a fair one. Do people who are favoured this way perform as well as everyone else? Many Nigerians would say, "Most times, no." Others would say a trusted introduction is simply how good hires happen quickly.

This article looks at both views. It separates networking from connections and nepotism, reviews the evidence on whether favoured hires perform better or worse, looks at reported political cases with sources, and ends with a practical middle path. One note on tone: the view that favoured hires should work excellently to justify their seat is an opinion, not a legal or professional standard. We say so where it appears.

First, Let's Define the Terms

People use these words loosely, so it helps to separate them.

  • Networking: building relationships so people know your work and can tell you about openings. It is open to anyone willing to do it, and the final decision still rests on whether you can do the job.
  • A referral: someone inside the organisation recommends you, vouching for your ability. The employer still tests you.
  • Connections (patronage): influence from someone powerful, such as a politician, a senior official, or a "godfather", used to secure a job or appointment, often without a normal selection process.
  • Nepotism: favouring relatives. Cronyism is favouring friends and political allies.
  • Merit: selection based on skills, experience, and performance, ideally tested in a fair and consistent way.

The line between them is not always sharp. A good referral and a favour can look similar from the outside. What separates them is what happens next: was the person assessed, and does the person who recommended them have something to lose if they fail?

The Case for Connections: What They Get Right

It would be wrong to say that every connection-based hire is a bad hire. Employers have real reasons to trust people they know.

Referrals carry real information. In a set of field experiments in an online labour market, researchers Amanda Pallais and Emily Glassberg Sands found that referrals contain positive information about performance and persistence that isn't visible on a CV, and that referred workers outperformed and stayed longer than non-referred workers (Journal of Political Economy, via NBER). A summary by J-PAL reported that referred workers were 20 percentage points more likely to continue the job, and noted that referral hiring can reduce recruitment costs (J-PAL). Referred workers also did particularly well when they worked directly with the person who referred them.

They can fill roles quickly. When a vacancy is urgent, a trusted recommendation can shorten the search, which is the point the employer's side often makes.

An important caution. Those experiments involved referrers who were accountable for their recommendation and workers who were still being hired for real work. That is closer to a good referral than to a favour granted because of someone's power. The research supports connections that supply information. It doesn't show that influence without assessment works.

The Case Against: What Goes Wrong When Favour Replaces Assessment

Family hiring can hurt performance. The best-known study here looked at family firms in Denmark and found that appointing a family CEO had a large negative causal impact on firm performance: operating profitability on assets fell by at least four percentage points around the transition, and the underperformance was largest in fast-growing industries, industries with highly skilled labour, and relatively large firms (Quarterly Journal of Economics, via NBER). It is a study of company chief executives in one country, not of all hires everywhere, but it shows the cost of putting lineage ahead of assessment at the top of an organisation.

Nigerian public-sector research points the same way. A BusinessDay analysis argued that nepotism, woven into recruitment and promotion since 1999, has hollowed out parts of the civil service, citing research that political and family-based hiring produces a significant number of under-qualified personnel. The same piece cites a 2024 survey claiming that 44 percent of federal jobs are secured through nepotism, bribery, or both (BusinessDay). That figure comes through an opinion analysis that doesn't name the survey, so treat it as a claim to check, not an established statistic. Academic studies add weight. A 2010 study of the federal civil service found that recruitment rests on the federal character principle, merit, and political considerations, and recommended that federal character be applied with attention to merit (Gberevbie). A 2018 study of recruitment into the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps concluded that quota-based recruitment had opened the door to nepotism and recommended that political office holders stop interfering in recruitment (KWASU).

It also hurts the people left out. When the best-connected win, equally qualified people without access lose, and morale falls among those who see it happening. Experts quoted by Daily Trust warned that political dynasties sideline other equally qualified Nigerians who lack access to influential networks (Daily Trust).

Reported Political Cases

Politics is where connections are most visible. The following cases are reported by Nigerian media. Naming an appointment is not an accusation of wrongdoing, and being related to a powerful person doesn't prove a person is unqualified. In several cases, the reports themselves list credentials.

  • Edo State. Daily Trust reported that Governor Monday Okpebholo appointed Dr Cyril Adams Oshiomhole, son of former governor Adams Oshiomhole, as Commissioner for Health, and noted that he holds a medical degree (MBBS) from Ahmadu Bello University (Daily Trust).
  • Federal agency directorships. The same report said President Bola Tinubu appointed Asiya Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, daughter of the APC national chairman and former Kano governor Abdullahi Ganduje, and Muhammad Mahdi Wamakko, son of Senator Aliyu Wamakko, to directorships in the North West Development Commission, on recommendations from the leadership of the National Assembly.
  • Cross River State. Barrister Ededem Ani, son of a former finance minister under the Abacha government, was appointed Attorney-General. The report notes that he was a principal partner in a law firm, and that some believe the nomination was compensation for his father's support of the governor.
  • Delta State. Orode Uduaghan, daughter of a former governor, was appointed a commissioner, a move described in the report as seen by some as "compensation" for a lost party ticket.
  • Akwa Ibom State. Governor Umo Eno named his daughter, Helen Eno-Obareki, to coordinate the office of the First Lady after the death of his wife, explaining that she would continue the late first lady's projects.
  • National Assembly. The report notes Delta's Erhiatake Ibori-Suenu, daughter of former governor James Ibori, won a party ticket and later chaired a House committee on the Niger Delta Development Commission, and that findings suggest a level of connection is needed to chair such committees. These are elected positions, so voters and party delegates share in the choice.
  • Osun State (2023 commentary). A Democracy in Africa piece criticised appointments of relatives, including a sister-in-law, to a governor's cabinet and called for legislation barring relatives of the executive from key posts (Democracy in Africa).
  • Federal character appointments. A Vanguard editorial in 2022 argued that appointments at the Federal Character Commission itself, which polices the principle, had not respected it (Vanguard). That is an editorial opinion.

The legal picture. There is no constitutional clause forbidding children of politicians from holding office or being appointed, as Professor Hassan Saliu of the Nigerian Political Science Association acknowledged, though he argued the trend is morally troubling and risks a "hereditary democracy" (Daily Trust). Observers in the same report agreed there is nothing inherently wrong with such people following their parents when they are qualified. The concern is when parental influence outweighs merit. Section 14(3) of the Constitution requires the federal government to reflect Nigeria's federal character so that persons from a few states or groups don't predominate, which is a representation principle, not a licence to appoint the unqualified. A Guardian opinion piece argued that merit and federal character aren't mutually exclusive (The Guardian Nigeria).

Conflict of Interest: The Missing Piece

Most of the cases above share one underlying problem: a conflict of interest. A conflict of interest arises when a person's own interests, such as family ties, friendship, money, or loyalty, could affect a decision they are supposed to make in the interest of the organisation or the public. Nepotism is a conflict of interest in hiring, because the person deciding has a personal stake in the candidate. Conflicts can be actual, perceived, or potential, and a perceived conflict can damage trust even when nobody has done anything wrong (BusinessDay).

Two points keep this fair. First, having a conflict is not the same as wrongdoing. Relationships are a normal part of life and work, and they can't always be avoided. Second, the test is how the conflict is handled: was it declared, did the conflicted person step back, and was the decision made by someone independent?

What the rules say in Nigeria.

  • Public officers. The Code of Conduct for Public Officers, in the Fifth Schedule to the 1999 Constitution, says a public officer must not put himself in a position where his personal interest conflicts with his duties and responsibilities. It also bars asking for or accepting property or benefits on account of anything done in the discharge of his duties, and requires declarations of assets to the Code of Conduct Bureau (Nigerian Constitution, Fifth Schedule). The text doesn't spell out the hiring of relatives, so whether a particular appointment breaches the Code is a question for the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal and for a lawyer.
  • Companies. A BusinessDay corporate governance column notes that the Companies and Allied Matters Act 2020 requires a director's personal interests not to conflict with the director's duties, and that the Nigerian Code of Corporate Governance 2018 requires the board to approve a conflict of interest policy. Under that policy, a director who has disclosed an interest must not be present when the matter is deliberated, and directors should disclose conflicts annually (BusinessDay). Another BusinessDay piece adds that the insurance regulator's code extends disclosure requirements to employees, and that disclosure and abstaining from discussion will not always cure a conflict (BusinessDay).

What a conflict of interest looks like in hiring.

  • A hiring manager, panel member, or director is related to, or close friends with, a candidate.
  • A person recommends a candidate who will then report to them or to their relative.
  • A decision-maker evaluates the child or relative of a business partner, a political sponsor, or a client.
  • Relatives end up in the same reporting line, where one approves the other's pay, leave, or performance rating.
  • Someone takes money or gifts in exchange for a job, which is closer to bribery than to a simple conflict.

How to manage it (our suggestions, based on the governance practices above).

  1. Declare early and in writing. State the relationship before the process starts, not after the offer.
  2. Step back. The conflicted person shouldn't shortlist, interview, score, or approve the offer for that candidate.
  3. Use an independent panel that scores every candidate against the same written criteria.
  4. Record the decision and the reasons, including who declared what.
  5. Separate reporting lines. Avoid one relative supervising or setting pay for another.
  6. Review disclosures regularly, and make it safe for staff to raise concerns.
  7. Don't treat disclosure as a cure-all. If the conflict is serious or the role is sensitive, the best fix may be a different decision-maker, or a different hire.

This is also what turns a connection into a legitimate referral. The referral studies above worked because the referrer was accountable and the hire was still assessed. Remove the declaration, the independent check, and the accountability, and what remains is the version that damages performance and trust.

So, Do Favoured Hires Perform Worse?

The honest answer is: it depends on what happened before the hire and what happens after.

  • When a connection supplies information and the person is still tested, the evidence suggests performance can be as good or better, as the referral studies show.
  • When favour replaces assessment, the evidence from family succession studies and Nigerian public-sector research points to weaker performance and lower morale.
  • The claim that "most times the answer is no" reflects what many Nigerians say they see. We found no nationwide measure comparing the performance of favoured and non-favoured hires, so it can't be confirmed or refuted as a universal rule. What we can say is that the risk is real, and it rises as the process gets less transparent.

The variable that matters most is accountability: is someone checking whether the person can do the work?

A Fair Middle Path: Connection Opens the Door, Merit Keeps the Seat

Many people hold a practical view: it is fine, even efficient, for a connection to help fill a vacancy quickly, as long as the person hired can do the job well. That is an opinion about fairness, not a legal or professional standard. It rests on one principle: a connection can get you the interview, but results must earn you the seat.

If you got a job through a connection, consider these steps (our suggestions):

  1. Prepare as if nobody owes you anything. Learn the role's real requirements and fill gaps fast.
  2. Ask for clear targets in your first month, and deliver early, visible results.
  3. Accept feedback without defensiveness. Colleagues will watch whether you take the work seriously.
  4. Give credit and build real relationships with your team, so you are known for your work, not your sponsor.
  5. Protect the person who recommended you by performing well. Their reputation travels with yours.

If you hire, you can use connections without losing fairness:

  1. Assess every candidate the same way, referred or not, with the same questions and a work sample.
  2. Keep documented criteria so the decision can be explained.
  3. Use a probation period with clear targets and honest reviews.
  4. Avoid placing relatives in roles where they report to family, and declare conflicts of interest.
  5. Advertise roles openly where you can, and publish pay ranges to reduce suspicion (salary transparency laws and what employers need to know).

If You Don't Have Connections: What You Can Do

Not having a powerful contact is not the end of your search. Networking is the legitimate version of connections, and it is open to anyone.

  1. Make your work easy to trust. A clean CV, a complete profile, and visible results do the job a recommendation does (CV mistakes that cause instant rejection; why an incomplete job board profile costs you offers).
  2. Build a scarce skill and prove it. Skills give you leverage that doesn't depend on who you know (AI skills employers now expect from every candidate).
  3. Build relationships before you need them. Contact former classmates, lecturers, colleagues, and people in your field. Ask for advice, not favours.
  4. Look where merit counts more. Remote and international roles often rely on assessments and portfolios (how Nigerians are making a living working online).
  5. Apply directly and often. Apply through official channels and keep a record. Persistence matters even when the process isn't perfect.
  6. Beware of people who sell "connections". Anyone who demands a fee to "get you in" is a scam risk. A BusinessDay commentary lists the warning signs, including requests for fees and instant offers with no screening (BusinessDay).

What Not to Do

Don't assume every connected hire is unqualified. Some are excellent, and judging people only by their sponsors is its own unfairness. Don't treat a connection as a substitute for skill. The seat has to be earned after the door opens. Don't pay for a job or a "connection". It is a common scam. Don't give up because you lack access. Build proof, apply widely, and network honestly. Don't ignore conflicts of interest if you hire. Declaring them protects you and the candidate. Don't assume merit and inclusion are enemies. Well-run processes can have both.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between networking and nepotism? Networking builds relationships that help you learn about and compete for opportunities, and the decision still rests on your ability. Nepotism gives an advantage because of family ties, usually without a fair assessment.

Is getting a job through connections always wrong? Not always. A referral that supplies real information about a candidate, followed by a proper assessment, can be a good way to hire. It becomes a problem when favour replaces the assessment.

Do nepotism and connections reduce performance? The evidence is mixed. Research shows referrals can improve performance and retention, while studies of family successions and Nigerian public-sector hiring link favour-based appointments to weaker performance. Accountability is the deciding factor.

What is a conflict of interest in hiring? It arises when a person involved in a hiring decision has a personal interest in the outcome, such as a relative, friend, or business partner applying. It isn't wrongdoing by itself. The key is to declare it, step back from the decision, and let an independent person or panel decide.

Is nepotism illegal in Nigeria? We found no single provision that bans hiring relatives, and a political scientist quoted by Daily Trust noted there is no constitutional clause prohibiting children of politicians from holding office. The Code of Conduct for Public Officers does bar putting personal interest in conflict with official duty, and other laws and rules, such as public service recruitment rules and anti-corruption provisions, may apply depending on the facts, so seek legal advice for specific cases.

How do I get a job in Nigeria without connections? Build proof of skill, polish your CV and profile, network honestly, apply directly through official channels, and consider remote or international roles where assessments count more.

What should someone hired through a connection do? Prepare, ask for clear targets, deliver early results, accept feedback, and protect the reputation of whoever recommended you. That is our suggestion, and it is an opinion, not a standard.

The Bottom Line

Connections will keep shaping hiring in Nigeria, and the evidence says they are not all bad. A good referral can bring trust and speed. But when influence replaces assessment, performance, morale, and fairness suffer, and the people without access pay the price. The practical middle path is simple to state and hard to practise: let a connection open the door, test everyone fairly, and let results decide who stays. Employers can build that into their process, favoured hires can earn their seat, and job seekers without connections can build proof, network honestly, and keep applying.

This article draws on the Journal of Political Economy (via NBER), J-PAL, the Quarterly Journal of Economics (via NBER), BusinessDay, Daily Trust, Democracy in Africa, Vanguard, The Guardian Nigeria, and Nigerian academic studies (Gberevbie 2010, KWASU 2018), the Fifth Schedule to the 1999 Constitution, corporate governance commentary on CAMA 2020 and the Nigerian Code of Corporate Governance, current as of October 2026. Political cases are as reported by the named outlets and are not allegations of wrongdoing by this publication. The 44 percent figure comes from an unnamed survey cited in an opinion analysis and is unverified. Research on referrals and family succession comes from non-Nigerian settings and is used as a benchmark only. We found no nationwide study comparing the performance of favoured and non-favoured hires in Nigeria. The view that favoured hires should perform excellently is an opinion, not a legal or professional standard. This article is general information, not legal or career advice.