Discuss the characteristics of the Civil Service

• Permanence or Security of Tenure: A Civil Servant if he is of good behaviour
  must work for a certain number of years before he
  will be retired. Civil Servants are  
  career officials and they are
  protected from frequent and arbitrary
  dismissal from office. A civil servant can only be dismissed or sacked from office on grounds
  of embezzlement, bribery, and corruption against him. If a civil servant is of
  good conduct he will stay in office
  for thirty five years or attain
  the age of 60 years before he will
  be retired.
• Impartiality: A civil servant must be politically neutral and non-partisan. A Civil Servant must serve any government that comes
  to power impartially and without
  divided loyalty. A civil servant
  may have his political beliefs but
  he must not express it publicly. A civil
  servant must not belong to any
  political party.
• Expertise: Employment into the civil service is based on
  academic qualification and merit. People are employed into the civil service to
  occupy positions which their qualification and aptitude are best suited for. This is why
  employment into the civil
  service is based on competitive examination and oral interview. 
• Anonymity: A Civil Servant is not praised or blamed in public for any work
  done by him. If the work done is good the minister who is the political head of the ministry will take the
  praise in public and vice versa. The
  role played by a civil servant in the formulation or implementation of any policy must not be made
  public. The civil servant must remain
  anonymous or in-camera.
•  Neutrality: The civil service and its workers are
  politically neutral. They are not expected to
  participate in partisan politics unless they resign
  their appointment.
•  Bureaucracy or Red
  Tapism: There are rules and regulations
  which are strictly followed in the civil service. The various rules and
  regulations guiding the civil service are contained in the genera!
  order i.e. (G. O.) .   and
  financial regulations of the civil service.
•  Merit: Recruitment into the civil service is based on
  merit and not on quota for them to perform
  their functions very well and ensure success
  of the government