The civil service is different from the public service in terms of

Step 1: Analyze the question The question asks how the civil service differs from the public service. We need to recall what each one is.

Step 2: Explain the concepts

• Public service: This is the broad sector. It covers all government employees in ministries, departments, agencies, parastatals, state-owned corporations (such as NNPC and NEPA/PHCN), the armed forces, the police, the judiciary, and so on.
• Civil service: This is a smaller part of the public service. It covers permanent, non-political staff who work in government ministries and departments and carry out government policies (for example, a Permanent Secretary or a Director in a ministry).

Both are made up of employees of government, so the difference is not in who they work for. It lies in how they are employed and managed. Civil servants are governed by the Civil Service Rules and the Public Service Rules. They have a specific scheme of service, a fixed grade-level structure, and set rules on appointment, promotion, discipline, pension and retirement. Many other public service bodies have their own separate conditions of service. Examples are parastatals, the military and the police.

Step 3: Evaluate the options

• A. Educational qualification: Wrong. Both sectors hire people at all levels of qualification.
• B. Political affiliation: Wrong. Civil servants are meant to be politically neutral, and public servants are generally expected to be as well. Neither is defined by party membership.
• C. Conditions of service: Correct. Civil servants and other public servants have different terms of appointment, promotion, discipline and remuneration.
• D. Personality and stature: Wrong. This is not a criterion for any government job.

Step 4: Answer The correct option is C. conditions of service.

Exam tip: Remember that the civil service is a subset of the public service. When a question asks how they differ, think about structure, rules, and conditions of employment, not qualifications or politics.