Business Ethics and Organisational Trust in the Nigerian Public Service: Evidence from Ebonyi State Ministries

The erosion of ethical standards in Nigeria's public service has been identified as a primary driver of institutional distrust, service delivery failures, and corruption, making business ethics a critical governance and management concern for state-level administrations. This study examines the relationship between business ethics practices and organisational trust in Ebonyi State Government ministries. The research is anchored on the Social Contract Theory, which holds that institutions derive their legitimacy and the trust of stakeholders from an implicit agreement to act in the collective public interest. A cross-sectional survey research design was adopted. The population comprised civil servants, supervisors, and ministry users across nine Ebonyi State ministries. A sample of 248 respondents was selected using stratified random sampling, with proportionate allocation across grade levels and ministry functions. Data were collected via structured questionnaires and analysed using Spearman's rank correlation and multiple regression. Findings reveal that integrity in public procurement, transparent communication by leadership, and consistent accountability mechanisms are the ethical dimensions most significantly predicting high levels of organisational trust among civil servants and service beneficiaries. The study further finds that enforcement of the civil service code of conduct, when consistently applied, increases staff trust in institutional leadership by a significant margin. It is concluded that business ethics is foundational to rebuilding organisational trust in the Ebonyi State public service. The study recommends that the Head of Civil Service establish an independent ethics compliance office, mandate annual ethics training for all civil servants, and create protected whistleblowing channels to encourage ethical reporting.

Keywords: Business ethics, organisational trust, Ebonyi State, Social Contract Theory, public service