Israel Umoh
To boost the state workforce, Akwa Ibom Government is ready to employ 3,000 persons into the public service to address unemployment and stimulate the local economy.
By this, 1,000 persons would be employed into the mainstream of the state civil service, 1,000 into the Medical sector and 1,000 into the teaching service (both secondary and primary sectors).
Announcing this Monday at the commencement of 2025 Public Service Week celebration in Uyo, Elder Effiong Essien, the State Head of Civil Service, commended the State Governor Umo Eno for granting approval for employment of the qualified candidates who applied through the employment portal.
Elder Essien who said a public lecture of the Week on the theme: Leveraging Technology for a Smart and Agile Public Service would be delivered by the Commissioner for Science and Digital Economy, Dr. Frank Ekpenyong at the Civil Service Auditorium, Uyo at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, June 25.
Other activities lined up for the Week are Novelty Football Match between workers in the mainstream civil service and the Unified Local Government Service to hold at the Civil Service field, Idongesit Nkanga Secretariat, Uyo at 4 p.m. on Friday, June 27, Road Walk from Idongesit Nkanga Secretariat, Uyo at 7 a.m. on Saturday, June 28 and a Thanksgiving Service at International Worship Centre, Uyo on Sunday, June 29 at noon.
The Head of Civil Service who described Governor Eno as workers’ friendly Governor said the governor approved the Public Service Week celebration in 2004 after a 10 years’ hiatus.
Essien praised Governor Eno for the manifest achievements made to civil servants, particularly in prioritising workers’ welfare and making such a first-line charge of his administration.
According to him, the Governor had approved payment of N80,000 New Minimum Wage against the Federal Government-approved N70,000 to the state public servants, prompt payment of monthly salaries to workers in the public service, refund of N2.5 billion being 7.5 per cent contributory pension scheme to mainly primary school teachers, release of promotions to workers, approval to employ 100 occupational workers for safety and speedy release of SUVs cars to Permanent Secretaries to ease work performance.
Others, he listed, are the donation of 150 houses to junior civil servants, payment of N1 million to each of the best worker in the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), payment of wardrobe allowance to teachers, clearance of a backlog of gratuity owed primary schools’ teachers, payment of N60 billion gratuity remaining N30 billion to retirees and payment of the 13th month salary popularly known as Enomber to workers.
Earlier, Mrs Grace Akpan, Chairman of the 2025 Public Service Week celebration, had hailed Governor Eno, whom she described as ‘‘Workers Friendly Governor’’ for approving the week for workers, seen as the engine room of every government.
For this year’s week, Mrs Akpan, who is also the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Culture and Tourism, said the celebration would be extended to workers in the mainstream civil service, unified local government system and those in the Federal Civil Service in the state.
