Abia Governor lifts employment ban, hires 19 tech graduates

Governor Alex Otti of Abia State has officially lifted the ban on civil service recruitment, immediately employing 19 top graduates from the state's TechRise Information and Communication Technology (ICT) program. The announcement came during the graduation ceremony for the program's third cohort in Umuahia on Friday.

“

I’m hereby lifting the ban on civil service employment and directing the Head of Service to immediately and automatically recruit the 19 of you.

During the ceremony, 850 youths completed a rigorous three-month training in ICT. Governor Otti stated that the recruitment of the 19 graduates is part of his administration's strategy to retain skilled talent and enhance public service delivery. He directed the Head of Service to work with relevant officials to identify ICT competency gaps within government ministries, departments, and agencies that these graduates can fill.

In addition to their employment, Otti announced the establishment of a special salary structure for ICT professionals within the civil service. He also ensured that the 850 laptops used by the graduates during their training were transferred to them as personal property to support their ongoing professional development. Each of the 850 graduates also received a cash gift of N100,000, with a charge to leverage their new skills for business creation, innovation, and job opportunities.

“

A central part of our value multiplication outlook is to retain the best hands from each cohort of the programme and have them contribute directly in improving social service delivery through the institutions of government.

Since its inception, the TechRise ICT skills development program has seen 2,210 participants complete the training. Governor Otti highlighted this milestone as a significant step in preparing Abia's youth for the demands of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. He challenged the graduates to transform their skills into viable businesses and innovations, cautioning against their misuse for criminal activities. The governor also expressed support for a functional drone developed by some graduates, directing the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation to explore its commercial viability.

“

The most encouraging development from today’s graduation ceremony is the introduction of hundreds of new job-ready professionals into our economy.