Abia Govt Puts Employment on Hold, Cites Civil Service Challenges

Alex Otti, Abia State Governor

Government is not prioritizing employment right now, according to Governor Otti

According to Abia State Governor Alex Otti, hiring more employees for the state's civil service is not a top priority for his government.

This was disclosed by the governor on Thursday in Umuahia at the monthly interactive session with the media.

He indicated that after the government resolved its issues with the civil service, the topic of employment will come up.

He says there is an embargo that I put in place, and it remains in effect.

He noted that even after verification, there were still a lot of people in the public service.

Otti highlighted the massive monthly pay expense for the state and local governments, which comes to almost four billion naira.

However, the governor gave assurances that the administration was making every effort to raise and improve the salary of governmental personnel.

He stated that the government was aware that a sizable portion of the military population might not be making the most contributions possible and that action would need to be taken.

He said: “So, it may not be a priority at this time to open up the doors to bring in new people, except if we have a way of exiting a few people.

“But you know with the civil service rules, it is not going to be very easy to exit people.

“What we are trying to do with the establishment of the Civil Service Commission and resumption of the new Head of Service and new Permanent Secretaries is to ensure that our people are adequately trained.

“This is to enable them operate their skills and perform better.”

Speaking on his advancements in infrastructure, agriculture, education, health, and other sectors, the governor addressed a variety of topics, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN). (Nan)