Governor Bassey Otu of Cross River State has lifted the 25-year embargo on employment within the state’s civil service. This significant announcement was made by the Commissioner for Information, Dr. Erasmus Ekpang, during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Calabar on Wednesday.
Dr. Ekpang highlighted that the last mass recruitment into the state civil service occurred in 1999. The governor’s decision will initiate a phased recruitment process, with 2,000 new employees to be hired in the first phase. The recruitment will encompass all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) across the state.
Addressing previous employment attempts by the immediate past administration, Ekpang noted that several flaws were identified when the current administration took office, prompting the need for a fresh and thorough recruitment process. “As we speak, the state civil service is almost depleted, and we are indeed happy that the governor has deemed it necessary to recruit at this point,” he said.
When questioned about the possibility of the state adopting the N70,000 minimum wage, Ekpang stated that such a decision would be considered at an appropriate time.
In a related development, Governor Otu expressed his appreciation to the people of Cross River for abstaining from the nationwide “Hunger Protest,” which began on August 1. He specifically praised the youth for maintaining peace in the state.
