In a significant move to enhance administrative efficiency and revitalise public service delivery, the Rivers State Executive Council has approved the immediate recruitment of 5,000 indigenes into the state’s civil service.
The approval was granted during a Council meeting presided over by Governor Siminalayi Fubara at the Government House in Port Harcourt on Tuesday. The session was attended by the Deputy Governor, Professor Ngozi Nma Odu, and other senior members of the state cabinet.
Briefing journalists following the deliberations, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Information and Communications, Dr Honor Sirawoo, revealed that the recruitment drive is strategically targeted at the education sector to address critical staffing gaps.
The distribution of the new personnel is as follows:
3,000 Recruits: To be deployed to basic and primary schools across the state’s 23 Local Government Areas. 2,000 Recruits: To be assigned to post-primary (secondary) institutions.
Dr Sirawoo emphasised that the primary objective of this exercise is to strengthen the quality of instruction and service delivery within the state’s school system. He further noted that this latest approval brings the total number of individuals employed under the Fubara administration to approximately 9,500.
This new intake follows several specialised recruitment exercises previously sanctioned by the current administration. Dr Sirawoo provided a retrospective look at the government’s employment milestones:
2,000 Personnel: Recruited for medical and healthcare services, 1,500 Staff: Appointed to Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, and 1,000 Personnel: Employed under the Universal Basic Education (UBE) scheme.
The Permanent Secretary stressed that the administration remains committed to a merit-based selection process. “The process for the employment of these approved 5,000 persons will be well-guided to ensure that only qualified persons are recruited,” he assured, adding that the Governor prefers a philosophy of “quiet and effective service delivery” over excessive publicity.
Welcoming the development, the Commissioner for Employment Generation and Economic Empowerment, Dr Chisom Kenneth Gbali, described the policy as a “major boost” for the state’s economy. He noted that his ministry is the primary beneficiary of this plan, as it directly addresses youth unemployment and provides stable career paths for indigenes.
The Council’s decision is expected to alleviate the workload on existing educators and ensure that the growing population of students in Rivers State has access to a robust and well-staffed academic environment.
