19th January, 2022
By Benson Ezugwu
Gov. Ben Ayade of Cross River has ordered immediate recruitment into the civil service to fill the vacuum that may occur due to workers’ retirements.
The new Head of Service (HoS), Mr Timothy Akwaji, disclosed this on Wednesday during his maiden meeting with permanent secretaries on Wednesday in Calabar.
Akwaji said that the creation of Akwa Ibom from Cross River in 1987 had witnessed a mass exodus of civil servants to the new state.
This, he said, had led to mass recruitment by the state government to fill the attendant vacant positions.
“Most of these workers will be exiting the service, having completed their mandatory 35 years in service and this may create a bureaucratic vacuum if there is no mentoring of those who may be left behind to keep the service running.
“The governor has, therefore, given approval for the recruitment of workers to cushion the effect of the impending mass retirement from the state civil service,” he said.
The head of service stressed the need for the permanent secretaries to mentor their subordinates, as directors and other civil servants looked up to them as role models.
According to him, mentorship in the service has become necessary to enable civil servants discharge their responsibilities effectively.