Gov Bassey Otu Lifts Hiring Ban, Launches Mass Recruitment

The Governor of Cross River State, Bassey Otu has lifted the 25-year ban on hiring new staff in the state’s civil service.

According to Dr. Erasmus Ekpang, the Commissioner for Information, the last time the state hired new staff was in 1999.

In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Calabar on Wednesday, August 7, 2024 Ekpang said, “we’re talking about a quarter-century of no new hires,”but now, we’re starting fresh with a new recruitment exercise that will bring in 2,000 new faces in the first phase.”

Dr. Ekpang said the previous administration tried to hire new staff, but it didn’t work out as expected. “When we took over, we found some problems with the way it was done,” he said. “We’re not focusing on what went wrong. Instead, we’re moving forward and working to make our civil service better.”

“We’re starting our recruitment process immediately,” Dr. Ekpang announced. “This will help us fill important roles in our government teams and improve our services.”

“Dr. Ekpang when asked about the minimum wage said the N70,000 minimum wage issue will be addressed later.”

“Governor Otu thanked the people of Cross River State for staying peaceful during the recent protests. He praised the young people who opted not to take part and instead helped maintain peace.