by Abia State Governor, Dr Alex Otti has sworn in the first set of 24 permanent secretaries recently appointed by his administration with a charge for them to adopt a new service orientation that is cost effective and timely.
Governor Otti who was speaking during the swearing in ceremony of the new permanent secretaries at Government House Umuahia, urged them to work closely with stakeholders in the ICT sector especially the state Ministry of Science and Technology for a digitized civil service system.
The Governor said that his target in the next 12 to 24 months is to fully launch the Abia state civil service to a digital platform with improved ICT and capacity training for a more efficient service delivery.
He also charged them to strive to improve themselves and prepare to do things differently in a more productive way to enable the state civil service become the real engine room for effective service delivery.
The Governor who said that the permanent secretaries were painstakingly selected out of over 320 Directors who sat for the selection examination, congratulated them for emerging from the rigorous selection process.
The State Chief Executive while also emphasizing that his administration in line with the new Abia agenda is only interested in what one can offer rather than one’s state of origin as can be seen in one of the permanent secretaries who is neither from the state nor South East region.
Responding on behalf of her Colleagues, one of the newly sworn in permanent secretaries, Mrs Ngozi Queen Obioma promised that they will work in line with the civil service reform agenda of the present administration as well as justify the confidence reposed in them.
Our correspondent reports that the Deputy Governor of Abia State, Chief Ikechukwu Emetu, the state chairman of Labor Party, Elder Ceekay Igara, members of the state Executive Council, the state Acting Head of Service, Lady Joy Maduka among others were present during the swearing in ceremony.
