Eno abolishes employment slots in A’Ibom

Ini Billie Uyo

The Akwa Ibom State Governor, Umo Eno, stated that he has eliminated employment slots in the state civil service, despite opposition from old politicians who have opposed the decision.

Eno, who said the era of ‘knowing someone in government to get a job’ in the state civil service had ended, insisted that all applicants for the 3,000 employment positions recently announced in the civil service must pass through a computer-based test so they can get their results immediately.

Speaking at the weekend in Ikot Ekpene about his efforts in digitalising operations in the state civil service, the governor said anyone who cannot operate a computer has no business being an employee in the state civil service.

“All applications for employment in the state civil service are done through the ARISE employment portal.

“And we have insisted that all employment in the civil service of the state must come through the portal, and everyone will take a computer-based test so that they can get their results right on the spot.

“We have eliminated this idea of slots and people coming through the governor’s office, through the deputy governor’s office.

It may not sit well with some of our politicians who are not used to this, but that’s the only way to go.

“I believe strongly that if anyone does not know how to operate a computer, he or she has no business joining the civil service. The civil service is a serious business. It’s the engine of governance, and we don’t have room for mediocrity anymore.

“So I have consistently advised our young people to learn computers, to appreciate computers, to understand that we are in a digitalised age and run away from this idea of you have to know someone before you get employed or get and get businesses. We have eliminated that.

“It’s an uphill task, I must tell you. Most of the politicians who are the old stock do not agree with me. They still bombard my phone and tell me this is not workable. But I know it takes just one person to push something through, and it takes people who do not know anybody to come to government, and they will know that they got this job by the grace of God,” he stated.

The governor stated that he was representing the majority of Akwa Ibom people who do not have people to speak for them in government.

He added that his emergence as governor was because former governor, Mr Udom Emmanuel, believed in his capacity, adding that if it were on a ‘man-know-man basis’, he wouldn’t have been nominated as governor.

“As a governor, I came to this office only by the grace of God and through the help of my predecessor, Udom Gabriel Emmanuel. If it was left for me to maybe told to bring somebody because I knew somebody, I wouldn’t even have nominated myself because I’m an outsider. I’m not in the political class.

“But it took someone who believed in someone who has capacity, who believed that capacity. And because of this crowd of witnesses around us, we have to run this race and lay aside every baggage that we have we think we can inherit.

“I believe that I’m here to represent the vast majority of those who have nobody to speak for them but have the capacity to get the job done.

And that is one thing that digitalisation will do. It’s a leveller for everybody, and that’s the truth,” explained.