Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno, has announced a comprehensive welfare and empowerment package for the more than 33,000 applicants who sat for the State Civil Service Computer-Based Test, CBT, assuring that no candidate will be excluded regardless of performance. The Governor made this known on Thursday during a briefing at Government House, Uyo, after receiving an update on the test outcome from the Commissioner for Science and Digital Economy, Dr. Frank Ekpenyong.
Governor Eno stated that every applicant who took part in the exercise will receive a support allowance of ₦50,000 aimed at covering transport and welfare expenses. According to him, “People don’t come for interviews and walk away with nothing. Let them get the fifty thousand naira they spent on transport and lunch.”
To address unemployment among unsuccessful candidates, the Governor disclosed that those who did not meet the cut-off score will be enrolled into the Dakkada Skills Acquisition Programme. He explained that while the state cannot employ everyone, various ongoing projects across Akwa Ibom require skilled manpower, making vocational training a pathway for income and sustainability.
For the 12,000 candidates who scored between 50 and 90 percent, Governor Eno confirmed that oral interviews will take place between January and February. He ordered the immediate establishment of a committee to handle scrutiny and interview processes to ensure transparency.
A total of 4,000 successful applicants are expected to receive employment letters by the first week of March, followed by compulsory induction and training. The Governor further directed the creation of a database for the remaining successful applicants to be considered for future job openings within the next two to three years. “We need four thousand now. Next time we need one thousand, we simply select from this database. So, there is hope,” he emphasized.
In his presentation earlier, Dr. Ekpenyong said that 12,500 candidates passed the CBT, with 5,257 scoring very good excellent marks, far exceeding the 4,000 vacancies available.
He disclosed that Persons with Disabilities were given a dedicated one hour to write the test instead of the standard 40 minutes. However, only one PWD candidate scored up to 60 percent, while two exceptional candidates from the general pool achieved 90 percent of the total score.
