August 16, 2025 – Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno, has reaffirmed his commitment to a fair and transparent recruitment process into the State Civil Service.
Speaking during the Monthly Prayer Service at the Latter House Chapel, Government House, Uyo, the governor stated, “Today at our Monthly Prayer Service, I reaffirmed my commitment to transparent, merit-based recruitment into the State Civil Service. Over 15,000 applied, but only 3,000 will be engaged, strictly through a computer-based test with instant results. There are no slots, and there is no favouritism.”
Expanding on the process, Governor Eno explained, “I am told that about 15,000 Akwa Ibom youths applied for the Civil Service Job. 3000 is what we want to engage. The truth is, it will be a computer-based test. As you finish, the result is coming out for you to see whether you passed it or not. So, don’t bother sending me texts for slots. It is not just possible. For once, we will do this one like that. If you don’t understand computer, you don’t have to bother. Let’s give the right people the opportunity to go and do this job.”
He added that 12,000 applicants would be eliminated at the first stage, while 5,000 would proceed to the oral interview before the final list of 3,000 successful candidates is compiled. “Please don’t be angry with us, that is the approach we would adopt for this process,” the governor said.
The civil service recruitment process, which covered various disciplines such as education, healthcare, engineering, administration, law, science, agriculture, finance, and technical services, has been described as one of the most transparent in the state.
According to the Honourable Commissioner for Science and Digital Economy, Dr. Frank Ekpenyong, the recruitment exercise attracted thousands of qualified applicants across different professional fields, and the application portal officially closed on July 31, 2025.
Successful candidates will fill positions across different cadres, including teachers, nurses, administrators, engineers, scientists, state counsels, technicians, accountants, and agriculturists.
The governor emphasized that many job seekers have been able to secure employment without knowing anyone, urging more citizens to use the portal for opportunities.
Governor Eno also spoke about his inspection of ongoing projects across the state, highlighting the active participation of youths.
“We spent the last two days in a row for inspections, and I want to thank members of the Council, and all of the Delivery Advisors who went round with me physically inspecting the projects in this State. We have about 60 projects, not only roads, but we were able to inspect just 23 key ones. Everywhere I went, my joy was that I saw young people working and they were happy. It shows that our people are engaged. I saw young female engineers, and that thrilled me so much.”
He appealed to Akwa Ibom youths to embrace hard work and move away from what he described as a “sense of entitlement.”
He stressed, “Please help me beg our young people, let’s stop this sense of entitlement. There are projects spread around all the local government areas. We are engaging our young people and providing work for them. Please go to the portal, apply and you will be considered.”
On welfare, the governor announced that the third phase of food distribution for vulnerable families will commence on August 20, 2025. He explained that the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs will publish dates for each local government, while warning against disorder. “Only vulnerable citizens with food vouchers are expected at the distribution centers,” he stated.
Governor Eno also used the opportunity to celebrate Akwa Ibom indigenes excelling nationally, including Mrs. Obot Bassey, who was recently promoted to the rank of Assistant Commandant General of Narcotics (ACGN) in the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
The prayer service featured a sermon by Bishop Gabriel Nkanang, General Overseer of Word Tabernacle, who preached on the theme “Run the Race” from Hebrews 12:1-2, urging Christians to run life’s race with patience and perseverance.
Reassuring citizens of his administration’s direction, Governor Eno concluded, “Akwa Ibom is moving forward, and by God’s grace, we will not disappoint.”