Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State has tasked the newly sworn in permanent secretaries in the state civil service to appraise themselves with the vision and policy of his administration especially in the terms of creating job opportunities for the teeming youths.
Ikpeazu who gave the charge during the swearing in ceremony of seven new permanent secretaries at Government House Umuahia,noted that job creation can be achieved through Agriculture and industrialization stressing that his administration is laying emphasis on Enyimba Economic City which he said will provide 7,000 jobs between now and the next ten years.
In his words: “All other aspects of government business including provision of infrastructure is important but not as important as job creation,therefore I want you to take the policy of government in terms of job creation very seriously.
“I want to remind you that unless we think seriously on how to create jobs, Abia State will eventually not be able to operate beyond the foreseeable future.
“Every state must look for a way to provide opportunities for our teeming youths to find a place to work so that by 2023 when the population of Nigeria will almost double and Abia is not excluded. I wonder what will happen if we do not do anything about job creation”.
The Governor while reminding them that the civil service remains the engine room that drives governments, urged them to address the issue of lack of discipline in the service system.
According to the governor, his administration will soon embark on “serious reforms” in the state civil service adding that government will depend on the permanent secretaries to drive such reforms and policies down to all cadres of the civil service.
He congratulated them on their new assignment, expressing optimism that they will carry out their tasks creditably.
In his acceptance speech on behalf of other newly sworn in permanent secretaries, Mr Nwachukwu Isaac thanked the governor for finding them worthy to serve assuring that they will help in implementing government policies and programmes in the state.
The newly sworn in permanent secretaries include, Ikpeoha Friday, Nwaigwe Innocent, Dimanichie Joy, Ajuzie Eze, Njoku Okwuchi and Ngwakwe Amarachi and Nwachukwu Isaac.
Wife of the Governor Deaconess Nkechi Ikpeazu and wife of the deputy governor, Vivian Ude Oko Chukwu among other major stakeholders witnessed the event.
