Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, has underscored the importance of prioritizing competence and meritocracy in public service, stating that Abia State must break away from past practices of mediocrity.
Governor Otti stated this, Friday, at the Banquet Hall, Government House Umuahua, during a send off ceremony organized in honour of the immediate past Head of Service (HoS), Dr. Mrs. Ngozi Queen Obioma, in recognition of her meritorious service to the State.
The Governor stressed the need for the people to begin to think differently and focus on performance, skills, competence and excellence in the public service which the State is known for.
He maintained that promoting mediocrity is no longer going to be the lot of Abia.
“I want us to begin to think differently to achieve performance , delivery, skills , competence. That’s what Abia is. Forget about what has happened in the past when we had mediocres.
“Some of them are lighting around the corner, they don’t even understand that the train has left the station. They are saying, ‘oh, the man wants to join PDP, by tomorrow, I’m sure they would say I want to join APGA.
“But these are not what we are known for. We are known as competent people. Our people are resilient people, that’s why what you do, if you don’t fix Aba , this state is gone.
“So, we must continue to work inthis direction; where people see merit over mediocrity ,” Gov. Otti stated.
Governor Otti who reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to recognizing excellence and rewarding competence, described the immediate past Head of Service as a distinguished public servant worthy of celebration.
“We will keep honouring those who have performed. If she didn’t do well I wouldn’t come here tonight and probably this place wouldn’t be open this evening..
“And because she has done well. And it is something for all of us to emulate. If you do well, we honour, if you don’t do well, we may not say so but you would see our action,” Gov. Otti noted.
The Governor Otti while commending Dr. Obioma’s contributions to the development of the State, shared insights into the transparent selection process that led to her appointment as a Permanent Secretary before she became Head of Service.
“I never knew her from Adam, I never knew her name. We did an oral interview and after the oral interview, we took average scores and somebody scored 85 percent.
“I said that the person who scored 85 percent will be the number one Permanent Secretary and behold it was Dr. Queen Ngozi Obioma.
“That process is a blind process. I don’t care whether you are a woman or a man or whether you are from Abia or from Kafachan”, he noted.
In their goodwill messages, Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Prince Uzor Nwachukwu, Chief of Staff to the Governor, and several Permanent Secretaries, including Uche Ukpabi Ukeje and Magdalen Onwa, lauded Dr. Obioma’s professionalism and dedication.
They acknowledged her crucial role in implementing the administration’s policies and vision.
The send-off ceremony was attended by Deputy Governor, Engr. Ikechukwu Emetu, members of the State Executive Council, the current Head of Service, Mr. Benson Ojeikere, Senior Government officials, and the celebrant’s husband, Ambassador King Obioma Onwuneme.
