When the country’s most influential administrators gather in Umuahia, the Capital City of Abia State, renowned as God’s own State from 30 November to 5 December for the 44th National Council Meeting of Civil Service Commissions of the Federation, they will meet a State dramatically different from the one many remember.
For some, the conference is far more than a routine gathering, it is a declaration of rebirth, a bold and public unveiling of a Civil Service undergoing one of the most ambitious transformations in contemporary Nigeria under the able leadership of Governor Alex Chioma Otti. For others, Abia’s selection as host is no coincidence, but a national endorsement of the State’s sweeping reforms and pragmatic leadership.
For the first time in decades, the conversation around Abia’s Public Service has shifted from stagnation to renaissance, one rooted in clear vision, disciplined execution and purposeful innovation.
At the centre of this renaissance is Pastor Dr Eno Jerry Eze, Chairman of the Abia State Civil Service Commission, a Human Resource Professional, governance reform advocate whose blend of administrative rigour is driving initiatives that promote excellence, merit based systems and innovation in Public Service delivery.
Pastor Dr Eno Jerry Eze brings to the Commission a rich blend of HR expertise, governance experience, and pastoral leadership. Her philosophy of purposeful, people-centred leadership is shaping a new culture across the State workforce.
With a background spanning Banking, Oil and Gas, Development Consulting and Church Ministry, Pastor Dr Eno Jerry Eze’s vision is to restore the quality of public service through a professional, skilled system fully equipped to support the present administration is gradually yielding the desired dividends.
When Pastor Dr Eno Jerry Eze assumed office as Chairman of the Commission, many observers sensed that a shift was imminent. Few, however anticipated the scale, depth and pace of transformation that would follow. Today, under her leadership and with the political will of Governor Alex Otti, Abia State is emerging as a national model for Civil Service renewal in terms of modernization , accountability, digitally enabled and fiercely merit-driven.
Her words at a pre-conference briefing were as confident as they were revealing: “Abia has earned this moment. The choice of our state to host the 44th Council Meeting is a national recognition of the reforms we have institutionalised under the leadership of His Excellency, Governor Alex Otti. Our systems are working again, and we are ready to showcase them”.
For years, successive administrations grappled with a Civil Service weighed down by redundancy, outdated practices, stalled promotions and a pervasive culture of stagnation. But since the advent of Governor Alex Otti’s administration, the narrative has shifted dramatically with the State Civil Service reclaiming its administrative identity.
Dr Eze describes this shift with the clarity of someone who has spent her career studying how institutions succeed and fail.
“The Civil Service is the engine room of any functional state. If it breaks down, governance collapses. Our focus is to rebuild that engine professionally, ethically, and systematically so it can deliver the Governor’s vision for a modern, efficient and citizen-centred Abia”.
This philosophy guided the creation of the Commission’s first comprehensive strategic plan, complete with a new vision, mission, and values system; the foundation upon which the new Abia Public Service stands.
Under her leadership, the Commission now pursues a clear vision: A corps of professional, disciplined and productive Civil Servants dedicated to delivering exceptional service to the people of Abia State, A New Abia and New Ways of Working.
One of the most visible achievements of the Commission is the Digital Revolution in the State’s Civil Service and aggressive adoption of technology. Under, the present administration, Abia has moved away from outdated administrative processes and towards a full Human Resource Management Information System (HRMIS), a first in the State’s history.
Perhaps the most significant shift is the Commission’s merit-based recruitment of 771 Health Professionals, Consultants, Medical Officers, Nurses, Dental Specialists and Therapists selected through a digitalised and transparent Computer-Based Testing (CBT) model where every stage was automated. Candidates wrote tests and received results instantly. Interviews were structured in batches to ensure professionalism.
* The Civil Service Commission has also recorded notable milestones with the support of the Governor, which include Skills Mapping for the Entire Civil Service. With the groundbreaking exercise underway to document competencies across all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), this will feed into the forthcoming Human Resource Management Information System (HRMIS), which will digitise the entire civil-service lifecycle from recruitment to retirement.
*Capacity Building and Professional Development. In partnership with the State Government, the Commission has sponsored Civil Servants for Local and National Training Programmes, including 20 delegates to the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM) Conference.
*Clearing Backlogs and Strengthening Discipline. The Commission has sorted out the backlog of promotions for 2022, 2023, and 2024 while the process for 2025 is ongoing. The Commission has also closed out lingering disciplinary cases.
*Top State in Health Emergency Preparedness:
Abia State was recently ranked the most prepared state in Nigeria for Health Emergencies, according to the 2025 SBM Health Preparedness Index report, scoring 26.85, the highest in the country. This achievement reflects the Commission’s deliberate investment in human health capital, robust budgetary allocations (14.8% of the state budget), and strong governance systems. It further underscores the effectiveness of the Commission’s recruitment and capacity-building efforts and the State’s readiness to respond
*Publication of the Annual Report (1 January – 31 December 2023): For the first time in many years, the Civil Service Commission produced and published a comprehensive Annual Report covering activities from 1 January to 31 December 2023.This report documents the Commission’s reforms, recruitment processes, promotions, disciplinary actions, capacity-building efforts, policy updates, and strategic priorities. Its publication has strengthened transparency, accountability, preserving institutional memory and provides stakeholders with clear, data-driven insights into the Commission’s work and impact.
*Enhancing Partnership and Synergy: The Commission has partnered with other MDAs (the Head of Service, Ministry of Health, Office of the Secretary to the Government) to achieve various initiatives of the present administration. In partnership with Cosharis, Abia has rolled out electronic buses, demonstrating our commitment to
innovation and improving public services.
Other key achievements of the Commission Include:
*Abia Leadership Academy (Investing in Generation NEXT).
* Supporting Ongoing Civil Service Reforms:
The Commission supports ongoing Civil Service reforms, including the process of
transitioning from administrative–clerical services and routine manual
documentation to strategic HR Management, managing people (talent) and resources to achieve specific goals and objectives.
Beyond the Civil Service, Pastor Dr Eno Jerry Eze also leads Abia’s Human Capital Development (HCD) portfolio, an assignment she describes as “the heart of good governance”. Her philosophy is simple: Governance succeeds when people are empowered.
Under this approach, the State integrates HCD initiatives across Education, Health, Agriculture, Women Affairs, Poverty Alleviation, the Disability Commission and the Civil Service Commission. Abia now meets National budgetary benchmarks in Education and Health, recruits professionals to strengthen public institutions and ensures prompt payment of salaries and pensions – a sharp break from the past.
The Commission is already mapping out the next chapter of its transformation agenda with the full deployment of the Human Resource Management Information System (HRMIS), Technology-driven Personnel Management, Enhanced service standards across MDAs. Other elements of the next chapter outlook of the Abia public service include Strengthened performance evaluation and productivity metrics, deeper collaboration with the Office of the Head of Service and continued transition from manual administration to strategic HR Management.
As all 36 States and the Federal Capital Territory gather in Umuahia to participate in the week-long 44th National Council Meeting of Civil Service Commissions of the Federation, it would be an opportunity for delegates to study the fast-evolving model of public service transformation in Abia State. They would encounter a State determined to redefine the meaning of public service in Nigeria. The ongoing reforms reflect not just administrative restructuring, but a deeper cultural shift, a rebirth of purpose, professionalism and accountability.
In many ways, the 44th National Council Meeting is the story of a State reclaiming its prideof place at the National level. It is the story of a people discovering that governance can indeed be made different and better. It is also the story of a woman whose leadership has become synonymous with renewal.
As Abia State steps into national spotlight during the Annual Council Meeting, one message stands clear: Abia is building a modern, motivated and high-performing public service reinforcing Governor Otti’s commitment to build “A New Abia”. Certainly, the old ways of doing things that had, over the years, stagnated Abia’s development have finally given way to a new order of efficiency in management of human and material resources.
