Abia Govt Approves Recruitment Of Over 5,000 Lecturers, Teachers

The Abia State Government has announced the recruitment of 5,300 new teachers who successfully passed the recent recruitment interviews across the state.

This was disclosed on Tuesday in Umuahia by the Commissioner for Information, Prince Okey Kanu, during a press briefing on the outcome of this week’s State Executive Council (EXCO) meeting chaired by Governor Alex Otti.

Kanu further revealed that another round of recruitment would soon commence, with the application portal expected to open within the coming days for a second batch of teacher intake.

In addition to this, the state government has approved the recruitment of academic staff for Abia State University (ABSU), Uturu, to fill vacant positions in critical disciplines.

The EXCO also approved the procurement of engineering equipment worth ₦800 million for ABSU. According to Kanu, this move is aimed at boosting academic and practical learning outcomes in the university’s technical faculties.

He recalled the governor’s earlier pledge to renovate the male hostel and other key infrastructure in ABSU. “The renovation is near completion and expected to be ready this May, while work has already commenced on a new 5,000-bed capacity hostel,” he said.

Kanu also shared that ABSU achieved full accreditation in several academic programmes—Law, Agriculture, Mass Communication, and Educational Management and Planning—following the National Universities Commission’s (NUC) October/November 2024 accreditation exercise.

In related developments, the state government has also conducted its first staff promotion exercise at Ogbonnaya Onu Polytechnic since 2008—a significant morale boost for the institution.

“It is instructive to note that this is the first promotion exercise in the Ogbonnaya Onu Polytechnic since 2008, making it a better morale booster for the institution,” Kanu stated.

He added that Governor Otti has approved the payment of salary arrears for sacked and resigned staff of the Polytechnic, which is already underway.

Highlighting academic achievements, Kanu said the institution recorded a 100% pass rate in the 2nd National Institute of Science, Laboratory, and Technology modular practical exams (Phase 1), with all 164 students passing. In Phase 2, out of 158 students, 157 passed, achieving a 99% success rate.

“The Ogbonnaya Onu Polytechnic is living up to its name as a foremost polytechnic with its technological feats as reflected in the production of an online clearance platform for students,” Kanu added. “What this means is that you do not need to come physically to the school to get a clearance from the school.”

He also noted that the Polytechnic is undergoing a comprehensive curriculum review to include emerging courses such as artificial intelligence.

Furthermore, a panel has been inaugurated to investigate the activities of the recently suspended provost of ASCETA (Abia State College of Education Technical Arochukwu), while construction projects at the institution are progressing steadily.