Dr. Alex Otti, the Abia State governor, has made his first minor cabinet reshuffle since taking office in May 2023, just as he restructured existing ministries in the state, reducing the numbers from 39 to 22....READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE ▶▶
The reshuffle follows the resignation of three former commissioners from his cabinet….READ FULL ARTICLE
A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Mr. Ukoha Njoku Ukoha, Thursday, named the new Ministries and the commissioners assigned to them.
The new Ministries created are Labour and Productivity, while Ministry of Education has been split into Basic and Secondary Education as well as that for Tertiary Education.
Former Ministry of Trade, Industry and Commerce is now split into Ministries of Trade & Commerce and for Industry & SMEs respectively, as well as Ministry for Arts, Culture & Creative Economy. Each of these has a full-time commissioner in-charge.
A breakdown of the portfolios and Ministries shows that 10 former commissioners, including that for Information, Prince Okey Kanu, Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Ikechukwu Uwanna, that for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Sir Uzo Nwachukwu, among others, retained their former Ministries.
Six other former commissioners, including that for Trade Commerce and Industry, Dr. Chimezie Ukaegbu and that for Finance Mr. Mike Akpara , among others, were re-assigned to other Ministries.
On the other hand , the newly sworn-in Commissioners were also deployed to different Ministries, including that of Finance, now being manned by a new Commissioner, Mr. Uwaoma Ukandu, a former TUC leader.
No mention was yet made of the Ministry of Agriculture, inspite of phone calls and text messages forwarded to media aids to the governor. For now, it is clear that Abia now has 22 Ministries as against about 39 that existed in previous administrations.
Addressing the new commissioners, Wednesday, after they were administered with the oaths of office and allegiance by the Solicitor General and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice, Mr Ogubunka, the state governor, Dr. Otti reminded them that one of the major hallmarks of present administration is going against practices that had proven to stifle growth and dynamism in Abia.
“To further strengthen the governance- architecture, there shall be more restructuring of the Ministries to support the actualization of the administration’s objectives and further empower the Commissioners to function optimally in their respective Ministries which will be announced soon. This is aimed at making the Ministries more dynamic and responsive to the evolving realities of Governance,” he said.
“We have publicly rejected the traditional recruitment pattern of filling strategic government offices with cronies who do very little in terms of execution of businesses of governance, as characterized, previous administrations.
“You are required to be excellent administrators and team players in order to drive the execution of the programmes and agenda in their ministries and charged them to do all to deliver on their mandate.
“We have carefully selected these highly accomplished individuals to bring new ideas and energy to our team. The new nominations and appointments were made pursuant to our agenda to create a robust architecture that supports excellent service delivery.
“As I mentioned in this podium few weeks ago, effective leadership is an exercise in continuous team building, finding the right people and placing them where they are best suited to thrive. The task of public sector governance is an enormous one that requires having the right people on board in the right positions to drive the central agenda of the administration across many important frontiers”
The Governor warned the new appointees that there is no room for infighting, stressing that his administration has zero tolerance for corruption and any act capable of bringing the government to disrepute.
He further made public that his government is working on plans to set- up the “Greater Ohafia Development Authority” to oversee the development of Abia North.
Responding on behalf of her colleagues, Dr (Mrs) Maureen Ijeoma Aghukwa said that their appointment is a privilege and opportunity to serve. She thanked the Governor for finding them worthy to serve and pledged not to disappoint him, assuring that they will put in their best to move the State forward….READ FULL ARTICLE
