The Governor
of Edo State in Nigeria, Godwin Obaseki, has given his approval for automatic
employment of first class graduates of Edo origin from any Nigerian university
into the state’s civil and public services. This decision was announced by the
Head of Service (HoS) in the state, Anthony Okungbowa, who praised the governor
for the initiative. Okungbowa described it as a groundbreaking and commendable
action that will help equip the state’s civil and public services with the best
talents to achieve the vision of making Edo the best place to live and work by
2050.
Initially,
this offer was only available to the best graduating students of Edo State
University, Uzairue, during its third convocation ceremony. However, the
Governor later decided to extend the same offer to students graduating with
first-class honours from the University of Benin (UNIBEN) and Ambrose Alli
University (AAU), Ekpoma.
According to
Okungbowa, the names of fifteen first-class graduates and the best graduating
students from these universities have already been forwarded to the Civil
Service Commission for further action. He also called on the vice-chancellors
of Nigerian universities to submit the names and details of their first-class
students who are of Edo origin to the Edo State government for consideration.
This
decision by the Edo State Government is a laudable one as it will motivate and
encourage students to work harder in their studies to attain academic
excellence. Additionally, it will ensure that the state’s civil and public
services have access to the best brains, who will help in achieving the state’s
developmental objectives.
