The Akwa Ibom State Government has approved the recruitment of 7,069 personnel across key sectors of the public service, including education, healthcare, the judiciary and the mainstream civil service.

According to Channels Television, the Head of the State Civil Service, Mrs Elsie Peters, disclosed the development during a media parley to mark the commencement of activities for the 2026 Public Service Day celebration.

The recruitment is aimed at addressing manpower shortages in critical sectors, improving service delivery and strengthening the state workforce.

The approved recruitment includes:

1,000 secondary school teachers

2,000 medical sector workers

About 1,000 mainstream civil servants

1,000 primary school personnel under SUBEB

1,000 judiciary officers

100 Occupational Safety Officers

25 Legal Officers for the Ministry of Justice

Peters also highlighted measures introduced by Governor Umo Eno’s administration to improve workers’ welfare.

She said the state had paid more than ₦90 billion out of over ₦111 billion in inherited gratuity liabilities, while maintaining regular salary payments.

According to her, Akwa Ibom implemented the ₦80,000 minimum wage in November 2024 and introduced a 13th-month salary, alongside pension increases for retirees and the settlement of outstanding pension contributions.

Other welfare initiatives include housing support, health insurance, welfare bonuses, teachers’ wardrobe allowance, continuous training and the provision of modern working tools.

On career development, Peters said the government had strengthened the promotion process through civil service examinations, the release of outstanding promotion results and the completion of the 2026 promotion exercise.

She added that new Permanent Secretaries and an acting Surveyor-General had also been appointed to strengthen the leadership structure of the state public service.

However, Peters urged public servants to match improved welfare with higher productivity, stressing the importance of professionalism, integrity, discipline, innovation and dedication to duty.