Hiring new public servants was not a top priority for Abia State Governor Alex Otti’s administration, according to Otti.
The governor revealed the information during Thursday’s monthly media engagement in Umuahia.
After the government resolved its issues with the civil service, he said, the question of employment will emerge.
He went on to say that he had imposed an embargo and that it was still in effect.
He voiced his displeasure that, despite verification, the civil service employed a large number of people.
Otti bemoaned the monthly expenditure of about four billion naira on salaries for the state and local governments.
The governor, on the other hand, promised that the administration was making every effort to raise and improve civil servant salaries.
He claimed the administration was cognizant of the fact that many service members may not be giving their all and that action was necessary.
It might not be a top priority to invite new people in right now, unless we can find a way to let some go, he said.
However, it will be difficult to fire employees due to the regulations governing the civil service.
Our goal in forming the Civil Service Commission and bringing back the new Head of Service and Permanent Secretaries is to make sure that our employees get the training they need.
“The goal is for them to be able to do a better job using their abilities.”