The Governor of Rivers State, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has addressed the recent suspension of civil service employment in the state, providing clarity on his decision and the rationale behind it.
In a live broadcast on Symfoni, Governor Fubara explained that the move was prompted by the previous administration's mass hiring, which resulted in an oversupply of employees that were no longer essential to the state’s current needs. Fubara emphasized the importance of professional recruitment over indiscriminate employment, especially in key sectors that directly contribute to the state's development.
“The main civil service employment, which I suspended, is because the number of people that were employed were not needed anymore,” Fubara stated. “What we need in Rivers State is professional engagement. We have teachers, and we need doctors. We have gone past the stage where you employ 10,000 civil servants.”
The governor pointed out that while the state had experienced a surge in the number of civil servants, these large-scale hires were not aligned with the state's specific developmental requirements. He stressed that focusing on qualified professionals would better serve the state's growing needs, particularly in critical sectors such as education and healthcare.
“We are going to go to the general one later, but I can say boldly that I have employed over 2,000 medical doctors, and the records are there,” Fubara noted. “We have also employed several teachers; at least for the UBE, I have okayed the approval of 1,000. And we have also asked them to increase the numbers, both for the UBE and the post-primary.”
Watch the interview from the 8:20 minute mark.