Gov Alex Otti of Abia State has sworn in six new commissioners without assigning ministries to them.
Alex Otti said the ministries the six new commissioners will head will be announced soon. He said the new commissioners would rejig and complement the State Executive Council.
He added that the new commissioners were carefully selected. He stated that they were accomplished individuals who would bring new ideas and energy to the state’s governance team.
At the swearing-in ceremony on Wednesday, Otti charged the commissioners to discharge duties that would be assigned to them with professionalism.
“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.
“One of the major hallmarks of our administration is going against practices that had proven to stifle growth and dynamism. 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,”
Governor Otti said.
The Abia State Governor further stated that there would be more restructuring of ministries to support the actualization of his administration’s goal. He warned against corruption and in-house fighting.
“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 added.
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 would put in their best to move the State forward.
The newly sworn-in Commissioners are, Mr David U. Kalu, Kingsley Chibueze Nwokocha, Dr. Uwaoma Ukandu, Dr. (Mrs ) Queen Ijeoma Aghukwa, Ubochi Goodluck Chinedu and Professor Ogbonnaya Uche.
