Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has said the State’s employment process under his leadership is the fairest and most inclusive in the country, noting that the State has so far given automatic employment to over 50 first-class graduates of Edo extraction.
Obaseki, who spoke to journalists after the end of a five-day Onboarding Programme for 25 first-class graduates from various ministries in the State’s civil and public service, held at John Odigie-Oyegun Public Service Academy (JOOPSA), in Benin City, said his administration is building a very attractive service for workers in the State.
The governor, represented by the State’s Head of Service (HOS), Dr. Anthony Okungbowa, said the automatic employment for first-class graduates is one of the innovations brought by the Obaseki-led state government to encourage and get the best hands to drive development and growth in the State.
He said, “The onboarding of about 22 of them has been on for the last five days and today is the last and final day. At the end of the onboarding programme, they should be better workers. They have also undergone the graduate development programme. The programme is run in a distinct manner and they are sent to high-class establishments to learn so that they can have opportunities to learn and benefit from the system.
“This is a huge programme designed by the Governor of Edo State for these first-class graduates as they are the future of the service and we are enabling them to play the roles now and in the future.
“We have attracted them to the State and ensured that the focus is on the capability of these people. The focus is on what you know, not who you know as the employment process is the fairest and most inclusive in Nigeria. We are building a future that will be very attractive, and a productive service; a service that is able to support the political class to enable them to deliver the dividends of democracy to Edo people.”
The governor added, “For this session, we are onboarding about 25 first-class graduates into the service as a result of their hardwork and dedication as this is the only ingredient that will sustain them in the service. We have more than 50 now in the service and it’s a continuous process. Only yesterday, we got information about some other first-class graduates of Edo extraction but we are working to verify the information. We have to be sure that their certificates are genuine.”
One of the first-class graduates from the Ministry of Health, Timothy Maryjane Ugiesomhe thanked the governor for the opportunity given to them to serve in the State’s civil and public service, commending the governor for ensuring a conducive working environment for the workers and assuring their welfare and wellbeing.
