By Jonathan Ugbal
The Head of Civil Service of Cross River State, Mr. Timothy Ogbang Akwaji, has today bowed out of service after 35 years.
Mr. Akwaji whose last day in office was on Friday (yesterday) was sent forth by staff of his office in a ceremony at the New Secretariat complex in Calabar where he said he never had a query throughout his years in service and received several commendations.
“I did not get a query for one day. I had letters of commendation, six in number, and five were signed by the Governor. It is possible to serve and not get a query,” Mr. Akwaji, a veteran journalist, told the ecstatic crowd.
The ceremony was also for the immediate past Permanent Secretary, Public Service Office in the office of the Head of Service, Mr. Bassey Edward Esege, who retired last week.
Retirement galore continues in the State, with the last major recruitment drive carried out between 1983 and 1988. Some reports suggest that about half of the State’s Civil and Public Service will retire by the end of 2023.
The immediate past administration led by Senator Ben Ayade lifted an embargo on employment in the State and carried out several recruitment drives, of which most failed, with a few successful. Some successful ones were marred with controversy.
Governor Ayade denied giving approval for recruitment on various occasions, which led to protests by thousands of civil servants delisted from the payroll of the State. He later budged and directed that they should be included after asking them to forfeit the arrears.
