Rivers State Approves Recruitment of 5,000 into Civil Service

The Rivers State Executive Council has approved the immediate recruitment of 5,000 indigenes into the state civil service. The decision, aimed at boosting administrative efficiency and public service delivery, was made during the council’s second meeting of 2026, presided over by Governor Siminalayi Fubara.

Addressing the press after the meeting in Port Harcourt, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Information and Communications, Dr. Honor Sirawoo, stated that the recruitment will strategically focus on addressing manpower shortages in the education sector.

“This brings the number to about 9,500 persons that this administration has engaged,” Sirawoo said, referencing earlier recruitments into the university, medical services, and basic education sectors.

A detailed breakdown shows that 300 recruits will be deployed to basic and primary schools, while 2,000 will be assigned to post-primary institutions. The Permanent Secretary emphasized that the selection process would be merit-based to ensure only qualified candidates are appointed.

The State Commissioner for Employment Generation and Economic Empowerment, Dr. Chisom Kenneth Gbali, welcomed the approval, describing it as a significant boost and noting that his ministry stands to benefit substantially from the new policy.