Governor Alex Otti congratulating Mr Benson Ojeikere after his swearing in as Abia's new Head of Service
Otti swears in Edo State-born Benson Ojeiker as Abia State Head of Service
Governor Alex Otti congratulating Mr Benson Ojeikere after his swearing in as Abia’s new Head of Service
From Boniface Okoro, Umuahia
Edo State-born Benson Ojeikere, catapulted to the apex of Abia State Civil Service by the mix of fate, grace and hardwork, has been sworn-in as the new Head of Service (HoS).
Executive Governor of Abia State, His Excellency, Dr. Alex Otti, performed the swearing ceremony on Monday, January 13, 2025, which waswitnessed by the galaxy of all government appointees who attended the first enlarged State Executive Council Meeting of the year.
Before his rise to prominence, Mr. Ojeikere served as a Youth Corps Member from Edo State posted to Abia State for the 1999-2000 service year.
Testimonies abound that by dint of hard work, he emerged as the best Corps member for that Service Year and this earned him automatic employment in the Abia State Civil Service.
Twenty-three years down the line, Governor Otti appointed him a Permanent Secretary.
Fate threw him up during the search for a replacement for the immediate past HoS, Dr Mrs. Queen Ngozi Obioma.
In the selection process that followed, Ojeikere emerged as the best.
He was therefore appointed to the position of Head of Service of Abia State, purely on merit and competence, Governor Otti, has maintained.
While swearing in the new HoS, the Governor charged him to transform the State Civil Service into an effective and efficient workforce.
Earlier in his address, the tear-rubber Head of Service, thanked the Governor for the rare and unusual opportunity given to him to serve as the State’s No. One Civil Servant.
Ojeikere promised to work with the Governor Otti-led administration to reposition the State Civil Service and make it a model that other states within and outside Nigeria would come to learn from.
Commissioner for information, Prince Okey Kanu, who broke the news of the swearing in of the new HoS, described Ojeikere’s appointment as unprecedented.
“This is a landmark appointment given the fact that he is not from Abia State but because His Excellency believes in meritocracy and that there is no dividing line between an Abia citizen or a resident.
Once you are living in Abia, you are part and parcel of Abia state,” the Commissioner said.
“It s an unprecedented move consistent with the Governor’s disposition towards meritocracy and policy of indigeneship, and he has sworn in Mr. Benson Ojeikere of Edo State origin as the new Head of Service in Abia State,” he added.
He was delighted that Mr. Ojeikere, since his employment, further spoke about the new Head of Service, has gone ahead to justify the confidence reposed in him and has risen through the ranks to be a Director, a Permanent Secretary and now, the Head of Service.
The commissioner noted that Ojeikere’s appointment underscores the Governor’s belief in the principle that all residents of Abia, regardless of origin, are equal stakeholders in the state’s progress,
expressed hope that Mr. Ojeikere would bring his wealth of experience to bear in his new assignment.
In his view, Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Citizen Ukoha Njoku Ukoha, the appointment and swearing in of Mr. Ojeikere was a reaffirmation of Governor Otti’s commitment to meritocracy and One Nigeria.
Ukoha said the development was a practical application of the Governor’s policy of “If you live in Abia, You are an Abian,” and the demonstration of the true meaning of One Nigeria as captured in the country’s National Anthem which states that: “Though Tribe and Tongue, May Differ, In Brotherhood We Stand.”
