January 27, (THEWILL) — The Rivers State Government has approved the recruitment of 5,000 indigenes into the state civil service as part of a major push to revitalize public education and improve service delivery. The decision was reached during the State Executive Council meeting on Tuesday, January 27, 2026, at Government House, Port Harcourt, presided over by Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
Addressing journalists after the meeting, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Information and Communications, Dr. Honour Sirawoo, explained that the recruitment is strategically targeted at the education sector. Of the 5,000 new positions, 3,000 recruits will be deployed to basic and primary schools, while 2,000 will be assigned to post-primary institutions across the state.
Dr. Sirawoo noted that this move is a direct response to acute manpower shortages in public schools, aimed at improving teaching quality and learning outcomes for Rivers students. He highlighted that this latest approval brings the total number of personnel engaged under the Fubara administration to approximately 9,500. This follows previous recruitments, including 2,000 medical professionals, 1,500 staff for the Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, and 1,000 teachers for the Universal Basic Education (UBE) programme.
The government emphasized that the selection process would be merit-based and transparent. “The process for the employment of these approved 5,000 persons will be well-guided to ensure that only qualified persons are recruited,” Dr. Sirawoo assured. He added that the administration remains focused on quiet, effective service delivery rather than political publicity.
Also speaking, the Commissioner for Employment Generation and Economic Empowerment, Dr. Chisom Kenneth Gbali, hailed the approval as a significant boost to human capital development. He stated that the initiative would not only address the teacher-to-pupil ratio but also significantly reduce youth unemployment in the state.
The recruitment comes as the administration prepares for the 2026 fiscal year, where Governor Fubara has pledged that education will receive the largest share of the state’s budgetary allocation.
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