The Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, has said his government’s decision to offer automatic employment to all first-class graduates of Edo extraction from universities across the nation is aimed at developing the right workforce to drive the state’s growth and development.
The governor said this when he received 21 first-class graduates who were recently employed in the state’s Civil/Public Service, at the Government House, Benin City.
Obaseki explained that the decision was deliberate to bring in brilliant minds into the service to help build the State and nation.
He said, “Your choice into the service is deliberate as it is a well-thought-out plan and process to help us build our State and make it great again.
“Great nations are built by the brightest and most brilliant people like you, who left school and went straight to work for the government and such led to the turnaround of such societies. Edo will experience a turnaround and people like you will be responsible.
“You are coming into the service at a very important and interesting time when our Country is being restructured by default.
“The central government is becoming weaker as it doesn’t have the resources to undertake the responsibility it ought to take according to the constitution and this will lead to a renegotiation. The system is not sustainable but yet I don’t see Nigeria disintegrating.”
Obaseki continued: “We need to invite young people to deal with the situation and set the nation on the right path, threading on the path that aligns with global development. We have set ourselves as a State on the path of development. We have embraced paperless governance, connected all our local governments to fiber optic internet and built infrastructure. With young minds like yours, we will take the world.
“It’s a new world for you, young minds and running away from Nigeria will not solve the problem and the reasons why people are running away can be addressed by people like you. All we need to do is to create the opportunity, preparing you for leadership or having leaders like you to help check these challenges.”
The governor added, “We need to create a new system and re-enact a new direction for the nation and we don’t need to travel if we make this nation work.”
On his part, the Edo State Head of Service, Anthony Okungbowa Esq., who presented the first-class graduates to the governor, commended Governor Obaseki for sustaining the investment in human capital development.
He noted, “You gave us instruction for the automatic employment into Edo State public/Civil Service for first class graduates of Edo extraction across universities in Nigeria. This is the only State in Nigeria that has embarked on such, and it shows the government’s disposition to quality.”
