Alumni Condemn Barring Of Ibibio Language Graduates From Job Interview

Anger has trailed three jobseekers who were dismissed on the verge of securing Akwa Ibom Civil Service jobs on account of applying with Ibibio Language certificates.

LEADERSHIP gathered the trio were dismissed after scaling virtually all stages during the interview sessions as outlined in the government’s jobs portal, but were asked to go by the physical interviewer, Mrs Ekereobong Umoh, who allegedly described their Ibibio Language certificates as inferior.

Condemning the discriminatory practice, the Alumni Association of the University of Uyo (UNIUYO), expressed disappointment over the interviewer’s attitude towards Ibibio Language as a mother tongue.

According to the UNIUYO Alumni’s public relations officer, Dr Thomas Thomas, who doubles as Governor Umo Eno’s personal aide, the axction was antithetical to the administration’s ARISE Agenda blueprint as it relates to job creation and social empowerments.

He said, “The dignity of Akwa Ibom’s mother tongue has been put to the test as three Ibibio Language graduates from the University of Uyo claimed they were humiliatingly barred from a civil service interview at the Idongesit Nkanga Secretariat.”

Thomas recalled that the candidates, who had cleared every preceding stages of recruitment—from registration on the ARISE portal to excelling in the e-examinations, claimed they were abruptly dismissed by the interview panel.

One of the victims, who confided in him, he recalled, had lamented that; “we were laughed at and told our Degrees in Ibibio Language were nonsense, and it felt like they were mocking our intelligence and our culture.”

Another applicant was said to have accused the chair of the panel, Mrs. Umoh, of allegedly dismissing Ibibio Language as irrelevant to public administration, and consequently ordered them out of the interview room, while other panel members reportedly joined in the ridicule.

“We came fully prepared, having followed every rule, yet we were treated like we had no value. It’s devastating,” another candidate lamented.

The applicants said that such humiliation in their state has left them disillusioned, even as they queried the fairness of the civil service recruitment process.

“It’s hard to believe that in a State where Ibibio is widely spoken, our knowledge is treated as useless. We expected merit to matter, not personal bias,” one of them added.

However, the UNIUYO alumni spokesperson has vehemently condemned the incident, noting that such acts could erode people’s confidence in the recruitment processes.

He argue that “graduates of Ibibio studies bring critical skills in communication, mediation, and community engagement, all essential for effective governance, and should not be sidelined because of outdated prejudices.”

“Governor Umo Eno’s administration, through the ARISE recruitment initiative, has maintained that all qualified candidates, including those from indigenous language programs, deserve fair consideration. Yet incidents like this suggest some civil service actors are resisting the Governor’s reform agenda, undermining both meritocracy and inclusivity,” Thomas stressed.

He, therefore, called on the state government and other relevant authorities to investigate the alleged misconduct of the interview panel and ensure that qualified candidates were not arbitrarily excluded in future recruitment exercises.

“This is not just about us; it’s about respect for knowledge and our culture. If the system continues to mock our degrees, it sends a message that merit and cultural competence don’t matter,” he maintained.