Okpebholo Approves Automatic Employment For First Class Graduates

Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo has approved automatic employment for First Class graduates of Edo State extraction from any university in Nigeria and overseas as part of measures to boost the quality of manpower in the state civil service.

The Governor has also approved the payment of the “13th month” salary for its workers.

Edo State’s Head of Service (HOS), Dr Anthony Okungbowa, announced this in a statement made available to newsmen by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Fred Itua, on Friday.

He said the Graduate Development Programme (GDP) is targeted at ensuring that quality manpower is brought into the system for effective and efficient service delivery that will enhance growth and development.

Okungbowa stressed that Governor Okpebholo is doing this to motivate workers to put in their best, stressing that the governor also believes that the policy will help to bring top quality talents into the state civil service.

“It is not just bringing them in, but also retaining them because retaining them is one of the major challenges facing the programme.

He added that the governor urged all First Class graduates from the state to come over for automatic employments. “We are looking at the younger graduates from 2020, but Mr. Governor may extend that.

“We are happy about this and appreciate the Governor because through this, the service will have quality talents in the system.

“For everyone in that programme, they are moved round various Ministries, Departments and Agencies and plans are also on to move them to the private sector to gather more experiences after which they bring will such experiences to bear, to improve the system, to contribute to the development of the state,” Okungbowa said.