Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River has ordered fresh recruitment ahead of mass retirement in the civil service.

“The governor has, therefore, given approval for the recruitment of workers to cushion the effect of the impending mass retirement from the state civil service,” the new head of service, Timothy Akwaji, said on Wednesday.

Mr Akwaji, during his maiden meeting with permanent secretaries on Calabar, said the creation of Akwa Ibom from Cross River in 1987 had witnessed a mass exodus of civil servants to the new state.

He said this had led to mass recruitment by the government to fill the vacant positions.

“Most of these workers will be exiting the service, having completed their mandatory 35 years in service, and this may create a bureaucratic vacuum if there is no mentoring of those who may be left behind to keep the service running,” he explained.

Mr Akwaji stressed the need for the permanent secretaries to mentor their subordinates, as directors and other civil servants looked up to them as role models.

According to him, mentorship in the service has become necessary to enable civil servants to discharge their responsibilities effectively.

(NAN)