Abia State government has said that henceforth, all administrative staff without professional certificates in the civil and public service will be stagnated at level 13.
Abia State Head of Service, Mrs Ngozi Queen Obioma said this in Umuahia during a meeting with the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management and the Administrative Officers, as well as Executive (General Duties), in the State Service.
She declared that the policy followed a Circular No. HCSF/SPSO/ODD/CND/100/S.I/195 from the Head of Service of the Federation dated March 21, 2024, which Abia State has adopted.
Mrs Obioma explained that administrative Officers and Executive (General Duties), on grade levels 10-13 going for promotions/conversions from the year 2025 without Professional Certificate, will no longer exceed Level 13 in the Civil/Public Service.
The State Head of Service, who was represented by the Director, Bureau of Administration and Career Management, Mr. Kingsley Ibelegbu during the event, admonished the workers without the professional certificates to avail themselves the opportunity and enhance their growth through the professionalization mechanism.
In her speech during the training for the civil servants, the National Treasurer, Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM), Mrs Ogochukwu Egbuonu, who disclosed that the institute has made inroads in human resource, said they were in Abia to sensitize civil servants on the essence of equipping themselves professionally.
Egbuonu commended the efforts of Governor Alex Otti to give Abia workers their pride of place.
She advised them to discharge their duties in line with the tenets of the Abia public service anthem in the areas of integrity, excellence, competence and honesty.
Earlier, the Director, Membership and Marketing Development, Mr. Olutayo Olawale said the Institute was the apex regulatory body for the practice of human resource management in Nigeria, and requested the workers to enroll in the Institute and serve the public better.
Some civil servants, who spoke to NewsNow after the training program, said they would be interested in upgrading their first degrees and HNDs with professional certificates to avoid retiring “prematurely”.
They, however, appealed to the state government to subsidise the fees for them to obtain the professional certificates.