The Abia State Government has successfully secured accreditation for the Abia State College of Education Technical, Arochukwu (ASCETA), ending several years of inactivity.
Mr. Ferdinand Ekeoma, Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Publicity, announced this on Monday at the end of the State Executive Council meeting in Umuahia.
Ekeoma said the college “was literally non-existent” before government intervention, which restored power, water, fencing, and internal roads. “The government initiated recruitment, so it cannot recruit people and ignore them. I am also pleased to inform you that accreditation was achieved just 48 hours ago,” he added.
He noted that college staff were owed about 27 months of salary arrears, which the current administration has begun to clear. He described the accreditation as “a rekindling of hope” for students and graduates whose futures had been affected by the institution’s prior inactivity.
On teachers’ postings across the state, Ekeoma clarified that the exercise was not punitive. “It is designed to ensure productivity and prevent teachers from spending all their earnings on transportation,” he said. He added that some teachers who accepted rural postings misunderstood the policy and later sought redeployment to urban areas such as Umuahia and Aba.
Ekeoma explained that the government plans to employ teachers from local communities to address underrepresentation and ensure rural schools are adequately staffed.
Regarding promotion and allowances, he said the administration would adopt a holistic approach, rather than addressing teachers’ issues in isolation from other sectors. A committee, including the Accountant-General, Head of Service, and other top officials, has prepared a preliminary report.
He further noted that the current reforms have “sanitized the system,” and the government is not currently owing any pensions. The same transparent process used for pension payments will be applied to leave allowances and gratuities to ensure fairness and accountability.
