Gov. Alex Otti of Abia has directed the deployment of 66 graduates of the TechRise programme to government offices to strengthen digital service delivery.
The Commissioner for Information, Mr Okey Kanu, disclosed this while briefing journalists on the outcome of the State Executive Council (SEC) meeting in Umuahia on Monday.
According to the commissioner, the graduates would be posted to the Office of the Chief Information Officer to the Government for onward deployment to agencies requiring their expertise.
Kanu said Abia students had emerged as the world’s best among 79 competing groups at an international schools debate competition in Qatar.
“This achievement is evidence of the progress made in the state’s education sector,” he said.
He said recent successes in the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and National Examinations Council (NECO) examinations further underscored the progress made by the Otti administration in the education sector.
“The Abia State College of Health Sciences and Management Technology has also secured National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) accreditation for Medical Laboratory and Dispensing Opticianry,” he said.
He attributed the developments to the state government’s investments across various sectors.
On other fronts, the commissioner said no cases of Ebola, Lassa fever, COVID-19, diphtheria, cholera, mpox or yellow fever were reported in the state between Oct. 5 and Oct. 18.
He added that the state’s health sector reforms had continued to attract recognition from residents and Nigerians abroad.
The commissioner said preparations for the second edition of the Abia Tertiary Education Sports Fiesta had commenced with the lighting of the torch ahead of its relay across participating schools.
He said about 20 schools were expected to participate in the games, scheduled to hold from Nov. 3 to Nov. 16, 2026.
Kanu expressed optimism that the second edition would surpass the achievements recorded during the maiden edition.
