From Okey Sampson, Umuahia
Abia State Government has announced the appointment of a new Head of Service (HOS) for the state’s civil service.
This is even as Governor Alex Otti has sought the cooperation of the Polish Government in the development of the state.
A statement signed by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Prof Kenneth Kalu, said Governor Alex Otti has approved the appointment of Dr. (Mrs.) Ngozi Queen Obioma as the new Head of Service.
The statement which did not give reason for the change, conveyed the Governor’s appreciation to the acting Head of Service for her contributions and wished her well on her new posting.
The appointment takes effect from December 1, 2023.
Meanwhile, Governor Otti has stated his administration is open to robust partnerships that would lead to the growth of the various sectors of the state’s economy.
Otti made this known when the Polish Ambassador to Nigeria, Her Excellency, Mrs. Joana Tarnawska paid him an official visit.
The Governor said he was glad the Polish Government was willing to partner with Abia State Government and assured the Ambassador there cannot be a better State to partner with than Abia.
“There can’t be a better State to partner with than Abia, and I say that for a lot of reasons. In terms of agriculture, we are very big. In terms of education, our dreams are very big, and we believe that by the time we are done, we will actually be exporting education, if there is something like that, as an industry to the world,” he said.
Otti disclosed there are close to 1,000 public schools in the State, explaining that government is looking at standardising the entire education spectrum, from primary to secondary through tertiary levels.
Otti told the Ambassador that Aba remains an industrial hub for the entire South East, with creative potentials and maintained that with more support from the government, entrepreneurs will do more and even produce products that can compete favourably in the international market.
He requested Mrs Tarnawska to visit Aba to see for herself the ingenuity of Aba artisans.
The Polish Ambassador had earlier told the Governor that the visit was her first to the South East, adding that there was a lot that can be done together between Nigeria and Poland.
“Nigeria is a country of great opportunities and potentials. We would like to tap into that potential and look for new avenues of cooperation between Poland and Nigeria ,and in particular your state.
“Last year, the President of Poland visited Nigeria, we signed an MoU on Cooperation, Agriculture and I hope that we can on this basis develop even closer ties with Nigeria and with Abia State.
“We would like to cooperate in Agriculture, Mining, Education and Culture, and I believe that this would be to the benefit of both our great nations.
An Abia born former member of Polish Parliament, Hon. John Abraham Godson and Uchechi Dakoru, her personal Assistant, accompanied the Ambassador on the visit.