Abia governor swears in six commissioners, creates new ministries

On Wednesday, Governor Alex Otti of Abia State swore in six new commissioners in the state.

The commissioners took oaths of office and allegiance administered by the state solicitor-general and permanent secretary of the Ministry of Justice.

The governor’s spokesperson, Ukoha Njoku, released a statement on Wednesday providing details of the swearing-in ceremony.

The new commissioners

The new commissioners are David Kalu, Kingsley Nwokocha, Uwaoma Ukandu, Ijeoma Aghukwa, Goodluck Ubochi and Ogbonnaya Uche, a professor.

Speaking at the ceremony, Mr Otti told the new commissioners that they must be excellent administrators and team players to drive the execution of the programmes and agenda in their ministries.

“We have carefully selected these highly accomplished individuals to bring new ideas and energy to our team.

“The task of public sector governance is an enormous one that requires having the right people on board in the right positions to drive the central agenda of the administration across many important frontiers,” he said.

The governor warned the new commissioners that there is no room for infighting, adding that his administration has zero tolerance for corruption.

“To further strengthen the governance architecture, there shall be more restructuring of the ministries to support the actualisation of the administration’s objectives and further empower the commissioners to function optimally in their respective ministries, which will be announced soon,” he said.

Responding on behalf of her colleagues, Mrs Aghukwa, one of the new commissioners, described their appointment as an opportunity to serve.

She thanked the governor for finding them worthy to serve and promised never to disappoint him.

The new commissioners

Reshuffling of cabinet

Meanwhile, Mr Otti announced portfolios for the six new commissioners on Thursday, according to another statement by his spokesperson, Mr Njoku.

The new commissioners’ portfolios are as follows: David Kalu (Science, Technology & Innovation), Kingsley Chibueze Nwokocha (Trade & Commerce), Uwaoma Ukandu (Finance), Ijeoma Aghukwa (Women Affairs), Goodluck Ubochi (Basic & Secondary Education), and Ogbonnaya Uche (Health).

The governor also announced the reshuffling of his cabinet and the creation of new ministries.

PREMIUM TIMES reports that the governor created six new ministries.

The six new ministries are Basic & Secondary Education, Tertiary Education, Poverty Alleviation & Social Protection, Labour & Productivity, Industry & SMEs and Arts, Culture & Creative Economy.

This newspaper observed that, in the reshuffled cabinet, some existing commissioners were moved to other ministries.

Meanwhile, no commissioner was appointed to the Ministry of Agriculture, which Monica Ironkwe previously held before her resignation in July.

Total number of commissioners

In 2023, Mr Otti swore in 16 commissioners before three others to bring the number to 19.

However, three commissioners later resigned their positions under controversial circumstances.

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The three commissioners who resigned included Mrs Ironkwe (Agriculture), Chima Oriaku (Science and Technology) and Ngozi Okoronkwo (Health), who resigned shortly after being suspended for alleged “gross misconduct.”

There are 22 commissioners in the reshuffled cabinet.

There were 27 commissioners during the second tenure of Okezie Ikpeazu, the state’s immediate past governor.