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