Otti Grants Automatic Employment to 50 TechRise Graduands

Boniface Okoro in Umuahia

Abia State governor, Dr. Alex Otti, has granted automatic employment to 50 outstanding graduates of TechRise Cohort 2 into the state civil service.

Otti made the announcement at the weekend at the JAAC Building Secretariat during the graduation of 849 young people from a three-month intensive training on 21st-century digital skills.

“The 50 beneficiaries will be employed into relevant ministries, departments, and agencies, subject to possession of required documents,” Otti said.

He lifted an employment embargo for the graduands, directing them to submit documentation on Monday, December 22, 2025.

Otti said 1,359 TechRise graduates trained in the last 12 months would provide critical manpower for the state’s digital transformation.

The TechRise initiative aims to create competent IT solution providers to drive development.

Otti noted the Techrise initiative was set up to create an elite corps of competent IT solution providers who, ultimately, would apply their skills, knowledge and superior understanding of the technology ecosystem to build the state’s ideal collective dreams.

“As you may be aware, we are currently repositioning the service delivery architecture in the State to run more efficiently on digital infrastructure super highway. 

“The aim is to become less reliant on physical paper, provide round-the-clock services and ultimately improve turn-around time,” Gov. Otti said.

The government is expanding broadband internet facilities statewide, with Umuahia’s dedicated internet access and wide area network operational in government establishments, he disclosed.

Gov. Otti added that, “Just last October, the Abia State DUCT Infrastructure Development Project was flagged off in Aba. Our goal is to make every community in Abia an economically functional space. 

“As I mentioned, everything we do is connected to our grand governance objective, which is making Abia the home of bountiful reward for all hardworking individuals. 

“Whether we are investing in roads, education, urban sanitation, security, or other front-lines of development, the target is always the same; make Abia the best and the truly number one” the governor said.  

He directed the Commissioner for Local Government to provide transportation fees for graduands to their local government headquarters and approved ₦50,000 each as a Christmas package.

He also approved ₦100,000 each for prize winners and observed a minute’s silence for deceased trainee, Princewill Ogbonnia.

Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Prince Uzor Nwachukwu, his Science, Technology and Innovation counterpart, Mr. David Kalu, and the Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development, Sir Nwaobilor Ananaba, commended Otti’s support for youth development, urging graduands to utilize their skills.

Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Lady Oge Maduka, while commending Governor Otti for the project, appreciated the partnership between the State and local governments, adding that the three months training was beyond Tech as they also developed leadership skills, discipline and resilience.

Learn Factory CEO, Chibueze Ukaegbu, thanked Otti for developing ICT skills for Abians.

In an interview, graduand Chinwemeri Benjamin thanked Governor Alex Otti for granting them the opportunity of being trained in ICT and also empowering them with laptops and other largesse he extended to them and prayed for the governor’s success.

The event which had many top government officials in attendance, featured testimonials from a Cohort 1 graduate, Mr. Charles Ikechukwu, who said that he has developed an App that could help in converting waste to wealth; and Mr. Stephen Uche Onyegbulam, who said his team developed an App that can assist stranded motorists to locate the nearest mechanic; as well as presentation of certificates to the graduands.