Cross River LG Commission Rejects HOS Circular Over 4,000 Recruitment

From Ene Asuquo, Calabar

The Cross River State Local Government Service Commission has rejected a circular issued by the state Head of Service, Orok Bassey Okon, concerning the planned recruitment of 4,000 personnel into the Unified Local Government Service.

The commission, in a statement signed by its Chairman, Eyo Nsa Ekpo, said the recruitment exercise falls within its statutory mandate and would be conducted through a transparent, digital and merit-based process.

The statement was issued in response to Head of Service Circular No. 17/2026, with reference number GO/HOS/4/Vol. III/364, dated September 11, 2026.

The commission said its clarification was necessary to set the record straight and ensure that the recruitment exercise remained consistent with the official position of the Cross River State Government.

According to the commission, recruitment into the Unified Local Government Service is the exclusive responsibility of the Local Government Service Commission, subject to the approval of the governor and compliance with the laws establishing the commission.

“It is not the duty of the Head of Service to recruit staff into the Local Government Service, nor to meddle in, direct, or interfere with the processes of the Local Government Service Commission,” the commission stated.

It further maintained that the Head of Service lacked the constitutional, statutory or administrative authority to undertake functions assigned to the Local Government Service Commission.

The disagreement comes against the backdrop of the state government’s approval for the fresh recruitment of 4,000 personnel to address manpower shortages across the state’s 18 local government areas.

The commission said the new recruitment would be exclusively for local government positions and would replace the 2024/2025 recruitment exercise conducted by the now-defunct Local Government Service Commission.

It explained that the earlier exercise had been invalidated and canceled, except for 821 personnel whose appointments were duly approved by Governor Bassey Otu. 

The exempted personnel, it added, included 83 CROSIEC workers earlier employed through the Civil Service Commission and subsequently redesignated.

The commission described the previous exercise as fundamentally flawed, alleging that it was conducted without the required executive approval and was characterised by alleged job racketeering, commercialisation of employment slots, institutional complicity and non-compliance with extant laws and financial regulations.

It said the fresh exercise would be conducted through a digital recruitment portal, which would be opened in due course, with qualified applicants expected to go through the prescribed recruitment process.

The commission further stated that persons affected by the cancellation of the previous exercise would be free and encouraged to reapply if they possessed the requisite qualifications.

It added that modalities for appropriate compensatory measures for genuine victims of the previous recruitment process were being finalised.

The commission urged stakeholders and prospective applicants to rely on official information concerning the recruitment exercise and disregard any contrary directive which, in its words, sought to “usurp the lawful functions” of the commission.

It reaffirmed its commitment to due process, transparency and merit, saying the new recruitment process was designed to restore public confidence in the administration of the state’s local government service.