Cross River State Governor, Bassey Otu, has sworn in Barrister Orok Bassey Okon as the new Head of Service following the retirement of Dr. Innocent Eteng. The appointment, which took effect from September 19, was formally sealed at a swearing-in ceremony held on Monday in Calabar. Governor Otu reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to restoring the pride and efficiency of the state’s civil service, recalling the period between 2010 and 2013 when Cross River’s civil service was widely regarded as a model of operational excellence. He lamented the decline that followed but assured that deliberate reforms were underway to restore its lost glory.
Otu outlined key priorities, including ensuring that monthly salary payments remain sacrosanct, restoring annual incremental steps after over a decade of suspension, implementing promotions as and when due, and continuing to offset outstanding retirees’ gratuities. He further charged the new Head of Service to entrench professionalism, fairness, and competence across the workforce, stressing the importance of proper record-keeping, digitisation, continuous staff training, and eliminating nepotism or bias in public service delivery.
In his response, Barr. Okon expressed deep gratitude to the governor for the confidence reposed in him and pledged to fully implement the governor’s charge. He promised to soon present a detailed reform agenda to the State Executive Council and assured close collaboration with permanent secretaries and directors to strengthen the civil service.
While admitting that challenges remain, he emphasized that the state’s civil service still has a pool of diligent and hardworking officers who will be supported and rewarded under the new dispensation.
