CALABAR —The Cross River State Local Government Service Commission has rejected a circular issued by the state Head of Service, Orok Bassey Okon, over the recruitment of 4,000 personnel into the Local Government Service.
The commission, in a statement issued on Tuesday by its Chairman, Hon. Eyo Nsa Ekpo, said the recruitment remained within its statutory mandate and would be conducted through a transparent, digital and merit-based process.
The statement was issued in response to Circular No. 17/2026, with reference number GO/HOS/4/Vol. III/364, dated September 11, 2026, issued by the Head of Service.
The commission said the clarification was necessary to set the record straight and align the process with the official position of the state government.
According to the commission, recruitment into the Unified Local Government Service is the exclusive preserve of the Local Government Service Commission, subject only to the approval of the governor and in accordance with the laws establishing the commission.
It said, “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 further stated that the Head of Service lacked the constitutional, statutory or administrative power to perform such functions.
The development followed the state government’s approval for the fresh recruitment of 4,000 personnel to address critical manpower gaps across the state’s 18 local government areas.
The commission said the recruitment was exclusively for local government jobs and was intended to replace the 2024/2025 recruitment exercise conducted by the defunct Local Government Service Commission.
It explained that the earlier exercise had been invalidated and cancelled, except for 821 personnel whose appointments were duly approved by Governor Bassey Otu, including 83 CROSIEC personnel earlier employed by the Civil Service Commission and redesignated.
The commission described the previous recruitment exercise as fundamentally flawed, alleging that it lacked executive approval and was characterised by job racketeering, commercialisation of employment slots, institutional complicity and non-compliance with extant laws and financial regulations.
It said the new exercise would be conducted under its statutory mandate, with a digital recruitment portal to be opened in due course.
The commission also said persons affected by the cancellation of the previous exercise who possessed the required qualifications were free and encouraged to reapply.
It added that modalities for appropriate compensatory measures for genuine victims of the flawed process were being finalised.
The commission urged stakeholders to be guided by the official position of the state government and disregard any contrary circular or directive that sought, in its words, to “usurp the lawful functions” of the commission.
It reaffirmed its commitment to due process, transparency and merit in the recruitment process, saying the measures were aimed at restoring public trust in local government administration.
