ABIA – The State Government has inaugurated a Safe Schools Steering Committee with renewed efforts to safeguarding the lives of Abia pupils and students amid growing security concerns across the country.
The Commissioner for Information, Prince Okey Kanu, who disclosed this while briefing Journalists on the outcome of this week’s State Executive Council meeting presided over by Governor Dr. Alex Otti, said the initiative aligns with the State Government’s commitment to ensuring a secure and conducive learning environment for pupils and students at all levels of education.
Prince Kanu noted that the Committee will serve as a multi-sectoral platform responsible for coordinating the State-level implementation of the Safe Schools Declaration, develop and monitor safety and protection protocols for schools.
He said that the Committee will also mobilize financial and technical resources aimed at creating safer learning spaces across the State as well as engage key Stakeholders across Humanitarian, Civil society groups, the Security and Education sector.
The Information boss explained that the move became imperative in view of emerging security challenges around the country, stressing that the Governor Otti led administration remains proactive in preventing threats rather than reacting to them.
He further announced that schools across the State resumed yesterday for the second term of the 2025/2026 academic session, adding that Education Officers from both Basic and Secondary Education departments have been deployed to monitor compliance across the schools in the state.
The Information Commissioner revealed that significant progress has been recorded on the State’s Smart School Projects, with major milestones achieved in infrastructure delivery, equipment installation and Teacher training, with two Smart Schools expected to be ready for commissioning by next month.
Prince Kanu who also provided updates on the Second Phase of the Teachers’ Recruitment Exercise, which recorded 28,213 applications following the opening of the portal on 6th November 2025 and its closure on 29th November 2025, said that the state government plans to employ additional four thousand Teachers with the five thousand, Three hundred and ninety four already employed last year.
According to him, Applicants are currently concluding the verification of their submissions, after which they will sit for the Computer-Based Tests (CBT), with successful candidates proceeding for oral interviews.
Prince Kanu also highlighted major digital reforms undertaken by the present administration in collaboration with the Office of the Chief Information Officer to include the establishment of a Document Digitization Bureau for land records.
He listed other reforms to include, a centralized Online Recruitment Platform, the redesign of the Abia State Government website, and the rollout of an e-Health project in Six Pilot Hospitals.
He said that laptops have been procured and distributed to senior government officials as part of efforts to fully digitalize government operations.
The Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Elder Goodluck Ubochi, his Transport counterpart, Dr Chimezie Ukaegbu and the Special Adviser to the Governor on Transportation, Dr Obioma Nwaogbe were part of the briefing.
