It was a drizzling evening of Friday, October 10,2025. The skyline of Uyo was painted in silver mist. Yet, undeterred by the weather, Governor Umo Eno dared the rain. At about 7:30 p.m., his official Mercedes-Benz S580, flags up, glided into the State Secretariat, headlights slicing through the twilight drizzle like strokes of quiet determination.
Fresh from the Council of State Meeting in Abuja, the Governor’s arrival was neither ceremonial nor perfunctory, it was purposeful. Stepping out of the sleek and crested sedan, he was attired in a finely tailored light brown caftan, a picture of calm precision and quiet strength. His traditional cap, boldly inscribed ARISE and PBAT insignias, progressively framed the elegance he exuded.
It was an evening, when the rain fell and merit rose. Pastor Eno came not for a courtesy stop but to herald a new dawn of merit, technology, and transparency in Akwa Ibom’s civil service. This was no ordinary visit; it was a defining statement of intent, an act of leadership that merged vision with courage.
Under the drizzle and soft glow of floodlights, he inspected the newly equipped Computer-Based Test (CBT) Centre, asking questions at every point and reaffirming his administration’s unwavering commitment to digitizing public service operations and ensuring merit-based employment.
Governor Eno announced that the State would henceforth conduct all civil service recruitment through the CBT system, a move designed to promote transparency, efficiency, and fairness while ending the shadows of favoritism and godfatherism that once influenced selections.
“The Civil Service is the engine room of governance. The quality of people we bring into the service in this 21st century matters. The world has even moved to AI now, so we need people who at least understand basic computing to the extent that they can take an exam.This system will also eliminate godfatherism. People should have confidence that they got into the service by merit, by passing the required exams. We’re in the 21st century, and that’s the way it should be,” The Governor told the press.
The CBT Centre, designed to accommodate 2,000 candidates per day, stands as a symbol of digital governance in action, a tangible expression of Aspiration 3 of the ARISE Agenda, which seeks “to promote and encourage increased investment in ICT infrastructure in order to develop a digital-based economy for Akwa Ibom State.”
Indeed, the Civil Service, the backbone of governance, must now don digital robes, fully aligned with the Governor’s vision of a modern, efficient bureaucracy.
The Governor’s initiative does not merely modernize the recruitment process; it transforms it into a model of integrity. By infusing technology into civil service entry, Governor Eno is building a new culture of trust and accountability—a future where opportunities are earned, not given.
The Head of Civil Service, Elder Effiong Essien, who was on ground to receive the Governor, commended his foresight, describing the innovation as “a milestone in e-governance and administrative integrity.” He noted that candidates would have opportunities to familiarize themselves with the CBT system ahead of the test, ensuring equal access and fairness.
Echoing this, the ICT whizkid and Commissioner for Science and Digital Economy, Dr. Frank Ekpenyong, affirmed that the facility is equipped with cutting-edge technologies, digitally networked computers, secure data infrastructure, and the capacity to conduct high-volume tests with accuracy and speed.
To both officials, this was more than a project, it was a paradigm shift, signaling that governance in Akwa Ibom now thrives on knowledge, not connection, and that excellence, not influence, is the new key to entry.
That rain-soaked evening, Governor Eno demonstrated more than leadership; he embodied vision. His quiet walk through the Civil Service Auditorium of the State Secretariat reflected his belief that technology is the bridge between aspiration and achievement, and that true reform begins with fair opportunity.
When he finally departed, the drizzle had softened to a mist. The lights from the Secretariat shimmered on the wet pavement, reflecting the silhouette of a leader who dares to dream and to digitize.
The legacy he left behind that evening was more than infrastructure, it was a declaration that Akwa Ibom’s civil service has entered a new era: an era where merit meets technology and governance rises on the strength of innovation and integrity.
The inspection of the CBT Centre was not the end of the workday for Governor Eno. His convoy raced down the night to the Governor’s Office, where a meeting of the Finance and General Purposes Committee (FGPC) took the chunk of the night, another testament to the Governor’s work ethic and relentless commitment to duty.
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Elucidation by a Participant – Obsever of the Digital Evening.
*The Digital Turn: How Gov. Eno Is Rewriting Civil Service Integrity*
By Aniekan Umanah
