More than 28,000 jobseekers have stormed the Abia State Government’s recruitment portal, battling for just 4,000 teaching positions, a staggering figure that uncovers the worsening unemployment crisis in the state.
The Commissioner for Information, Prince Okey Kanu, revealed that 28,213 applicants applied for the teaching jobs while briefing journalists in Umuahia after the State Executive Council meeting chaired by Governor Alex Otti.
The exercise, which represents the second phase of the teachers’ recruitment drive, opened on November 6, 2025, and closed on November 29, 2025, with applicants later granted a verification window to correct their details.
“The window for verification of submissions closes this week. The applicants will be sent thereafter to sit for computer-based tests. Those who pass the tests will now go for the interview,” Kanu said.
He recalled that the government plans to employ 4,000 new teachers from the exercise, in addition to the 5,394 teachers recruited last year.
The overwhelming number of applications has once again exposed Abia’s gloomy unemployment reality.
Recent data from the National Bureau of Statistics ranked Abia as the state with the highest unemployment rate in Nigeria, with figures hovering around 18.7%, while youth unemployment remains alarmingly high.
Analysts say the figures explain why thousands of graduates are scrambling for limited public-sector jobs.
Beyond employment, Kanu said the state government has moved to strengthen school security through the inauguration of the Abia State Safe Schools Steering Committee, aimed at protecting educational institutions amid rising insecurity nationwide.
He also listed major digital reforms recorded by the state, including the establishment of a centralised online recruitment platform, a Document Installation Bureau for land records, a redesigned state government website, and the rollout of an e-Health Project in six pilot institutions.
According to him, laptops have also been distributed to senior government officials to fast-track digital governance, while monitoring teams have been deployed to ensure compliance as schools resume.
Kanu further disclosed that work is progressing on the state’s smart school projects, with at least two schools expected to be commissioned by February.
