From training to Job: fresh Techrise Graduates get Automatic Employment as Gov. Otti donates N100,000 to each participant

Stephanie Clems, Umuahia

Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti has granted automatic employment into the State Civil Service to the 19 best graduating students of Cohort 3 Abia TechRise ICT skills development program.

The governor on Thursday, August 21, 2026, during the graduation ceremony of 850 youths trained in the third cohort of the program at the JAAC Secretariat, Umuahia, announced the employment benefit for the new graduates.

He said the reward was the brainchild of his government, which was committed to creating an enabling environment for the best talents in each of the cohorts of the TechRise program, adding that they would help provide quality services in the civil service.

Governor Otti also donated N100,000 to each of the graduating youths and directed the organizers to forfeit the laptops they used for training as personal property.

He directed the Head of Service and the relevant ministries to carry out needs assessment on all government agencies and open positions requiring ICT expertise in the state and fill them with TechRise graduates.

The Governor also announced the creation of a special wage or salary structure for ICT professionals in the state’s civil service, subject to the condition.

He further emphasized that retaining the best talents in each cohort of the TechRise would add value to the State’s institutions and services through their skills and technology.

The governor challenged the fresh graduates to seek the knowledge and add value to their lives, saying the knowledge and skills they gained through the free training were better than the N100,000.

He urged them to turn their skills into businesses, innovations, or ideas to generate income while advising against the use of their skills for criminal activities.

The governor acknowledged the innovative skill of a few graduates who made a working drone and directed the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation to partner them on the idea to take it to the next level.

The governor also said his administration was ready to establish international examination and certification centers for ICT in Abia while collaborating with MTN to provide internet facilities in the state.

Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Prince Uzor Nwachukwu, said the 100 percent free program, with 3 months of training, in partnership with the 17 local government areas, had so far trained 2,210 youths in three cohorts.

Meanwhile, the TechRise coordinator and CEO of LearnFactory, Engr. Chibueze Ukaegbu, said the free training program had also trained 2,500 civil servants in computers and would soon train 5,000 civil servants in computers.

Speaking on behalf of the graduates, Mr. Onuoha Victor Chinedu thanked Gov. Otti for giving them a platform to acquire the skills that will enable them to face their lives after studies.