More than 15,000 people have applied for 3,000 vacancies in the Akwa Ibom State civil service, Governor Umo Eno said on Sunday.

Speaking during a monthly prayer service in Uyo, the state capital, Eno pledged that the recruitment exercise would be transparent and merit-based.

“The selection will be through a computer-based test that gives instant results. There are no slots and no favouritism,” he said.

Previous recruitments in the state had been criticised for lack of transparency and favouritism, sparking anxiety among applicants.

When the government first announced the plan to hire 3,000 workers, it said 1,000 would be recruited into each of the teaching, health and core civil service sectors.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics, Akwa Ibom recorded an unemployment rate of 34.9 percent in 2023, while a separate study suggested more than half of the state’s youth were out of work.

To tackle the problem, the state government has rolled out several programmes, including the ARISE Youth Employment Portal and the Dakkada Skills Acquisition Scheme, aimed at creating jobs and equipping young people with employable skills.