The Cross River State Government has abolished the extension of service for civil and public servants after retirement.

Outgoing Head of Service, Dr. Innocent Eteng, disclosed this on Thursday during his valedictory speech at a retirement and pull-out ceremony held in his honour at the State New Secretariat Complex, Calabar.

He said Governor Bassey Otu approved the decision, stressing that henceforth, any civil or public servant who retires after 35 years of service or upon attaining 60 years of age must completely exit the service.

Eteng thanked the governor for allowing him to serve as Head of Service for two years, during which he introduced several reforms that, according to him, transformed the state’s civil service.

He listed some of his key achievements to include the review of the Cross River State Civil and Public Service Rules (2025), approval and implementation of the ₦70,000 national minimum wage since December 2024, payment of gratuities to retirees up to 2015, recruitment of 2,000 workers, approval of incremental steps for civil servants, and the introduction of monthly sanitation exercises in all government offices.

He urged civil servants to extend maximum cooperation to his successor, Barr. Orok Bassey Okon, to enable him to consolidate on the gains made so far.

In his remarks, the new Head of Service commended Eteng for his transformative reforms and pledged to build on his achievements.

Representatives of the College of Permanent Secretaries and Directors also paid glowing tributes to Eteng, describing his tenure as impactful and wishing him success in his future endeavours.