The Head of the Akwa Ibom State Civil Service has thrown her weight behind a planned safety audit across all Ministries, Departments and Agencies, as the administration steps up efforts to improve occupational health and safety compliance.
The initiative is being driven by the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Health, Safety and Environment, Mrs Jayne Ufot, who on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, announced the commencement of a comprehensive safety review as part of her office’s 2026 work programme.
Mrs Ufot made the disclosure during a meeting with senior officials at the Office of the Head of Civil Service, where she outlined plans to assess safety practices across government establishments and identify areas requiring urgent improvement.
According to her, the exercise will focus on closing compliance gaps, upgrading workplace standards and safeguarding the health and welfare of civil servants throughout the state. She said individual reports would be submitted to the Commissioners of affected ministries, while a consolidated report would be forwarded to the Governor for further action.
She explained that the aim was to move safety beyond policy statements and embed it as a measurable and accountable culture within the public service.
Mrs Ufot also revealed that her office had begun grassroots sensitisation through a school to school outreach programme, starting with Government Technical College, Ewet, where a Safety Club has been set up to instil safety awareness among students.
In her response, the Head of Civil Service, Mrs Elsie Peters, welcomed the initiative and said it aligned with the vision of Governor Umo Eno to strengthen institutional standards across the state workforce.
She recalled that the creation of the Occupational Health and Safety Department under her office was a landmark decision and underscored the administration’s resolve to make workplace safety a permanent feature of public service operations.
Mrs Peters described the planned sensitisation and audit as both timely and necessary, noting that sustained awareness would encourage stricter adherence to safety rules among civil servants.
She assured Mrs Ufot of full cooperation from her office and disclosed that an official circular would be issued to inform all MDAs of the impending audit. She added that ministries would be required to provide reports and photographic evidence of staff participation and compliance, stressing that safety must now be taken seriously across the state.
