From Musa Muhammad Kutama, Calabar
The Cross River State Government has issued a strong warning against indecent dressing and the increasing practice of civil servants parading unearned doctorate titles within the state workforce.
This was contained in Circular No. 3/2025, signed by the Head of Service, Barr. Orok Bassey Okon, and made available to journalists in Calabar.
According to the circular, government expressed concern over the “declining professional dress standards” among officers, noting that many now report to work in slippers, bathroom sandals, short skirts and gowns above knee level, transparent or revealing outfits, tight-fitting clothing, and tight trousers.
Other clothing items explicitly prohibited include off-shoulder blouses, sleeveless tops, jeans, T-shirts, unbuttoned shirts, shorts, and three-quarter trousers — outfits the government said violate the decorum and discipline expected of civil servants.
The circular directed all public officers to appear in formal, decent and professional attire from Monday to Friday, warning that defaulters would face disciplinary action in line with the Public Service Rules.
Beyond dressing, the government raised alarm over the unauthorised use of academic, chieftaincy, and religious titles, especially the growing number of civil servants claiming PhD titles they did not earn.
“The attention of the Office of the Head of Service has been drawn to the increasing incidence of officers in the Cross River State Civil Service parading doctorate (PhD) titles not academically earned,” the statement said.
The government warned that verification exercises would be intensified and any officer found guilty of falsifying qualifications or parading titles illegally would face sanctions.