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From Uchenna Inya, Abakaliki
Ebonyi State Governor, Francis Nwifuru, has suspended two more commissioners over alleged gross misconducts and dereliction of duties.
The governor, had last week, suspended Commissioner for Water Resources in the state, Magnus Nkah, indefinitely for the same offence.
Yesterday, Nwifuru slammed indefinite suspension on the Commissioner for Housing and Urban Development, Francis Ori and his health counterpart, Moses Ekuma, for three months.
Also suspended for three months were the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health, the Executive Secretaries of the State Primary Healthcare Development Agency and that of the Health Insurance Agency.
Their suspension was announced by the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Jude Okpor, at a press briefing after the executive council meeting on Monday.
Investigation by Daily Sun revealed that the suspension of the government officials may not be unconnected with the non-completion of the housing units for the displaced persons in Ezillo, Ishielu Local Government Area of the state during the war between the people of Ezillo and Ezza-Ezillo, which claimed many lives and the diversion of materials in the state Ministry of Health by some officials of the ministry.
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Nwifuru had ordered the arrest and prosecution of six officials of the ministry last weekend for stealing some materials of the ministry.
Okpor said the suspended government officials are to hand over all the government properties in their possession, including vehicles to the Secretary to the Government, Professor Grace Umezuruike.
He noted that after exhaustive deliberation on the administrative status of the state-owned Radio and Television stations, the EBBC, the executive council approved the ceding of the corporation to become an independent outfit.
“The implication of this is that the corporation will become a public liability company registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC). This is aimed at raising the productivity level of the corporation as well as boosting accruable economic returns to the State Government. The same applies to the Ebonyi State Newspapers and Publishing Corporation, Nigerian Patriot.
“With this development, the staff of the establishments, who no longer fit into the new administrative/independent configuration of the outfits, are to be posted to other MDAs where their services are needed to further their careers.
“EXCO noted that this reform is not in any way tilting towards sacking any member of staff of the establishments but sees this as a move to re-jig the outfits towards making them fully independent, business-oriented and self-reliant,” he stated.
