Governor Ogbonnaya Nwifuru of Ebonyi State has suspended two commissioners in the state for an alleged misconduct.
The two commissioners, Dr. Moses Ekuma, Commissioner for Health and Mr. Francis Ori, Commissioner for Housing and Urban Development have been directed to hand over government property in their care to the most senior officials in their respective ministries.
The Governor also directed that the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health, the Executive Secretary of the Primary Healthcare Development Agency as well as the Executive Secretary of the Ebonyi State Health Insurance Development Agency. The affected officers have been directed to handover to the most senior officials in their agency.
The suspension of the top government officials was announced by the state Commissioner for Information and State Orientation, Mr. Jude Okpor on Tuesday.
According to statement signed by Mr. Okpor, the suspension of the two commissioner was part of decision communicated to the state executive council on Monday.
The statement reads in part, “Following cases of gross misconduct and dereliction of duties by some government officials and matters related thereto, the Chairman of Council directed the indefinite suspension of the Honourable Commissioner for Housing and Urban Development and months suspension of the Honourable Commissioner for Health respectively.”
Earlier, the governor had also suspended indefinitely the state commissioner for Water Resources, Mr. Magnus Nkah after FACTSHEET published an investigative report that revealed that the suspended commissioner connived with some unscrupulous people to cart away equipment at the Ukawu Water Project in Onicha Local Government Area of the State.
Last Saturday, Governor Nwifuru caught a staff of state ministry of health who was carting away stationaries meant for primary healthcare centres in the state.
The governor who expressed dismay over the conduct of the civil servants immediately directed that they be arrested for prosecution.