Governor Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru of Ebonyi State has ordered the arrest of six of his commissioners over an alleged sabotage of the state government’s development projects.
The arrest of the commissioners according to sources from the government house was due to the non-delivery of the government’s 140-unit housing scheme earlier scheduled to be commissioned in commemoration of the second-year anniversary of the government.
The arrested commissioners include, Hon. Victor Chukwu (Environment), Ifeanyi Ogbuewu (Culture and Tourism), Uchenna Igwe (Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters), Prof, Omari Omaka (Tertiary Education), Moses Ekuma (Health) and Felix Igboke (Project Monitoring).
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One of the affected commissioner, Hon. Victor Chukwu was already serving a one month suspension from the government for dereliction of duty.
Also affected in the shakeup in the Executive Chairman of Afikpo North LGA, Mr. Timothy Nwachi whom the governor suspended from office.
Speaking to journalists in Abakaliki on Tuesday, the Chairman of the State Executive Council Committee on Izzo and Amaze Housing Projects, Mr. Donatus Ilang, stated that arrested commissioners flagrantly breached the terms and conditions of the contract given to them by the government.
FACTSHEET gathered that the contracts for most of the state projects were awarded to the commissioners by the state government.
Mr. Ilang told journalists that, “The governor is not happy over the pace of the work which ought to have been completed. The government has decided to clamp down on the contractors and commissioners who were mandated to supervise those projects.
“As you can see, our governor is a man with a passionate heart, he likes giving succour, hence the building of those houses for the victims of the communal crisis.
“He is not happy that the project is delayed and has ordered the arrest of all the commissioners who were supposed to ensure the speedy completion of the housing units.”
The government of Mr. Nwifuru has faced criticism for what some pundits say is a “lack of direction” in the state.
Several ongoing projects in the state including a major flyover construction at the Vanco Junction in the heart of Abakaliki city has remained uncompleted nearly two years since the projects started.