The Ebonyi State Governor, Francis Nwifuru, has suspended the state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Moses Ekuma and his Housing and Urban Development counterpart, Francis Ori.
Our correspondent gathered they were suspended on Monday during the State Executive Council meeting in Abakaliki, the state capital.
A statement issued by the Commissioner for Information and State Orientation, Jude Okpor, which was sighted by our correspondent on Tuesday morning, read, “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 three months suspension of the Honourable Commissioner for Health respectively.”
PUNCH Online learnt that the development may be connected to the alleged theft of pieces of property belonging to the Ministry of Health by its officials and the reported underperformance of the Housing and Urban Development commissioner and his shoddy handling of the Amaeze Housing Scheme in the Ishielu Local Government Area of the state.
Recall that the governor was in the health ministry’s premises on Saturday night and met a scene where six officials were caught allegedly diverting government materials.
He, therefore, ordered their arrest and eventual prosecution.
Recently, the Commissioner for Housing and Urban Development, Ori, was reportedly threatened to deliver critical projects under his watch or risked being arrested. While the commissioner for Housing was suspended indefinitely; his colleague in the ministry of Health was suspended for three months.
Also suspended were the Permanently Secretary in the ministry of Health and the Executive Secretaries of the State Primary Healthcare Development Agency and the Ebonyi State Health Insurance Agency.
A document signed by the Commissioner for Information and State Orientation, which was sighted by our Correspondent, on Tuesday, read, “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 three (3) months suspension of the Honourable Commissioner for Health respectively.
“Also to proceed on a three-month suspension are the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health, the Executive Secretaries of the State Primarily Healthcare Development Agency and that of the Ebonyi State Health Insurance Agency.
“In view of the development, the Special Assistant (SA) to the Governor on Primary Health was directed to take charge of the ministry in the absence of the suspended Commissioner.
“The suspended government officials are to hand over all government properties in their possession including vehicles to the Secretary to the Government on or before the close of work on Monday, November 25, 2024.”