Nwifuru suspends two cabinet members for three months

…permanent secretary, executive secretaries too

FRANCIS Nwifuru, governor of Ebonyi State, has suspended two Commissioners in his Cabinet for misconduct and dereliction of duties.

The suspended Commissioners were Francis Ori and Moses Ekuma, the Commissioners for Housing and Urban Development, as well as Health, respectively, for three months.

Also suspended for three months were Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health, the Executive Secretaries of the State Primary Healthcare Development Agency and State Health Insurance Agency.

Jude Okpor, the State Information Commissioner, announced the suspensions at a Press Briefing held in Abakaliki on the outcome of a weekly Executive Council meeting.

He noted that the investigation gathered indicated that the suspended Commissioner might 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 clinical consumables and others materials in the State Ministry of Health by some Officials of the Ministry.

Governor Nwifuru had however ordered arrest and prosecution of six officials of the State Ministry of Health for stealing some materials and clinical condumables from the Ministry.

Okpor said the suspended government officials were to hand over all Government properties in their possession including vehicles to the Secretary to the Government, Grace Umezuruike.

He explained that after exhaustive deliberation on the Administrative status of the State-owned Radio and Television Stations ( EBBC), the Executive Council approved the ceding off of the Corporation to become an independent outfit.