Governor Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi State has suspended three commissioners in his cabinet for alleged absenteeism.
The affected commissioners are Solomon Azi (grants and donor agencies), Victor Chukwu (environment) and Ikeuwa Omebe (rural development).
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Mr Nwifuru suspended the commissioners for a month for being absent without permission at the State Executive Council meeting held on Monday.
Commissioner for Information and State Orientation, Jude Okpor, disclosed this on Tuesday at a press briefing on the outcome of the council meeting.
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He said Mr Nwifuru warned against absenteeism and lackadaisical attitude to work by the state’s public servants.
Mr Okpor said the governor directed that the suspended commissioners be relieved of all the privileges attached to their offices within the duration of the suspension.
According to him, the governor used the opportunity to advise government contractors in the state to speed up projects and deliver on time in accordance with contractual agreements.
Staff quarters, female hostel, health clinic for NYSC camp
Mr Okpor said the State Executive Council approved building staff quarters, a female hostel and a health clinic at the Permanent NYSC Orientation Camp in Afikpo.
“This is in line with the governor’s resolve to compliment the Renewed Hope initiative of the President Bola Tinubu-led administration to provide a conducive environment for both staff and corps members of the scheme,” the commissioner said.
Mr Okpor further disclosed that the council approved N40 million for the Ministry of Water Resources to construct a central water store to protect the ministry’s equipment and consumables.
The commissioner said the victorious Ebonyi State University Faculty of Law team, comprising Michael Agu-Ebeke, Ibor Nwamaka, and their guardian, Chioma Iteshi, which represented Nigeria at the 33rd Christof Heyns African Moot Court Competition held in Kigali, Rwanda, in 2024, has been admitted into the Ebonyi State Honour Awardees in recognition of their “trailblazing” achievement.
“In one of the fiercest tests of legal brilliance in the African continent, the Ebonyi State University team emerged victorious, defeating 68 Anglophone and 15 Francophone teams in a keenly contested battle of legal knowledge, thereby becoming the first Nigerian faculty of law to do so in 33 years.
“The Chairman of the council, while conferring the awardees a N3 million reward each, expressed delight at the feat and show of excellence of the recipients and expressed his administration’s commitment to prioritising educational transformation in the state.
“He, however, enjoined the leadership of the Ebonyi State University and other tertiary institutions in the state to embrace practical-based research to produce solution-oriented graduates in line with the demands of the contemporary society,” Mr Okpor stated.
