Ebonyi: Nwifuru suspends three commissioners for skipping exco meeting

Ebonyi State Governor Francis Nwifuru has suspended three commissioners for one month due to their unexcused absence during the state executive council meeting held on Monday.

The Commissioner for Information and State Orientation, Jude Okpor, announced this at a press briefing on the outcomes of the executive council meeting on Tuesday.

The commissioners affected by the suspension are Solomon Azi (Grants and Donor Agencies), Victor Chukwu (Environment), and Ikeuwa Omebe (Rural Development).

Okpor stated that the governor emphasized the importance of attendance and a diligent work ethic among public servants in the state. He also mentioned that the suspended commissioners would forfeit all privileges associated with their offices for the duration of their suspension.

Additionally, the governor took the opportunity to remind all contractors working on government projects in the state to expedite their efforts in delivering these projects in accordance with contractual agreements, warning that the government would not hesitate to enforce compliance through legal means if necessary.

As part of the state government’s commitment to improving infrastructure at the NYSC Permanent Orientation Camp in Afikpo, the Executive Council approved the execution of several projects, including staff quarters, a female hostel, and a health clinic.

“This is in line with His Excellency’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.

Okpor further revealed that the council approved N40million for the ministry of Water Resources to construct a central water store with emphasis on the need to protect the ministry’s equipment and consumables.

The Commissioner said the Victorious EBSU Faculty of Law Team comprising Michael Agu-Ebeke, Ibor Cynthia Nwamaka and their guardian, Dr. (Mrs) Chioma Vivian Iteshi, who represented Nigeria at the 33rd Christof Heyns African Moot Court Competition held in Kigali Rwanda in 2024 were admitted into the prestigious 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 other 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 awards with five million naira (N5m) reward each on the deserving persons, expressed delight on the exceptional feat and uncommon 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 Ebonyi State University and other tertiary institutions in the state to embrace practical-based research in order to produce solution-oriented graduates in line with the demands of the contemporary society”, Okpor stated.