Ebonyi State Governor, Francis Nwifuru, has suspended three commissioners in his cabinet for absenteeism.
The affected commissioners are Solomon Azi (grants and donor agencies), Victor Chukwu (environment), and Ikeuwa Omebe (rural development).
The commissioners were suspended for one month for being absent without permission during the state executive council meeting held on Monday.
Commissioner for Information and State Orientation, Jude Okpor disclosed this at a press briefing on the outcome of the executive council meeting.
He noted that the governor warned against absenteeism and the lackadaisical attitude to work by public servants in the state.
Okpor further said Gov. Nwifuru directed that the suspended commissioners be relieved of all the privileges attached to their offices within the duration of the suspension.
Also, he said the governor warned contractors handling government projects in the state to expedite efforts in delivering such projects in accordance with contractual agreements, as the state government would not hesitate to use all legal means to enforce compliance.
He stated that as part of the state government’s efforts to advance the infrastructural needs at the NYSC Permanent Orientation Camp, Afikpo, the State Executive Council approved the execution of staff quarters, a female hostel, and a health clinic.
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Okpor further revealed the council approved N40 million to the Ministry of Water Resources, to construct a central water store with an emphasis on protecting the ministry’s equipment and consumables.
The Commissioner said the victorious Ebonyi State University Faculty of Law students comprising Michael Agu-Ebeke, Ibor Cynthia Nwamaka, and their guardian, Dr. Chioma 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 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 N5 million 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,” the commissioner said.
However, he enjoined the leadership of Ebonyi State University and other tertiary institutions in the state to embrace practical-based research to produce solution-oriented graduates.
