Misconduct, dereliction of duties: Ebonyi Gov. suspends two commissioners for three months

Ebonyi Gov. Francis Nwifuru has suspended the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Moses Ekuma, and his Housing and Urban Development counterpart, Mr. Francis Ori, over alleged gross misconduct and dereliction of duties.

The duo was handed down a three-month suspension each on Monday during the State Executive Council meeting in Abakaliki, the state capital.

The suspended commissioners were sworn into office seventeen months ago.

A statement from the Commissioner for Information and State Orientation, Mr. Jude Okpor, obtained by Persecondnews on Tuesday morning, said: “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 a three-month suspension of the Honourable Commissioner for Health, respectively.”

The suspension may be linked to the alleged theft of Ministry of Health property by its officials and the Housing and Urban Development Commissioner’s poor performance, particularly in the mishandling of the Amaeze Housing Scheme in the Ishielu Local Government Area.

Persecondnews recalls that Nwifuru made a surprise visit to the Ebonyi State Ministry of Health on Saturday night, catching six officials allegedly diverting government materials, and promptly ordered their arrest and prosecution.