Governor Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi State has ordered the arrest of six commissioners for allegedly breaching a contract related to the construction of 140 housing units for the Izzo and Amaze communities.
The commissioners taken into custody are Professor Omari Omaka (Tertiary Education), Victor Chukwu (Environment), Ifeanyi Ogbuewu (Culture and Tourism), Uchenna Igwe (Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters), Moses Ekuma (Health), and Felix Igboke (Project Monitoring). Additionally, the Chairman of Afikpo Local Government Area, Timothy Nwachi, has been suspended.
Before their arrest, the state government had issued a wanted notice for the involved commissioners.
Speaking to the press in Abakaliki, Governor Nwifuru, represented by Ilang Donatus, Chairman of the State Executive Council Committee on the Izzo and Amaze Housing Project, stated that both the commissioners and contractors had failed to meet the government’s contractual expectations.
The government believes that these officials have hindered Governor Nwifuru’s plan to complete and inaugurate the housing units in time for his two-year anniversary in office.
“The governor is not happy over the pace of the work which ought to have been completed. The government has decided to clamp down on the contractors and commissioners who were mandated to supervise those projects.
“As you can see, our governor is a man with a passionate heart, he likes giving succour, hence the building of those houses for the victims of the communal crisis.
“He is not happy that the project is delayed and has ordered the arrest of all the commissioners who were supposed to ensure the speedy completion of the housing units,” Donatus said.
Maria Okohu, the Special Assistant to the Governor on Women Mobilization for Ebonyi Central and a member of the Executive Council Committee, described the situation as sabotage. She stated that contractors failed to complete the housing units while some commissioners did not properly oversee the project as required by the government.
The governor, through the committee, has warned that arrests will continue until all involved commissioners and contractors are held accountable and fulfill their responsibilities.
Meanwhile, reports indicate that the Nigeria Police have sent invitation letters to other commissioners and contractors who were not at home when the committee visited.
