By CHARLES IWUOHA

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 any permission during the state executive council meeting held on Monday yesterday.

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 lackadaisical attitude to work by public servants of the state.

Okpor further said Nwifuru directed that the suspended commissioners be relieved of all the privileges attached to their offices within the duration of the suspension.

He opined that the Governor used the opportunity to warn all the contractors handling government projects in the state to expedite efforts in the delivery of such projects in accordance with contractual agreements, as 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 Executive Council approved the execution of the following projects: Staff quarters, Female hostel and Health Clinic projects.

"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 (#5m) 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.