State Governors all over the federation seem not to be in the mood to further condone any slip-ups from their subjects as the nation battles to curtail the wild spread of the dreaded COVID-19 pandemic. A clear example was seen in Ebonyi state where Governor David Umahi has ordered a one-month working suspension of the state’s Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Chief Samuel Okoronkwo, over alleged boundary security compromise and negligence.
The governor gave the order yesterday in a release he personally posted on the social media and confirmed by the state’s Commissioner for Information, Mr. Uchenna Orji.
He stated that the suspension also meant forfeiture of one month salary.
He equally handed a one-month working suspension of the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Dr. Augustine Nwuzor.
The governor expressed utmost displeasure over the alleged attitude of nonchalance and negligence to duty he witnessed on May 9, while on inspection of the state’s boundaries at Afikpo North and Ivo LGA.
He threatened to sack them if there were no improvements.
He said, “All development centre coordinators of Afikpo North and Ivo LGA’s are hereby suspended from office and should handover to the ‘Member One’ in their various development centres, including their official vehicles.
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”All political appointees from these councils are to remain on half salary until normalcy returns, including all traditional rulers from both councils.
“Commissioner for LGA and Permanent Secretary of LGA are to serve one-month working suspension without salaries and if there is no improvement in the running of LGA, they will be removed.
“The chairmen and leadership of town unions in Ebonyi are hereby suspended and I will dissolve all town unions this May if situations do not improve.”
He further threatened that all health workers in the state absent from their duty posts from Sunday will be sacked, pledging to do more in the coming days to secure the peoples’ lives.
“What I saw on Saturday at Ivo LGA left me worried about our people’s honesty in doing this job.
“I was disappointed with what I saw there and also at Afikpo North LGA between 6.30 pm and 12.am.
