By Abiola Olawale
Governor Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi State has arrested six commissioners and a local government chairman, accusing them of sabotaging a key housing project through an alleged breach of contract terms.
It was reported that the arrests stem from a stalled construction of 140 housing units intended for the Izzo and Amaze communities, a flagship initiative said to be meant to provide relief to victims of communal crises.
According to reports, Nwifuru had earmarked the project’s completion as a centrepiece of his second-anniversary celebrations in office.
The arrested commissioners are Professor Omari Omaka (Tertiary Education), Victor Chukwu (Environment), Ifeanyi Ogbuewu (Culture and Tourism), Uchenna Igwe (Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters), Moses Ekuma (Health) and Felix Igboke (Project Monitoring).
The Chairman of Afikpo Local Government Area, Mr Timothy Nwachi, was also suspended.
The Ebonyi state government alleged that the commissioners and contractors failed to uphold their contractual obligations, undermining Nwifuru’s commitment to delivering service and providing succour to displaced residents.
Addressing newsmen in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, the Chairman of the State Executive Council Committee on Izzo and Amaze Housing Project, Ilang Donatus, said the state government felt that the affected commissioners and contractors have breached the terms and conditions of the contract and tasks assigned to them by the government to execute.
He said: “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.”
Also, the Special Assistant to the Governor on Women Mobilisation, Ebonyi Central, Mrs Maria Okohu, who is a member of the Executive Council Committee, said that non-completion of the projects by the contractors and the alleged failure of some of the commissioners to strictly supervise them as directed by the government is an act of sabotage.
