Ebonyi Gov Nwifuru Reshuffles 3 Commissioners, Issues Warnings to 2 Others

Ebonyi State Governor, Francis Nwifuru

By Nabob Ogbonna, Abakaliki

Ebonyi State Governor, Francis Nwifuru, on Monday carried out a minor cabinet reshuffle, swapping three commissioners after two years and two months in office.

As part of the changes, the Commissioner for Information and State Orientation, Jude Chikadibia, was redeployed to the Ministry of Rural Development. In turn, Chief Ikeuwa Omebe, who previously headed the Rural Development Ministry, was reassigned to the Ministry of Information and State Orientation.

The Commissioner for Primary and Secondary Education, Paul Nwobashi, was transferred to the Ministry of Border Peace and Conflict Resolution. His counterpart, Dr. Donatus Ilang, who formerly held that position, was redeployed to the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education.

Announcing the reshuffle, the newly appointed Commissioner for Information and State Orientation, Chief Ikeuwa Omebe, stated that Governor Nwifuru had issued a six-month ultimatum to the Commissioner for Environment, Victor Chukwu, and the Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Prof. Omari Omaka (SAN), to improve their performance or face disciplinary action.

According to Omebe, the Governor urged all members of the Executive Council to reflect on their individual contributions to the administration’s goals and to recommit to the vision and mission articulated in the People’s Charter of Needs, the guiding framework of his government.

Governor Nwifuru has, on several occasions, expressed dissatisfaction with what he described as the lackluster performance of some commissioners in implementing his administration’s mandate.

In a recent interview with journalists, the Governor stated that while he is reluctant to dismiss any of his aides, he is prepared to do so if necessary. He emphasized his preference to offer underperforming officials a chance to improve rather than resort to outright dismisses .