Ike Nnachi, Abakaliki
Governor Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru of Ebonyi State has lifted the suspension on 81 government officials, including Commissioners, Senior Special Assistants, Special Assistants, and Permanent Secretaries.
The officials, who were suspended on July 28, 2025, have been directed to resume their official duties immediately.
The announcement was contained in a statement issued on Tuesday by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Monday Uzor.
Burial or School Sports
Though the reason for the initial suspension was not disclosed in detail, it was widely linked to the officials’ failure to attend a major state event despite prior directives from the Governor mandating their presence.
Ikengaonline had reported how the suspension had generated serious outrage when it emerged that the officials were suspended for not attending the burial of the mother to the governor’s kin and friend.
The governor’s Special Assistant on New Media, Leo Oketa had, made the disclosure in a statement.
But as the reason for the suspension drew outrage within the state and beyond, the Governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Monday Uzor, disagreed with Mr Oketa over the reason for suspension.
In a an interview on African Independent Television (AIT), Mr Uzor claimed they were suspended for shunning the Universal Basic Education (UBE) school sports competition finals.
“What actually happened was that on Thursday last week, there was a grand finale of the UBE school sports and all the government officials, in fact virtually all the government officials, were scheduled to attend that particular event because of the importance the governor attached to it,” Uzor had explained.
While the burial held on Friday 25th, at Aboffia, suburb of Abakaliki, the School Sports Final held on Thursday 24th at the Pa Ngele Oruta Township Stadium in Abakaliki, the state capital.
However, many critics did not believe Mr Uzor ‘s statement, viewing it as an attempt to save face due to the outrage that trailed the news of suspension being slammed on the officials over a burial.
This is as it emerged that some of those suspended were actually seen at the stadium attending the school sports event with some of them granting interviews to Journalists at the event.
Suspension lifted
According to the statement by Mr Uzor, the Governor’s decision to lift the suspension is in line with his commitment to good governance, administrative order, and the effective functioning of the state’s machinery.
The statement reads: “The Governor of Ebonyi State His Excellency Rt. Hon. Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru has graciously lifted the suspension on 81 Government officials.
“The Governor directed the Commissioners, Senior Special Assistants, Special Assistants and Permanent Secretaries who were suspended on the 28th of July, 2025 to resume official duties immediately”
The lifting of the suspension is expected to restore normalcy across various ministries and departments in the state’s civil service.
As at the time of filing this report, the affected officials have begun resumption of duties across their respective offices.
