Gov Elechi sacks commissioner for environment

By The Rainbow

Ebonyi State Governor, Chief Martin Elechi has sacked his Commissioner for Environment Dr Paul Okorie.

The commissioner's sack was  announced by the State Commissioner for Information and State Orientation, Mr Chike Onwe, after the Executive Council meeting in Abakaliki, yesterday.

According to Onwe in a statement available to newsmen, Okorie was relieved of his duties following what the Governor described as act of inconsistency in his mandate and ordered the commissioner to hand over all government documents and property in his possession to the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry.

The sack has been described by a cross section of residents of Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital as a decision that would not only see the return of heaps of dirt in the city but would also expose the state to a possible outbreak of epidemic.

One of the residents, Mr Ifeanyi Chukwuka stated that the sack of the commissioner has brought fears in the minds of people over what would become of the environmental state of the city in the next one month.

'It is the constitutional right of the Governor to appoint and dismiss any of his aids but from the experience we have had, the Governor has dismissed two of his aids, yet no replacement has been made'.

'Everybody in the state knows the ability of the former Commissioner for Environment; he is one commissioner who was not in government to acquire wealth rather his determination was to make positive changes in the state.

An environment expert, Mr Ugwu Uchenna expressed regret over the removal of Dr Okorie and urged the state governor to urgently find a suitable replacement.

'The little time, he spent in the Ministry of Environment, Abakaliki wore a new look unlike what we used to experience when we had Environment under Ministry of Health,' Uchenna said.

A politician and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Women's Leader in the state, Mrs Chioma Onu urged the Governor to sack more commissioners as some of them have been in government since 1999.

'The Governor had earlier stated that in December last year, he would reshuffle his cabinet and bring in new people, this is almost eight months since then and he is yet to carry out the change.