Abia State’s Commissioner for Health, Dr. Ngozi Okoronkwo, has reportedly been suspended by Governor Alex Otti over allegations of financial mismanagement and lack of accountability.
The suspension, according to social media reports, was decided during the State Executive Council meeting on Monday.
A top government official, who requested anonymity, confirmed to Vanguard that the Governor asked the Health Commissioner “to step aside” to allow for an investigation into numerous complaints regarding her ministry’s financial practices.
“There were issues of transparency in the delivery of duties, and the Governor felt that some actions are not in tandem with his vision for accountability and transparency. He then asked her to step aside for an audit so that the process of the audit will not be affected,” the source said.
The Governor said, “Step aside let’s look through some of the issues raised against you by some people concerning some of your conducts and delivery of your mandate as Commissioner for Health.”
He added, “Note that the Commissioner for Health has not been indicted for anything. What the Governor said is: ‘step aside let’s look into your activities.’ The Governor is committed to transparency and accountability, and he has zero tolerance for corruption.”
Efforts to obtain a reaction from Dr. Okoronkwo were unsuccessful as she did not respond to calls or text messages from our correspondent.
This suspension comes just 48 hours after the Principal of the School of Nursing, Abiriba, was suspended for alleged high-handedness and lack of transparency, following a strong petition by the Students Union Government.
Similarly, the former head of the State Orientation Agency was previously suspended over alleged sharp practices. Governor Otti had made it clear during the swearing-in of commissioners that he has zero tolerance for graft and would not hesitate to take action against any aides found misbehaving.
Notably, the Ministry of Health received 15% of Abia State’s budget in the 2024 Appropriation Bill, the highest allocation in the state’s history.
