"One contractor collected N3 billion to supply equipment and consumables to primary healthcare centres in the state."
Governor Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi State said he suspended Moses Ekuma, the state Commissioner for Health, for three months because he did not show the "capacity" to manage the ministry.
Mr Nwifuru said this on Wednesday in Abakaliki while addressing stakeholders from different sectors during the citizens' engagement forum for the 2025 budget proposal.
He said the health ministry "is sick, despite having an abundance of qualified personnel.
"When one is in a position of authority, such a person should know that it comes with lots of responsibilities.
"People in authority should not be lackadaisical in their approach to work and should deliver on their mandates," he said.
He regretted that the government had invested heavily in the health sector but there was little to show for such efforts.
"One contractor collected N3 billion to supply equipment and consumables to primary healthcare centres in the state.
"The government also spends billions of naira to bring primary healthcare centres and general hospitals in the state to standard, but there are no results," the governor said.
He also said the government would constitute committees to inspect health facilities across the state.
"We have made several interventions, such as drug revolving funds for general hospitals, and this has attained 60 per cent delivery.
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"We are equipping the health facilities so that when people fall sick in the rural areas, they would receive immediate treatment before being referred to specialist hospitals," he said.
Mr Nwifuru said that when the health facilities are fully rehabilitated, they would be run independently by the health officials to make them viable.
"The doctors would generate funds to pay themselves and other health workers and generate revenue for the government.
"The same will apply to the state broadcasting service, which will be run as a public liability company.
"The funds the establishment generates would be used to run it and redundant staff would be redeployed to relevant ministries," the governor said.
He warned commissioners and other public officeholders to take their duties seriously, adding that more would be sanctioned for inefficiency.
"They have been given opportunities to realise that they have responsibilities.
"We have spent one year and some months in office and anyone that is joking should do so in his or her house," he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that some of the stakeholders who spoke at the forum commended the governor for his "inclusive style of governance" and pledged their continued support to his administration.
