Delta gov directs suspended commissioner to resume after 10 weeks

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Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, has lifted the suspension of the Commissioner for Works (Highways and Urban Roads), Reuben Izeze, directing him to resume office after completing 10 weeks from the date of his suspension.

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Oborevwori announced this on Tuesday during the swearing-in ceremony of the Auditor-General and members of the governing councils of the University of Delta, Southern Delta University and Dennis Osadebay University at Unity Hall, Government House, Asaba.

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The governor said Izeze had appealed to him for forgiveness and acknowledged his willingness to return to the public to address the issue that led to his suspension.

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According to Oborevwori, Izeze sent him a message on Tuesday morning asking for forgiveness and requesting that the governor inform the public that he had just returned from the correctional facility.

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The governor said, “Let me talk for a minute about one commissioner who was suspended. He sent me a message this morning that I should forgive him.

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“He doesn’t know me, and he was telling me what to say; that I should tell the public that he is just coming from Okere prison. Is that my business?

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“I always tell people that my kind of system is different. If someone like me has changed my style, this is not the sheriff of 20 years ago. So when you are in government, you must behave well because nobody is above the law.”

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The governor, however, said Izeze’s appeal and decision to face the public had influenced his decision to lift the suspension.

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“But because you have pleaded and really removed that shame and you came to face the public, even as people know that you are under suspension, from where you were suspended is not yet two months,” Oborevwori said.

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He added, “But I will say that when it completes 10 weeks from the day of your suspension, you can resume work.”

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Izeze was suspended indefinitely on August 10 by the state government following allegations linking him to the assault of the Governor’s Senior Special Assistant on Protocol, Simon Mudi, popularly known as Temple.

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The incident occurred during an All Progressives Congress stakeholders’ meeting at the Petroleum Training Institute, Effurun, Delta State.

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The state government said at the time that the suspension was necessary to allow security agencies to conduct an impartial investigation into the allegations without interference.

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Before his suspension, Izeze was arraigned before a Delta State High Court sitting in Effurun over the alleged assault and was remanded at the Nigerian Correctional Service facility in Okere, Warri. Reports at the time said the court ordered his remand for 14 days pending further proceedings.

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His suspension also generated appeals from groups and political stakeholders who called on the governor to reconsider the decision and allow him to return to office.

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With Tuesday’s announcement, the governor has now provided a timeline for Izeze’s return to office, while stressing the importance of discipline and responsible conduct by public officials.

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