By Douglas Okoro

Gov. Dave Umahi of Ebonyi on Saturday in Abakaliki dissolved government boards and commissions barely 48 hours after the dissolution of its executive council.

The Governor also sacked all liaison officers and other political aides.

Umahi announced the dissolution during a broadcast to mark the second year anniversary of his second term in office.

The governor explained that the dissolution was to give members of the various boards, commissions and aides seeking to contest the 2022 local government council election in the state or the 2023 general elections time to prepare.

He further noted that the dissolution was to give time for those seeking to join the opposition opportunity to express their constitutional right to freedom of association.

“We noticed that as we warm up to our local government election, some of the members of the commissions and boards want to contest elections.

“Accordingly, the liaison officers are hereby dissolved; members of boards and commissions are hereby dissolved,” Umahi said.

The governor also announced dissolution of Management committees of the 64 development centres, Senior Technical Assistants, Technical Assistants and Executive Assistants.

The governor explained that the over 4,000 elected and appointed officers serving in his administration represented one per cent of the four million population of the state.

Umahi added that the resources of the state would not be spent on this small population alone.

“We had to do two sets of dissolution in our Executive Council and the first has taken place.

“We dissolved Exco because we have been getting agitations that they want to contest elections why some of them are not satisfied with what they are getting.

“So, we had to dissolve so as to give opportunity to those who want to contest elections enough time to prepare.

”Also those who are not satisfied with what they are getting and want to join opposition should go and this is very important.

“We have about 4,000 elected and appointed political office holders and if anybody thinks that I became governor just to take care of this number, the person is making a mistake.

“We want to come out of slavery and if I don’t build schools; if I don’t build roads, we are just wasting our time because it is only us that can take ourselves out of slavery ,” he said.

The governor said that an empowerment programme and civil service employments would be given to former members of the executive council, boards, and commissions who would not be reappointed.

“We will create 3,000 Small and Medium Enterprise jobs and another 3,000 jobs from the civil service to accommodate those who will not return,” he said.

The Judiciary Service Commission, Civil Service Commission and few others were not affected in the dissolution.