Ebonyi state government has embarked on the conduct of a comprehensive census of all its indigenes who are hawking in the major cities, like, Lagos, Onitsha, Port Harcourt, Aba and others.
This is even as the state government has planned to spend N3 billion for the rehabilitation of Ebonyi its indigenes hawking in such major cities of the country.
This was part of the resolution reached during the Etate Executive Council (SECOND) meeting in Abakaliki, the state capital.
Briefing news men at the end of the meeting, the Commissioner for Information and State Orientation, Senator Emmanuel Onwe, said the Special Advisor to the Governor, Lagos Liaison Office, Mrs. Jacinta Nworie, had been redeployed and re-assigned as Special Adviser on Talent Development.
Mrs. Nworie, according to him, has been charged with the responsibility of conducting census of the hawkers with a view to rehabilitating them.
“The SA on Lagos Liaison Office is to immediately be redeployed by the Secretary to State Government and to be relocated or re-assigned to the office of the SSG. Her position is to be redesignated as SA on Talent Development in the Department of Talent Development. Her responsibility would be, first to conduct a comprehensive census of all Ebonyi indigenes who are hawking in the major cities, like, Lagos,Onitsha,port Harcourt,Aba and else where.
“Once such comprehensive census is taken, it is the resolution of EXCO to make a budget of N3 billion to begin a rehabilitation process of all Ebonyians who are engaged in a disgraceful and humiliating activities of hawking on the highways in major cities of the country.”
The commissioner said that the Executive Council terminated a contract awarded for the provision of electricity at the Federal Teaching Hospital,FETHA 2 in Abakaliki.
He said that his Power counterpart, Chief Emmanuel Uguru, was given one week to take over the contract and complete it for commissioning.
The council also banned the sell of used cable wires in the state and advised those selling such items to get approval from the Commissioner for Power to avoid being charged to court.
Senator Onwe explained that this was part of the measures taken to avert the stealing or vandalism of cable wires in the state
Also , the council directed those lobbying to replace the retired permanent secretaries to stop doing so as governor was not in a hurry to appoint new ones.
Onwe added that the council banned government functionaries and civil servants from attending private functions scheduled for Fridays. [myad]