Fidelia Soriwei, Abuja
Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, has lifted the suspension of the Commissioner for Works (Highways and Urban Roads), Reuben Izeze, and directed him to return to office after completing 10 weeks from the date the suspension took effect.
Oborevwori announced the decision on Tuesday during the swearing-in of the Auditor-General and governing council members of University of Delta, Southern Delta University and Dennis Osadebay University at Unity Hall, Government House, Asaba.
The governor said Izeze had appealed for forgiveness and indicated his willingness to return to the public to address the circumstances surrounding his suspension.
According to Oborevwori, Izeze sent a message to him on Tuesday morning asking for forgiveness and requesting that the governor tell the public he had just returned from the correctional facility.
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.
“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?
“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.”
Oborevwori said Izeze’s decision to appeal and face the public contributed to his decision to allow him to return to government.
“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.
He added, “But I will say that when it completes 10 weeks from the day of your suspension, you can resume work.”
Izeze was suspended indefinitely on August 10 following allegations linking him to the assault of Simon Mudi, the Governor’s Senior Special Assistant on Protocol, during an APC stakeholders’ meeting at the Petroleum Training Institute, Effurun.
The state government had said the suspension was intended to allow security agencies to investigate the allegations without interference.
Before the suspension, Izeze was arraigned before a Delta State High Court in Effurun over the alleged assault and remanded at the Nigerian Correctional Service facility in Okere, Warri. The court was said to have ordered his remand for 14 days pending further proceedings.
The suspension subsequently prompted appeals from political groups and other stakeholders urging the governor to reconsider the decision. Tuesday’s announcement establishes a 10-week timeline for Izeze’s return while the governor reiterated the need for discipline and responsible conduct among public officials.
