Omoun Perez, the state’s commissioner of agriculture and natural resources, has been suspended by Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori.
Read Also: Suspension of Augustine Agada, chairman of APC in Benue State
Perez was placed under suspension by Oborevwori due to claims that he had embezzled money intended for a greenhouse project.
As a result, the governor appointed a seven-member committee to look into the claims.
The governor directed senior ministry officials, including Permanent Secretary Bennet Agamah, Assistant Director of Agricultural Engineering Oki Yintareke, and Chief Accountant Gabriel Idiatacheko, to go on mandatory leave until further notice in a statement released on Wednesday by the Secretary to the State Government, Kingsley Emu.
According to Mr. Emu, the instruction came about as a result of the state Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources reviewing the greenhouse project’s implementation.
“This decision by the government is not a presumption of guilt in any way; rather, it is a necessary step to protect the integrity of the already-instituted investigative process, which is to guarantee that the investigation is completed without any possibility of undue influence or bias,” the spokesperson added.
In the state’s Ika North-east and Aniocha South Local Government Areas, the Accelerated Agriculture Development Scheme at Mbiri Farm Settlement and Agro-Industrial Park, Aboh-Ogwashi, was inspected by Governor Oborevwori in January.
He committed to paying farmers N2 billion from the Special Agricultural Intervention Fund before the end of the month.
