First Lady Patience Jonathan
The first lady, Patience Jonathan, will not relocate to Bayelsa State to perform the duties of permanent secretary and will not earn any pay during the period.
Her spokesman, Mr Ayo Osinlu, stated this yesterday during an interview with an online medium, PREMIUM TIMES.
Governor Seriake Dickson had on Wednesday appointed the wife of President Goodluck Jonathan as a permanent secretary in the Bayelsa State civil service alongside 17 other senior civil servants in the state.
But Osinlu claims that, unlike the others appointees, the first lady will hold her office in absentia.
“She is on leave of absence. She is not going to function in the office of the permanent secretary in Bayelsa State. It is a civil service position. She is a staff of the Bayelsa State civil service. But she will also not collect any perk for the office. It will be illegal for her to draw salary from the office,” he said.
According to Osinlu, the first lady is apparently delighted at the appointment, saying that she had no cause to publicly accept or decline the appointment.
The president’s wife, who left the Bayelsa State civil service 13 years ago after her husband became the deputy governor of the state, was elevated to the position usually reserved for senior civil servants.
Governor Dickson had claimed that he made the appointment in line with the constitutional powers conferred on his office.
Culled from a Nigerian newspaper, Leadership
What are you thinking?
she should just decline d offer cos if she left d state civil service 13 years ago she is assumed 2 have left d service cos she has never been on secondment nor transfer of service. d whole thing is questionable and dirty. why introducing politics in d state civil service of bayelsa? that is how boko haram came into d country “POLITICIANS ARE D PROBLEMS OF THIS COUNTRY, INSTEAD OF PROVIDING SOLUTIONS” basterdising d civil service? MOST UNFORTUNATE