Telecommuting: First Lady says she will function as permanent secretary from Abuja and she will earn no salary

by Isi Esene

Dame Patience Jonathan, wife of President Goodluck Jonathan, says she plans to discharge her duties as permanent secretary from her base in Abuja and not Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.

Dame Jonathan was on Wednesday appointed as Permanent Secretary in the Bayelsa State Civil Service by the state governor, Seriake Dickson. Many observers however viewed her appointment as a pay-back gesture by the governor to the first lady who is believed to be instrumental to his choice as PDP’s gubernatorial candidate in Bayelsa State ahead of other more recognized political personalities.

Unlike others who were appointed with the first lady, she will hold her office in absentia.

Ayo Osinlu, Mrs. Jonathan’s spokesman, told Premium Times that she is on a leave of absence and she’s not planning on functioning substantively as permanent secretary.

He also said that she will also not receive any perk for the office.

“It will be illegal for her to draw salary from the office,”Osinlu said.

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 Seriake Dickson said he made the appointment in line with the constitutional powers conferred on his office.

Before now, permanent secretaries were chosen among the ranks of senior civil servant but the rules have changed to accommodate anyone the governor of the state so chooses.

“Those days, only the most senior director in the ministry will succeed an outgoing permanent secretary,” a retired permanent secretary who sought anonymity said.

Mrs. Jonathan, a native of Okrika in Rivers State, had worked both in the Rivers and Bayelsa States Civil Service up till 1999 when her husband was elected deputy governor.

Osinlu, declined to confirm her rank before leaving the state’s civil service to embark on her current leave of absence.

Comments (3)

  1. Nigerians have to deal with Nigeria's problem. External ageneics and foreign nations do not understand the the issue and they will never.The violence in PH has nothing to do with MEND or resource control. These are criminals. and PH-based lawyer sheds some light to what might have contributed to the problem, excerpt:"The genesis of this crisis was in 1999 when the former Governor of Rivers State Dr. Peter Odili created a militant campaign forum to combat the strong opposition mainly from the riverine Kalabari and Okrika political class. Odili is from a minority clan from Ndoni (omoku) and in order to command some level of relevance as a minority person he needed a strong front to combat the traditional power brokers in Rivers State, especially the Kalabari's then ably coordinated by the Late Marshall Harry and Graham Douglas family and A.K Dikibo…By 2003 militancy had become fashionable in Rivers State; to the teeming, restless, jobless and unemployable youths, militancy became a welcome vocation that gave them the much sought after wealth and respect. The boys did their jobs very well and Odili was returned to office without any stress, Odilli kept them well, paid them well and even imported state- of the art weapons for them and they became the unofficial security service provider to the Governor and Government of Rivers State to the chagrin of the police…"So what happened when the cash flow ceased?

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